I’ll be honest with you, I let my pilot certificate collect dust for years. I'm talking about the kind of pause where your kids are in diapers when you stop flying and practically picking colleges by the time you decide to get back. So if you're sitting there with a logbook tucked into a drawer, trust me, I get it.
Here's the thing though: your certificate never expired. It's still valid. You're still a pilot. Maybe not a current one for a while, but there's a big difference between starting over and shaking off some rust. Most likely, you’re in the second camp.
For a lot of women in GA, the pause wasn't really a choice so much as life doing what life does. Babies showed up and rearranged every priority we had. The cost of keeping an airplane fed and happy went through the roof. Or maybe your confidence just quietly slipped away until the idea of flying again felt more scary than exciting. Whatever your version of the story is, you're not alone in it, not even close. AOPA's Rusty Pilots program has already helped over 13,000 lapsed pilots get back in the air, and many are women with stories just like ours.
So let's talk about what "getting current" actually looks like, because it's probably less painful than you're imagining. On the medical side, you can either renew your traditional medical or look into BasicMed, a much simpler path that works for most GA flying. For the flying itself, FAR 61.56 requires a flight review, that’s a minimum of one hour of ground and one hour of flight with a CFI. And I want to emphasize this part: it's not a checkride. Nobody is going to fail you. It's a review, and a good CFI will meet you exactly where you are. In fact, a lot of instructors now specifically advertise "rusty pilot" reviews because there are so many of us coming back. Ask around or look for one who gets it.
Before you even book that flight, though, spend a little time reviewing. One of the easiest things you can do before you ever set foot on a ramp is download LiveATC.net app and listen to it in the car. Seriously, on your commute, during school pickup, whenever. Getting your radio ear back before you're actually in the pattern takes away some of the awkwardness of those first flights. YouTube is also a goldmine for flying tips and refresher content; there are tons of channels out there and watching other pilots fly is a surprisingly effective way to start getting your head back in the game. Finally, the FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook and Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge are both free downloads, and AOPA's Rusty Pilots online course will actually earn you a logbook endorsement that counts toward part of your flight review.
If you've been out for a while, plan on maybe five to ten hours total, and don't be surprised if you’ve got it by hour three. Check in with local women’s pilot groups like Women in Aviation International and the Ninety-Nines or the co-ed EAA chapters to break the ice. You'll get CFI recommendations, flying buddy offers, and more resources than you can count.
Flying isn’t something you age out of or mom your way out of. Flying is your super power even when life pulls you away for a while.
So if your logbook has been gathering dust, today's a great day to text your old CFI or sign up for a Rusty Pilots webinar. The controls are going to feel like home the second you touch them again. I promise.