When I  passed the flight test and earned my private pilot’s license I was a safe and competent aviator, but not yet a good one. That would come a few years later. Piloting an aircraft is fun. It’s hard to describe the exhilaration that comes with being up in the sky and clouds. During flight training student pilots do everything by the books as they near the end of their private pilot training curriculum with their flight instructor. Checklists are methodically completed, which each item verbalized and confirmed. Intense focus is placed on objective standards such as maintaining the recommended climb speed with standards or holding altitude within limits such s flying straight and level. Once passed through this test the margin of error narrows when flying in an IFR flight plan, with Air Traffic Control (ATC) playing the role of the observer to ensure adequate traffic separation. Instrument pilots know their every move is being watched by both the controller and automated system: all Continue Reading