Max talks with Dr. Catherine Cavagnaro about the value of advanced flight training and aviation experiences. Catherine shares her family tradition of gifting adventures instead of physical items, often involving flights to places like Fredericksburg, Texas, or Ireland, blending fun, learning, and aviation.

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They discuss using flight training as a “gift to oneself,” encouraging pilots to pursue new ratings or specialized courses to improve skills. Catherine highlights the instrument rating for enhancing precision and multitasking, and the commercial rating for smoothing out flying and improving passenger comfort. She advocates for specialized training like spin training to build stall confidence, mountain flying for high-terrain safety, tailwheel training for better rudder control, and quick, rewarding ratings like seaplane flying.

Catherine emphasizes the importance of real IFR training, which focuses on enroute and departure procedures rather than just approaches, helping pilots confidently use their aircraft for travel. Both also stress the need for advanced avionics training to master modern glass cockpits, improving safety and proficiency.

The episode inspires pilots to embrace continuous learning, specialize in skills, and have fun while becoming safer, more capable aviators. Many of these experiences can count toward a flight review.

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