How Do You Keep Yourself Fresh with Knowledge as a Pilot?
Posted by abradable@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 49 comments
Hi everyone,
I’m a captain at a commercial airline, and I wanted to ask how you all stay sharp and keep your knowledge fresh over time.
When I started as a first officer, an old captain once shared a piece of advice that has stuck with me over the years: the “30-minute rule.” He told me that if you dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to reading something—be it aircraft manuals, SOPs, safety updates, or even aviation articles—you’ll always stay sharp. He believed it was the best way to maintain your knowledge consistently, rather than just cramming before recurrent training or simulator sessions.
I’ve tried to adopt this practice during my downtime, especially on days off or while resting during layovers. It’s become a bit of a discipline for me.
I’m curious to know—what are your strategies? How do you stay up to date and keep your knowledge fresh, whether it’s technical skills, procedures, or even leadership and decision-making?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and learning from your experiences!
Informal_Poet5351@reddit
Hello Captain ! Hope you are doing good! As a student pilot I sometimes go through stuff online about certain Airlines,amendments and aircrafts and try to keep myself updated but not on daily basis though and hence lack knowledge and find it hard to put up with some things , thank you for the 30 min rule advice I will try to inculcate it in my daily routine. Also If I may ask you one question ,would you please guide and tell me is conventional flying better or Cadet? I have been trying to apply in few Cadet programs but I am not so sure, I even qualified for first 2 stages for one of such program but couldn't make through last stage , but my parents are determined to seek job guarantee first as Cadet Programs offer it ,how can I prepare myself for the stages better and what all things I should keep focus at ? I would be glad if you could answer me ! Wishing you many more safe flights ,fly high ✈️
Aerodynamic_Soda_Can@reddit
Haha you got a genuine smile out of me for this one, that's funny!
Informal_Poet5351@reddit
Ikr job guarantee is very important in today's life ,I tried in one such Cadet program couldn't make it through last stage and their cool off period is 1 year I just want to start my flying I am so confused atm😭 nonetheless glad that made you smile, be happy hahah
SecretPersonality178@reddit
When i have a fuck up, I acknowledge the fuck up, learn about whatever i fucked up to unfuck it and do better the next time.
Pilots who “never” have fuck ups are not people i want to fly with.
Not the glamorous phrase, but it works for me.
RavenholdIV@reddit
This reminds me of the rule of driving skill. Good drivers sometimes miss their exits. Bad drivers never do.
SecretPersonality178@reddit
“Good luck everybody else!”
wt1j@reddit
Fly. You always learn something new, often about yourself.
CapytannHook@reddit
5000 flash cards
Oregon-Pilot@reddit
On my commute to work. Sometimes during cruise.
Never on days off unless I’m getting ready for recurrent.
GuppyDriver737@reddit
I can never understand this mentality of mediocrity
Oregon-Pilot@reddit
Or it’s a mentality that works just fine for me….? Glad you’ve figured everyone out though, Captain.
GuppyDriver737@reddit
We are highly compensated to know the job. I guess I see more of the nonsense of guys not knowing procedures and the mishandling of non normals than you being part time in the sim and also on the safety committee on my airline. I see guys all the time who thought they knew there job by looking at memory items and limitations every now and then, but really mess up and create hazardous situations.
The passengers, airline and ALPA deserve more. At least in our ALPA code of ethics it say you are expected to strive to be better both in and off duty.
I’m not saying you don’t know your stuff, maybe you do. But when your called in to do the carpet dance with your CP, you don’t get a chance to study before that one.
AutothrustBlue@reddit
How many buttons does your jacket have? Asking for a friend.
Mediocre-Trash-7597@reddit
Just finished almost 4 decades of commercial aviation. Flown everything from small to WB.
Greatest piece of advice I can give you is stay up on your health. Almost 10% of most all commercial pilots never make it to age 65.
Eat right, hit the gym and stay active, see a pcp physician often and do yearly physicals, and see a dermatologist. Trust me - you will thank me later. Living 7 miles up is very hard on your skin and skin cancer happens to almost all pilots. Catch it early. Take a multi vitamin.
And deal with every health issue promptly. Don’t carry that bad knee or tennis shoulder into your later years. You don’t heal as well. Drinking only in moderation. And chewing and smoking is only for idiots.
You follow these principles and you might make it to 65. If not you better have a good Ltd plan and a second career.
7layeredAIDS@reddit
I just read a little bit of my manuals during cruise from time to time. I also made a study guide.
