So what the hell is skill fade?
 

So I’ve had a beer and turn on the TV. I’m presented by the Reds in the USA! After a couple of days they suffer from.......Skill fade!........could someone please explain?

Practice makes perfect. No practice, no perfection.

I can’t even go to lunch before I suffer from it.....

Actually Shy Torque when I was at nav school they told us we were lucky - pilots weren't even allowed a lunch break as they needed to start the course all over again if they had one. Seems they weren't joking ;)

What the man said was "We hadn't displayed properly really for a couple of weeks, we experience skill fade"

It shows, as apparently, according to Channel 5. Halifax is now in Newfoundland, not Nova Scotia..................

Skill fade - a fading of skills. Not a difficult concept to understand is it?

Use it or lose it. As MG says, not difficult to understand.

It's a PC new business phrase meaning "forgot".

newt,

I think that you are just trying to be controversial? Whilst I do not agree with many of the "new phrases" which are often just excuses I do believe that skill fade exists.

I recall that I was at my peak as a 2nd tourist with 1000 hrs on type serving in RAFG. Normally flying twice every day unless in the tower or on the desk, one was provided with excellent continuity.

There was no doubt that after 2/3 weeks summer leave in south or France, Italy or Spain one suffered from skill fade. It took a couple of "medium tariff" trips to get back to being the best fighter pilot in 2ATAF (at that time and in my humble opinion)!!!

Rigga
 

There’s nothing ‘PC’ or especially modern about the term.

It does exactly what it says on the tin and if you can think of a better alternative to get the message across in as few words then please enlighten us all.

BV

That's why I have to go to the local pub or bar every night otherwise I start to spill drinks..................

Why is this a topic?

Whatever you call it, all professional pilots know exactly what it is.

My thoughts entirely JAJ - only a non-aviator could ask the question! However, this isn’t an exclusive aircrew site and Dominator has explained it well, so time to move on...

Years ago I told my daughter that beer is horrible stuff and to avoid others having to drink my share, I only went to the pub out of a sense of duty.

After a while (I think she was about five) she pointed a finger at me and said accusingly: "Dad..you LIKE beer, don't you! :suspect: "

I think she'd been talking to her mother.

C'mon Newt. You've had it for years now, Pull the other one!

...he needs to lay off that Belgian beer!

You're not so smart Motley- last time I looked it was in Yorkshire!:ok:

CG

In golf, when one is right handed, skill fade is what happens as your fast twitch muscles begin to slow down as you get older. Where you normally hit a slight draw, you can't quite get the club face through and you end up with a slight fade on most of your shots.




But that doesn't explain my occasional bloody slice....

Golf? That's one skill that I'll never lose.

I've never had any.

In Oman, when the Omani pilots came back from leave they had to do a full week of PLT (Post Leave Training), before they were let loose on the unsuspecting public on their own!
And believe me they needed it! Skill fade- more like skill forgot.

Is it grounds for divorce?

Hmmm, I have read number of memoirs of Vietnam War era military pilots.
Apparently they all had proficiency checks after 2 weeks leave. And most of them considered it necessary as in their own words the were getting 'rusty' that fast.

&

Anyone on the receiving end of one of my Talkdowns after a fortnight's leave knew exactly what skill fade is/was! :ooh:

......forgot.

hardly new, I first heard the term in 2005

I'm sure I used to know the answer to this one!

Applies across all ATC disciplines. In Area Radar back in the 70s one was always cautious about putting people on busy/complex consoles straight after being on leave. A day or so on quiet control positions restored equilibrium.

"Ah! Snooks - welcome back from leave; have a good time did you? Excellent! Console 13 (Upper Heyford CAC) for you my lad! Oh, and there's a surge launch/recovery scheduled for 1030. Have fun!" :eek:

Post leave was always contentious. Two crews may just have gone on leave and two returned so the sqn was down four crews. Pressure on to get them back up to speed but there was the little question of signing for order books.

Properly done the crew should have had time to read all the books refreshing the orders, learning any changes etc etc. In practice crews would sign a signature books saying they had read them.

Friend of mine returned from leave as his F4 sqn was warned for deployment to Gibraltar. He asked for time to refresh his skills. His nav boss didn't allow him the time he needed. As predicted he hit the runway lip. I think they tried to court martial him.

I very nearly lost my Local ticket in Singapore. We had Sgt controllers who, in those days, only did Local. So the rest of us hardly ever got a look in once we were endorsed, unless one of them went on leave. I found myself up there, after many many months away to find myself in the middle of an Exercise! WSRT was the target for attacks, and launching both attackers and defenders. It only took about an hour for me to lose the plot completely with about a dozen on frequency, all priority scrambles, launches, attacks and recoveries.

OC Flying (MWPK) wanted my ticket, but SATCO persuaded him otherwise.

just pilots, sorry, I thought we’d moved beyond one stick one vote, just saying one professional to another 🤩

It's a fair cop, Guv. :ugh:

Surly the correct quote is: "No stick, no vote"!

its a fair cop 👮‍♀️