E184 - Pilot Resolutions for the New Year

About this episode

Bobby Doss and Wally Mulhearn discuss lessons from 2025 that encourage pilots to improve their skills and safety practices for the new year.

In this episode of Behind the Prop, Bobby Doss and Wally Mulhern look back on 2025 to extract real-world flying lessons that shape smarter, safer pilots. They discuss how automation complacency, fuel planning decisions, and long weather-impacted flights reveal the importance of manual proficiency and disciplined decision-making. The conversation challenges pilots to reassess personal minimums, recognize fatigue, and honestly evaluate proficiency—especially in IMC and unfamiliar environments. Bobby and Wally also highlight how tools like the FAA WINGS program and strategic use of instructors can support continuous learning while reducing regulatory burden. The episode closes with a call for pilots at every stage to document lessons learned, set meaningful goals, and commit to long-term growth and safety in the year ahead.

People in this episode

Hosts: Bobby Doss, Wally Mulhearn

Topics covered

• pilot resolutions
• flying lessons
• manual proficiency
• decision-making
• continuous learning
• safety

Keywords

• pilot
• resolutions
• automation complacency
• fuel planning
• weather
• IMC
• proficiency
• learning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FAA WINGS program

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