The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) demands that I make three takeoffs and landings every 90 days. You would think with all the flying I do, hitting that number would be easy-but it's not. Each of us tries diligently to make sure no-one on the crew is close to 'timing out' before we decide who will fly a leg. With two pilots it's easy. But with three or four it becomes a little more problematic. Throw in a vacation or a sick call and pretty soon everyone needs a landing. Even though I might fly anywhere from 75 to 90 hours in a month, I have to share the handful of landings with the other pilots. Many legs are ten to 11 hours long with only one landing at the end. Sometimes I get two—but a bounce doesn't count.
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