The joy of flying an aircraft is something that few get to experience. Throughout a professional pilot’s career, they’ll travel to some incredible places, see beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and other scenery, all while flying some amazing aircraft. As exciting as this may be to the outsider, sometimes a pilot may simply need a little “pick me up” to break the routine. For those pilots, they may turn to a bucket list for more excitement, an adventure, or to experience a new challenge. These are exciting opportunities to rediscover the joy of aviation, have some fun, and learn some new skills along the way.
Professional pilots “wired” to be lifelong learners typically will embrace these new opportunities. Flying five roundtrip flights between White Plains, New York, and Miami’s Opa Locka Executive Airport or West Palm Beach, Florida, to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey every week (as an example) can become tedious and may not be that fulfilling; thus, they may need a little boost.
Traditionally, a bucket list is a list of things that a person wants to accomplish or achieve before they die. For a pilot, this is a list of things to do while they can still hold a medical (or at least remember the experience).
For the professional pilot, this may be as easy as upgrading to captain, learning a new aircraft, taking on an expanded role within the organization by becoming an instructor or check airman, or getting involved in the safety department. All these things cost the pilot nothing, provide a needed change, add marketable skills, and may result in a pay increase.
Our bucket list will focus on opportunities that will not only improve your stick-and-rudder skills, but when taken out of the comfort zone of flying an all-weather transport category aircraft, will provide a fresh look at the way you personally view safety risk assessments and manage those risks.
As an example, flying a Cessna 180 to a mountainous back-country strip is completely different than flying a Gulfstream G650 to a major international airport. Likewise, learning to fly a helicopter or seaplane requires a pilot to learn a whole new language with a unique set of hazards.
Below is my Top 5 bucket list in order of preference. Keep in mind that I’ve checked off a few of these items but felt strong enough about the experience that other professional pilots could benefit from these opportunities. To get the most out of these opportunities, I’d recommend “reading ahead” and being ready to learn and have fun.
The Pro Pilot’s Bucket List:
1. “Splash in” and learn to fly a seaplane
Over 40 years ago, I saw an advertisement for Jack Brown’s Seaplane base in Winter Haven, Florida. Ever since then, I’ve wanted a seaplane rating.
Jack Brown’s has been teaching students to fly floatplanes since 1963. Adding an airplane single-engine seaplane (ASES) rating to a pilot certificate combines the best of both worlds, the water and sky! In 5 hours and just under $3,000 a pilot can add the ASES rating at Jack Brown’s.
Northwoods Aviation in Cadillac, Michigan, has been teaching students to fly seaplanes for more than 40 years. Available during the summer season, Northwoods trains in Piper J-3, Piper PA-12, and Cessna 185 aircraft. These aircraft are available for rent once the pilot is rated.
Earlier this month, I flew four legs as a passenger in a De Havilland DHC-3T Turbo Otter seaplane in British Columbia, Canada. Without a doubt, this has renewed my interest in getting a seaplane rating.
To learn more about flying seaplanes and to find a flight school, check out the Seaplane Pilots Association website.
2. “Soar like an eagle” and fly a glider
As a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadet, at an early age, I was able to experience a couple of flights in a glider. At the time, I didn’t have much to compare the flight in the glider to, other than a couple of noisy flights in an old CAP Cessna T-41A (Cessna 172). Looking back, soaring over the Midwest was one of the purest and most fulfilling forms of flight. I am ready to do it again!
According to the Soaring Society of America, adding on a sailplane rating to a private or commercial certificate is inexpensive. Experienced pilots can typically solo in 10 flights.
The Soaring Society of America has an interactive map to find local soaring clubs. An introductory flight is very affordable and student pilots can begin lessons at 14 years old. My local club charges a $500 initiation fee, $30 a month, between $30-50 for a tow-launch and only $14/hour for a trainer.
Soaring can become a life-long endeavor. Beyond local flights, many pilots continue to advance their skills by competing in regional and national races.
