EP148 - Camping on Mount Stupid: A Love Letter to Infrequent Flyers
Listener Chris C sparked this week's conversation with a thoughtful question about infrequent flying: "I have to think there's a whole class of pilots out there like me who just don't get up in the air very often... how I'll probably be camping on Mount Stupid for years at my current rate of flying." The crew dives deep into proficiency, imposter syndrome, and why flying once a month doesn't make you any less of a pilot.
In this episode:
- Chris C's honest take on being an infrequent flyer and what it means for skills, risk assessment, and confidence
- Brian's insight: "You're not somebody that's rusty. You're somebody that is consciously, willfully not flying a lot, but flying a little"
- Why "there are millions of people in this country that don't have a pilot license at all—so you're flying more than them"
- Ben confesses to his wrong-runway landing in Florida: "I turned all the blood left my face"
- Strut collapses, coyote wrangling, and why the instrument written is "just a hazing"
Bonus wisdom: "VFR flying is like break dancing. IFR flying is like cotillion."
Also: Don't write "oops, landed wrong runway" in your logbook.
Thanks to Chris C for the episode inspiration and for reminding us that thoughtful, safety-conscious flying matters way more than your Hobbs meter.
Mentioned on the Show:
- List of Class B airports - Wikipedia
- List of Class C airports with traffic volume - Wikipedia
- Sheppard Air - Written test prep
- Triple Tree Fly-In - Sep 22-28, SC00 Spartanburg, SC
- Music City STOL - Oct 10-11, XNX Gallatin, TN
- Swift National Fly-In - Oct 1-5, MMI Athens, TN
- CheckMate Aviation - Barry's aviation business
The in person (online) guided IFR course Brian is taking is from our friend of the show CFII Erica Gilbert, and you can sign up here: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/ifr
Support the Show:
- Join the Patreon community for Discord access, exclusive content, and check ride debriefs: Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast
- Visit MidlifePilotPodcast.com for merch, feedback, and all things Midlife Pilot Podcast
- Leave us a 5-star review
- Subscribe and catch us live most Monday nights at 8 PM ET on YouTube: youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast
10% of Patreon proceeds support Freedom Aviation Network's anti-human trafficking efforts
www.freedomaviationnetwork.org
More description
Listener Chris C sparked this week's conversation with a thoughtful question about infrequent flying: "I have to think there's a whole class of pilots out there like me who just don't get up in the air very often... how I'll probably be camping on Mount Stupid for years at my current rate of flying." The crew dives deep into proficiency, imposter syndrome, and why flying once a month doesn't make you any less of a pilot.
In this episode:
- Chris C's honest take on being an infrequent flyer and what it means for skills, risk assessment, and confidence
- Brian's insight: "You're not somebody that's rusty. You're somebody that is consciously, willfully not flying a lot, but flying a little"
- Why "there are millions of people in this country that don't have a pilot license at all—so you're flying more than them"
- Ben confesses to his wrong-runway landing in Florida: "I turned all the blood left my face"
- Strut collapses, coyote wrangling, and why the instrument written is "just a hazing"
Bonus wisdom: "VFR flying is like break dancing. IFR flying is like cotillion."
Also: Don't write "oops, landed wrong runway" in your logbook.
Thanks to Chris C for the episode inspiration and for reminding us that thoughtful, safety-conscious flying matters way more than your Hobbs meter.
Mentioned on the Show:
- List of Class B airports - Wikipedia
- List of Class C airports with traffic volume - Wikipedia
- Sheppard Air - Written test prep
- Triple Tree Fly-In - Sep 22-28, SC00 Spartanburg, SC
- Music City STOL - Oct 10-11, XNX Gallatin, TN
- Swift National Fly-In - Oct 1-5, MMI Athens, TN
- CheckMate Aviation - Barry's aviation business
The in person (online) guided IFR course Brian is taking is from our friend of the show CFII Erica Gilbert, and you can sign up here: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/ifr
Support the Show:
- Join the Patreon community for Discord access, exclusive content, and check ride debriefs: Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast
- Visit MidlifePilotPodcast.com for merch, feedback, and all things Midlife Pilot Podcast
- Leave us a 5-star review
- Subscribe and catch us live most Monday nights at 8 PM ET on YouTube: youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast
10% of Patreon proceeds support Freedom Aviation Network's anti-human trafficking efforts
www.freedomaviationnetwork.org
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