Feeling rusty?

[Hedge36]

Just got back from an hour in a Robbie at Summit, having been on a six-month hiatus. I figured it would be a total mess, but as long as I handed off comm duties (new airfield for me), all was good.

 

Kind of a funny deal, really. Just like riding a bike.

 

Just to totally screw myself up, Thursday I'll climb back into a 300 - it's only been a year and a half since I flew one.

 

I hear people talk about feeling completely out of whack after a couple of days off-shift and others talk about feeling right at home twenty years after having last climbed out of a Huey right after the fall of Saigon. What's your experience been?

[heligirl03]

It's not exactly an eternity, but I took 4mo off after my CFI checkride before jumping back in for a few hours for my CFII sign-off. And that was 11mo away from Instruments! Had my checklists handy to battle the nerves, but once we were cranked it all came back like I'd never spent a day away from the airport. The bonus was that my comfort with IFR flight had exponentially improved with another 100hrs of VFR. Anyway, it was my first time away for more than a week and it felt great!

 

HG03

[apiaguy]

started my flight training in rotorcraft... achieved 12 hours dual in an R22 then took 12 years off...(did get about 1000 hours fixed wing during that time). 1st hour dual in a 300C I was able to hover.. real shaky.

 

After flying about 200 hours fixed wing I went about 2 years without flying, then bought a mooney and traveled 300 miles to pick it up. Took one flight in the pattern with the owner, he handed me the keys and I flew Battle Creek Michigan to Milwaukee at night in a completely unfamiliar airplane at night! I quadruple checked gear down before landing.