Paul Tomascik is a flight instructor who lives in Ottawa, Canada's capital. He's worked in remote sensing in the most uninhabited parts of the country. Many long-distance flights include Florida's Sun'n Fun Aerospace Expo and to his favourite airshow, AirVenture, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He loves the discipline and mental and physical acuity needed for IFR flying. He firmly believes in scenario-based training but admits, only practical experience and exposure to challenging events, hone flying skills to a fine edge. Planning for a long-haul flight takes practice and making critical in-flight decisions cannot be easily replicated; the mindset to divert, consider a pre-cautionary off-airport landing or challenge an ATC instruction goes against our hard-wired instinct to stay the course. Making tough calls is an essential skillset on every flight.