I went through my FOM/SOP and made a “quiz” of all the weird shit I found in there. The stuff I thought would “stump” people including myself. Tough things to memorize like “how much dry ice…”, “name 6 things that requires an amended release…”, etc etc. I went chapter by chapter and wrote a PDF. It turned out to be an awesome review because it cut through all the wordiness and just because a little quiz of the shit everyone forgets. In cruise it was easy to go “I’ll review all the weird shit from chapters 7-9 of the FOM”. Makes it manageable and it’s a whole lot easier studying “stump me” questions than the language in the FOM/SOP. Took FOREVER to make because I literally had to comb through every word of those manuals but I only had to do it once and now it’s done.
I do have to update it from time to time which is a pain about once or twice a year, but usually the revisions don’t seem to change my answers.
One_Event1734@reddit
On one hand, I love going through every word of every manual (one time, more than that , shoot me lol), made me much more familiar. On the other hand, dry ice and amendments are stump the chimp Q's are your airline? I wish. Required learning here sadly
7layeredAIDS@reddit
Required learning - yes. I mean if we’re being line check-y: it’s ALL required learning.
Memorized for a checkride/OE or something and often forgotten over time? Also yes. Release amendments for example have like 15 items and some of them often get confused with the like 10 items required to inform dispatcher about but no amendment to release required. Dry ice at my previous airline wasn’t the most straight forward because we flew for 3 carriers and there were differences between per package, and total amount and I can’t say we were ever really quizzed on them. Anyway I was just listing examples.
Like why does anyone here even study for recurrent? You should know all that already! Be HONEST: who here actually pulls up memory items/limitations approaching recurrent? I know some do cause I see people pulling them up in cruise when they’re prepping for their upcoming sim.
One_Event1734@reddit
Republic treated you well, I hope?
And 100% I go over memory items and limitations before every sim event.
I spend half my study time on memory items/limitations, the other half chair flying, the other half systems, and the other half looking over hot FOM topics.
Hour_Tour@reddit
Honestly, making flash cards or otherwise rewording/condensing the text is the only way I can retain it. Trying to only read it or to note it down verbatim does absolutely nothing for me. Except the bits you can argue about, they stick
Mike93747743@reddit
The tower has no shortage of things for me to review when they ask me to call.
NoBravoClearance@reddit
Same. For some reason it keeps happening
74_Jeep_Cherokee@reddit
Studying on days off? That's a no go (except maybe at recurrent time of year).
Just like your muscles need recovery time post gym session you got to take a break.
Cruise flight, long layover - yeah that's the ticket.
Similar to what the other guy said, made a quizlet of various things.
PullDoNotRotate@reddit
Wait, people study for recurrent?
74_Jeep_Cherokee@reddit
Depends on the shop/instructor I guess. We got a few special ones still do the old school drill down.
LaHommeGentil@reddit
Student pilot here - I started making youtube shorts while I take a break from flying. It’s really helped me retain my ground school knowledge
JasperinWaynesville@reddit
I'm not sure if the 30-minute rule is an absolute but probably not a bad idea if it works for you. The FAA's Aviation Instructor Handbook has some good information about the learning process, in particular Chapter 3 which is entitled "The Learning Process". It can be found (for free) here:
https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/aviation_instructors_handbook/05_aih_chapter_3.pdf
The Aviation Instructor's Handbook (FAA-H-8083-9B) in its entirety can be found here:
https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/aviation_instructors_handbook/aviation_instructors_handbook.pdf
That said it's important to note that people have very different levels of learning capabilities as well as retention of what's been learned. Once a learner learns the skill, it is important to continue some practice to improve retention, but the power of practice raises the question of whether or not there is a point at which continued practice no longer leads to improvement. Lots of studies on that subject and it's been found that individuals vary greatly in their ability to retain information. You may need 30 minutes a day or 30 minutes week. Only you can determine that.
NASA has done some studies also (who hasn't?) and one of them discusses "Prospective Memory in Aviation and Everyday Settings" It was written after the Delta 1141 accident in Dallas. The one where the flaps and slats were retracted during takeoff. It to discusses memory and retention and the differences in individuals.
https://hsi.arc.nasa.gov/flightcognition/Publications/Dismukes_07.pdf
As to me I tend to stay abreast of aviation regulations (FAA and ICAO SARPS), FAA policy and publications, etc. on a daily basis. Mainly because some of my clients will call me with questions about what they've seen in some aviation news story. That's especially true of my Japanese clients. On the other hand I haven't looked in my DC-9 or 777 AFM in months.
Do what you find works best for you. And use your checklist(s).
Best
Capt. JBuck
FAA Aviation Safety Inspector (ret.)
Airline Pilot (ret.)
Aviation Safety Consultant
ATP DC-9, B-757/767/777
CFI/GI
Mechanic, A&P
Acft. Dispatcher
FE, TP/TJ
ATC
WeatherIcy6509@reddit
At the end of every month, I review my basic ground knowledge for two days, about and hour and a half each day. Been doing that since '06. I'm not really searching for new knowledge though, just making sure I don't forget what I'm supposed to know.
srbmfodder@reddit
What if I spend 30 minutes a day reading Reddit? Does that count?
