Here’s the inside scoop on people with an outsized level of skill that often gets them classified as “outliers.” 

Have you ever heard of the 10,000-Hour Rule? Based on a study by Florida State University professor Anders Ericsson, this “rule” holds that success in a given activity is based not so much on talent, but rather on lots of practice. This premise became the guiding principle of author Malcolm Gladwell’s 2008 book, Outliers: The Story of Success. With examples that encompass everything from basketball to The Beatles, Gladwell argues that the kind of “overnight success” generally attributed to pure talent or sheer luck is more often the result of someone willing to invest at least 10,000 hours in responding to the challenge of choice.

For those whose chosen challenge is GA flying, that’s a daunting number. Like many who fly for personal transportation or for fun, I have basic bills to pay before I can direct money into GA flying activities. As for 10,000 hours? Running the numbers shows that such a tally would require flying 20 hours each week for 10 years. If only. But there are things we can do.

Quality Counts 

Quality matters. Here’s an example. A year or so ago, I heard the story of a pilot who had been hired into an airline job with something north of 8,000 hours in his logbook. The problem? He had accumulated most of those hours flying VFR in the local area. He quickly washed out of the airline’s training program. You might not be aiming for an airline career, but you can increase your proficiency by making every hour of your flying time and money count toward that goal. Put quality into every hour you fly. 

Tally and Track

One of the most effective ways to get the most out of your flying time is to make a personal piloting proficiency plan. Just like a flight plan, your personal proficiency plan should be based on a “destination” or goal. Here are a few questions to guide your goal setting process: (a) What aspect of your flying do you most need or want to improve? (b) What do you most want to achieve through flying? (c) What will it take to get there? Because you can’t effectively manage much without metrics, I love spreadsheets. When working toward a new certificate or rating, I generally created a table showing what I needed in terms of hours and aeronautical experience. In addition to documenting each flight in my logbook, I greatly enjoyed adding to the spreadsheet and watching the advancement of my aeronautical goals. 

Brief and Debrief

Perfection may seem to be an unattainable or unrealistic goal; in fact, I don’t know anyone who claims to have logged the “perfect” flight. Still, aiming in that direction will get you a lot farther than settling for “good enough.” Use pre-flight briefings to make sure you understand where you fell short last time, how that happened, and how you can fix it this time. Finish every flight by spending a few minutes to debrief. Review how it went, identify what needs your attention in the next flight, and create an action plan. Especially if the events of 2020 have limited your flying time, don’t hesitate to get help from a qualified flight instructor if you can’t figure it out or safely respond to the challenge on your own. 

Let the new year’s flying begin! (FAA Safety Briefing – JanFeb 2021)