3. Get your tailwheel endorsement and go out on an adventure!
Mastering a tailwheel airplane requires a lot of stick-and-rudder skills. I recall my first flights in a tailwheel-equipped airplane with an instructor constantly yelling at me to “pin the tail” and “keep flying to the very end.” Eventually, I figured it out and a nice three-point or better a wheel landing were some of the most satisfying accomplishments in my flying career.
In the mid-1980s, I was fortunate to have access to a Piper J-3 Cub and a Cessna 140. Most of the time in those aircraft was trying to master the landings and keep the tailwheel from swapping ends with the nose of the aircraft.
Today, a tailwheel endorsement (and proficiency) is the gateway to many general aviation experiences such as bush flying, airplane camping, aerobatics, and other related skills such as mountain flying.
The FAA tailwheel endorsement (14 CFR 61.31) does not specify a minimum amount of flight time. Most flight schools recommend between eight and 12 hours for the endorsement and another five to 10 hours for the pilot to be proficient.
The FAA maintains a listing of flight schools offering tailwheel endorsements.
If you’re lucky enough, you may be able to find a flying club that specializes in tailwheel aircraft. My local club has two Citabrias that rent for $100 per flight hour “wet” (includes fuel, oil, and maintenance overhaul reserves). The initiation fee is $200 with monthly membership fees of $75.
4. Take an on-aircraft UPRT course—flying upsets in all attitudes!
Without a doubt, on-aircraft Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) has been one of the greatest experiences in my flying career. This is one course that you may get your boss to pay for (due to insurance incentives), and you can knock off several items on a typical aviation bucket list.
In the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to fly 12 UPRT sorties in aerobatic jets and propeller airplanes; each flight provided outstanding learning opportunities.
Bizjet and airline pilots fly in a very controlled state; typically, it’s +/- 30 degrees of bank, +20 degrees of pitch up, and -10 degrees nose down. This is intentional. Professional pilots are paid to provide a smooth ride to the folks in the back.
UPRT will take the pilot into an all-attitude flight regime. The core tenets of the program are to avoid excursions outside of the normal flight envelope and to effectively recover from any excursions outside of the normal flight envelope.
Beyond learning strategies to mitigate the number one killer in aviation—a loss of control-inflight (LOC-I) event—UPRT programs improve a pilot's manual aircraft handling skills.
Other bucket list items achieved during UPRT training are a heavy dose of aerobatics and depending on the training provider, flight in a military jet trainer. Some companies provide formation flying as an add-on for later training activities. In my lifetime of training, on-aircraft UPRT would rank second only to getting type-rated in Boeing’s Classic 747—it’s just cool.
5. Fly a helicopter and experience the other side
Helicopters are fascinating machines. As a “starched-winged” pilot, I have long wanted to learn how to fly a helicopter. Beyond the aircraft, the helicopter community is amazing. It is made up of the greatest and most interesting people in all of aviation.
The challenge beyond flying an aircraft with spinning wings is to find a flight school that offers training. On two occasions, I studied and took a couple of flight lessons in Florida. The problem for me (at the time) is I live in Kentucky. Unfortunately, there is limited access to training helicopters and qualified flight instructors in the state.
In addition, there were a limited number of helicopters that were available for rent after being certified. My fear was (and is now) that if I got the training, due to availability and expense there was no way that I could ever maintain proficiency.
Learning to fly a helicopter remains on my list at #5. If I ever win the lottery, it will advance to #1.
Reignite the Passion
From the list above, each activity is heavily weighted towards improving manual handling skills. This is intentional because professional pilots spend too much time using automation and not enough time manually flying the aircraft. The goal is to go have some fun and improve your flying skills.
Manually flying the aircraft either through a stick, control column, rudder, cyclic, collective, or anti-torque pedals reconnects the pilot with the aircraft. This will hopefully reignite the pilot’s passion about flying.