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
Yea. Too many old timer bozos aren't even close to 10 years current on the changes in aviation. It's funny hearing those guys not even have a clue about what an atp ctp is. If you read reddit everyday you get a pretty good idea about the state of the industry.
srbmfodder@reddit
I'll be honest, I actually really like the "what is this on the plate?" questions people ask because it's a good refresher for me.
I think it's crazy to study 30 min a day for a job you do professionally when you could be reading stuff at cruise if you're that worried about it. I got about 50 things I need to do 30 minutes a day. It takes me 25 hours a day to get them all done.
People need to realize they don't have to have ALL the information memorized, but where to look it up. I had a flashcard program I used at my regional and it had 800 cards. Unless I hit it regularly, I didn't retain about 1/3rd of it. I would have gotten it over time. Most of that stuff was systems stuff they required for the oral.
My current airline doesn't expect people to memorize everything. We have multiple quick lookup references in manuals and pages highlighted. I have bookmarks in my EFB for stuff.
Lets be honest, if RVR is 300 ft at an airport and I have a takeoff alternate, I'm going to be looking at the pages whether I memorized it or not. I'm not going by memory if I'm legal. It's good to know the stuff, but I've screwed up more than once in my life and this is easy stuff to figure out on the ground when you have time.
aDustyHusky@reddit
Absolutely this. The expectation that people memorize stuff buried in opspecs and the FOM that have all sorts of caveats and exceptions is absolutely ridiculous. Just know where you find the crap and when you need to look stuff up. Same thing as memory items, it's been shown they rarely work as intended. Put that crap on a quick reference card and know when you need to pull what card.
srbmfodder@reddit
We have a problem with a culture of pissing contests of "I know more than you do to the nth degree" type shit. It devolves into obscure rules and minutia. If you wanted to learn obscure shit to lord it over everyone else, become a doctor or computer programmer or something, because in those fields, you will never be able to know 5% of the information out there. I'm not talking to you, you aDustyHusky, but people in general btw.
Even the US Army decided to get rid of their pages of emergency procedures, throw them into their version of a QRH, and went to 3 memorized procedures. I've been retired for 2+ years and I still know them for tailrotor failures or dual engine failure. We had people killing themselves yanking the wrong engine offline or going completely lizard brain and putting flyable aircraft into the ground and killing everyone.
aDustyHusky@reddit
That culture is bred in my opinion by the baseline of our training (PPL, CPL etc even ATP) which I'm not even sure how to change that. The things tested for are important to know but people (DPEs) can take it way too far which then reinforces this culture of, I need to one up your knowledge with some obscure fact.
Military guys (like me) seem to go one of two ways with this, they either bring that attitude of I need to know every little detail of everything (why the fuck do I need to know the chemical composition and weights of the rocket warhead components???) which then just feeds that mentality, or they recognize oh, this is a little different and are able to adjust to their new environment. It can really be a tough shift for some folks.
Yeah, not sure why but Army aviation was really slow to hop on that train when the other services had been doing that for 10+ years already.
srbmfodder@reddit
100% agree. I guess we get used to the rapid fire quiz environment for things you're required to know and understand, and like you are saying, people just end up running with it. My ATP ride was button by button of "what's this do, whats the limit."
I was a mil helicopter guy if you didn't surmise. Army Aviation has it's share of egos. I had just done my instrument airplane add on 3 days before I had my instruments Blackhawk annual checkride, so I was not only hot on instruments, I knew my shit. I got our standardization IP and he was asking me shit that was pretty much not important. I think I rolled my eyes and said "John, does that really matter" a few times. We were mobilizing in a week to go on deployment and I was about to hit my 20 years, so I really didn't give a crap. I wish I could remember what he asked me.
My personal opinion on the Army was that a lot of the older generation just hung onto "this is what I had to do and how we've always done it, I'm great, you can be great the way I was built too" mentality. After crashing a few helicopters for no good reason a few years in a row, they finally decided to reexamine how we do things.
I had to memorize a paragraph verbatim about spike knock in my primary trainer. The running joke was that no one really knew what it meant.
Odd_Minimum2136@reddit
Sorry to say but the captain gave poor advice.
Use Anki, it’s a spaced repetition flash card app. By the time the algorithm thinks you’ll forget a card, they’ll pull it up right for to answer.
There’s an entire science to learning and the forgetting curve. The best method of learning is actually learning how things work together then testing out the knowledge over time (purpose of flashcards).
PuzzleheadedMight897@reddit
I'm not sure why you're getting downvoted but there's a reason Anki is being used by pre-med, med school, PA school, and even nursing students. I use Anki myself for most of my science classes like A&P I and II, biology, chemistry, microbiology and others. Its amazing to use because you actually retain the information long-term not just for an exam.
