Delta Connection Academy

Loss of Proficiency

I left town as soon as Ground School was over & spent a week at home, in Cincinnati. I had to turn in a LOA (Leave Of Absence) form a month before my vacation so DCA knew my plans and it didn’t count against me when I left. Your instructor can help you fill out the form (which is not difficult). I’m thankful I was able to get out of here for a week. When I returned, I had to take the tests I missed when I was home. There was a ground school stage 2 exam and a final. The final is the test you take so DCA approves you to go take the official FAA written test. I passed all of these the first time. Whoo-Hoo! As I figured, being away for a week decreased my proficiency in the plane. Especially at the beginning when learning to fly a new aircraft, it’s best not to miss any days if possible. Proficiency declines quickly when you don’t have much experience. I flew about 150 miles from Ellington to Austin for a night cross-country flight then had a supervised Pilot-In-Command (SPIC) flight. The cross-country went well, but the SPIC left much to be desired.