Aircraft Flying Experience and Total Flying Experience

Most people believe that the performance level that pilots attain is determined primarily by natural talent. Most pilots believe, and at least one study shows, that it’s not talent or strength that determines performance, but rather having the proper mindset and focus. Other studies show that the number of hours a pilot accumulates accomplishing the same mission in the same aircraft is the primary factor that differentiates performance levels. For instance, a study of F-15 fighter pilots showed that over 92 percent of the variability in their situational awareness scores was attributed to the total number of hours they accumulated in that specific aircraft, the F-15.

As a pilot gains experience and accumulates thousands of flying hours there is an assumption that that experience correlates directly with the reduction of mishaps.* Statistics reveal, however, that mishaps are correlated more with the number of hours of experience a pilot has in a particular aircraft model and has a lower correlation with his or her total number of flight hours. Mishaps tend to decrease after a pilot accumulates at least 100 hours of experience in the aircraft he or she is flying. This is one of the primary reasons that Air2Air has chosen to limit our fleet to just one aircraft type. By operating only the Piper Seneca our pilots benefit from both the direct experience in that aircraft and the experience of our fellow pilots here at Air2Air.

*For those who do not have a Navy Aviation background. The Navy does not believe in “Accidents” and neither do I. Injuries, aircraft losses and damage are therefore characterized as “Mishaps.” And in Naval Aviation parlance, a “Mishap” is an event which was preventable but was not prevented.