Speaking of, do you have a deck for aviation you can share? Or is there one you recommend?
Odd_Minimum2136@reddit
I created all my cards for each airplane and company I flew for.
At the legacy I fly for, I still do anki and barely have to cram for my recurrent checkrides.
Anki is forever you still will need it for your entire career since we get tested annually.
LckySvn@reddit
Probably because he said the captain gave poor advice? Thought that was pretty obvious
Odd_Minimum2136@reddit
Yes I hurt people’s feelings because I insulted their poor studying technique.
Randomly going over aviation text is an inefficient and ineffective way of learning and studying. This isn’t new nor a contrarian view in the learning science community.
You can literally go years learning a language hazardously and still know jack crap versus someone who did extreme focus in 6 months.
pjlaniboys@reddit
Flash cards for ready knowledge, refresh latest changes and amendments to the manuals and chair flying for procedures. Ready knowledge and memory items are a small amount compared to our total stack of books. Better to know where things are and look them up, then memorizing things that can change.
GuppyDriver737@reddit
Hello there, Major Airline instructor/ captain here. There are lots of ways to stay sharp. I have an audio recording of myself doing memory items and limitations, whenever I’m in my way to go fly I listen to it in my car. Only takes about 10 minutes to do.
When I’m flying I’ll pick one non normal, go through it in my head. Mentally think how would I fly the plane, how much time do I have to solve this, where am I going to go, who do I need to coordinate with. This can be done silently in your head, or bring your FO into it.
If you’re ever bored, pick a complex airport like JAC, RNO, BOG, etc… and pretend the weather is bad and figure out what do I legally need to get out of here or into here.
And finally, hold your FOs accountable for SOP. The more you let your FOs deviate, the more YOU forget what is actually SOP and that normalization of deviance kicks in. You don’t have to be a d*** about it. But the more you hold the em accountable, the more you hold yourself accountable.
aDustyHusky@reddit
I absolutely agree with the last point, holding yourself/crew to the SOPs is the best way to keep sharp on that stuff. It always blows my mind when guys get to prepping for recurrent and say the most difficult part is getting the profiles back down.
One_Event1734@reddit
Delta treating you well?
GuppyDriver737@reddit
Ha very funny
One_Event1734@reddit
I prepped hard for my first upgrade. Hours and hours and hours, but it was for an 80% pay bump, so that was my initiative. Now I have that knowledge, I don't bother with studying except for my annual sim events and any manual changes that pop up, and I try to only do them at work.
I've also volunteered and worked on company and Union positions outside of flying, and I try to mentor people and be mentored, so it's kind of organic in that way.
But 30 minutes a day for the rest of your career just sounds like overkill.
slay1224@reddit
Besides reviewing limitations, memory items, and bulletins periodically, I find there really is not much point in reading or studying manuals. Instead I read the table of contents of the FOM, Ops manuals, and QRH and make bookmarks so I know where to go when an issue arises. When I first started out I would make a study guide and try to memorize so much stuff that I didn’t use often, but soon realized things change frequently and if you don’t use the primary source your knowledge becomes outdated. I also skim the monthly fleet news letters for current hot topics and the ASAP/FOQA newsletter for shits and giggles
blastr42@reddit
At least for GA, I stopped doing BFRs and FIRCs and just got a new rating/instructor privilege every 2 years. You get to learn a new skill and so you expand your understanding. Reviewing the same regs/theory can be hard over time, the novelty is gone so it makes studying it difficult. I find if it’s wrapped up in a new rating, that makes it a lot more engaging.
Remember, sport pilot stuff counts for that - and those can just be proficiency checks (no DPE needed). Between the land and sea variants, that’s a LOT of BFRs you can skip.
hitechpilot@reddit
Flying in consumer-grade flight simulators.
Welll if you're rich enough, level-D sims, but we know that it's not feasible to install that in your backyard :)
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Hi everyone,
I’m a captain at a commercial airline, and I wanted to ask how you all stay sharp and keep your knowledge fresh over time.
When I started as a first officer, an old captain once shared a piece of advice that has stuck with me over the years: the “30-minute rule.” He told me that if you dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to reading something—be it aircraft manuals, SOPs, safety updates, or even aviation articles—you’ll always stay sharp. He believed it was the best way to maintain your knowledge consistently, rather than just cramming before recurrent training or simulator sessions.
I’ve tried to adopt this practice during my downtime, especially on days off or while resting during layovers. It’s become a bit of a discipline for me.
I’m curious to know—what are your strategies? How do you stay up to date and keep your knowledge fresh, whether it’s technical skills, procedures, or even leadership and decision-making?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and learning from your experiences!
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