What benchmark defines an experienced pilot?
- Thread starter Eagle Eye 62
- Start date
Way too many variables to answer this. What is your definition of "experienced"
Whatever you consider to be experienced. I guess what I am trying to to say is what is your definition of an accomplished drone pilot?
Experienced makes me think knowing how to fly in many environments, orientations, knowing the rules, situational awareness and things like that.
Accomplished Is really open to personal interpretation. Getting shots you want. Getting shots published/printed. Having paid jobs.
I'm not sure i could put an hour count on it, but I think someone could be "proficient at flight" at 25-50 hours. Experience and the ability to get good shots takes longer but depends on the person.
Accomplished Is really open to personal interpretation. Getting shots you want. Getting shots published/printed. Having paid jobs.
I'm not sure i could put an hour count on it, but I think someone could be "proficient at flight" at 25-50 hours. Experience and the ability to get good shots takes longer but depends on the person.
Faster
Well-Known Member
Kilrah
Well-Known Member
Like everything - you can have people who grasp all of it in 2 hours and some who'll still have basic stuff go above their head after 50.
I think it is a little bit of a misnomer to connect the term ‘experienced’ to a set number of flight hours. Experience tends to accumulate faster with pilots that have certain type of personality and methodology than it does to those without.
An experienced Pilot is, by his very nature; intellectually curious, driven to learn and a supreme risk mitigator, while at the same time cautious, and a ‘By the Book’ type among others. These aspects do not always show up in all pilots regardless of flight time.
An experienced Pilot is, by his very nature; intellectually curious, driven to learn and a supreme risk mitigator, while at the same time cautious, and a ‘By the Book’ type among others. These aspects do not always show up in all pilots regardless of flight time.
chiangmaicharlies
Well-Known Member
Someone who understands how their drone works, what it can and cannot do, all the things that can go wrong and how to make sure that they don't.
I started flying manned aircraft back in the 1970's and when I earned my private pilot's certificate my check pilot told me "there, now you have a license to LEARN!" I was taken aback by her comment as I thought by then that I "knew it all." But she was absolutely correct. There's rarely a flight, airplane, drone or otherwise, that I don't gain valuable knowledge. The same can be said for flying drones, there is rarely a flight that I don't learn something new or different, so in my mind "experienced" means that the flight is conducted safely iaw all applicable FAA regulations and I land in one piece and caused no harm!
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Yes, the old "license to learn" saying. I have been flying manned aircraft for 38 years and am also a flight instructor. The "license to learn" may seem strange but it IS true. My signature line states "Lifetime Student" and I mean it. Currency is a huge consideration in this topic. You may have thousand of hours flying manned or unmanned aircraft but are you current? I purchased my first drone last Spring. I have flown and learned ever since. No flying over this past winter. I went back to my friends at Pilot Institute and re-visited the FREE MA2 "Deep Dive course before launching.
Wow, a long way to say it is actually dangerous (not being dramatic but making a point) to say "I am experienced", If I ever flew with a manned aircraft pilot who felt that they knew it all and could not learn I think I know that I would not be comfortable (OP did not state any of that again just making a side point). The OP had a legitimate question but I think it varies by pilot. Being current is as important as hours flown total Never stop learning!
I was an instructor too and I would tell my students that once they have their licence, they have now just been born into aviation and from now on is when they really begin to learn how to be a pilot.
The rule of thumb in full-sized aircraft when I started flying was that the most dangerous pilots had between 100 - 1000 flight hours.
Below 100 flight hours, and most people knew they were newbs.
Above 1000 hrs, and they really did know a few things.
Between 100 -1000 hrs, pilots assumed they knew a lot more than they actually did!
Below 100 flight hours, and most people knew they were newbs.
Above 1000 hrs, and they really did know a few things.
Between 100 -1000 hrs, pilots assumed they knew a lot more than they actually did!
This seems about right to me.
When I had less than 25 hours, I was definitely still stumbling around. By the time I had 50 hrs I was starting to get smoother and more reliable.
I clicked "100 hrs" for the survey, and I have a bit less than that now.
Guess I'd better stop typing, and start flying!
Does this include Manned aircraft experience, or just per rating and log books on specific aircraft?
Does it include Maintenance ratings or Model aircraft experience? What about software/systems experience or camera experience?
Does it include Maintenance ratings or Model aircraft experience? What about software/systems experience or camera experience?
Sure it can, in approximation.
No measurement ever captures everything, precisely.
You can't even know both the position and momentum of a single particle precisely...
;-)
Well, the question pretty clearly said "flight time". With two exception, that's pretty unambiguous. The two exceptions are:
1) Manned aircraft flight time
2) Model AC flight time
The FAA believes that manned aircraft flight time matters, and I agree with them. I don't have model A/C time (yet!), but I think that matters too.
Still, I think the spirit of the question was how many drone flying hours, and that's how I answered it.
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