It’s that time of year again — the New Year is mere hours away!

Like most pilots, I’ve got my own set of aviation specific New Year’s Resolutions each year. For 2016, my list is short, but it’s probably the biggest flying challenge I’ve undertaken to date. The biggest project this year is going to be earning my flight instructor certificate. Becoming a CFI is incredibly difficult — especially for those of us with “real” jobs. So, I expect that earning my CFI ticket will be a feat in 2016.

That said, I’ve been knocking out lots of requirements in the last few months that should make the process a little easier.

For example, I’ve been flying from the right seat whenever possible. And I passed the FIA and FOI written tests just before the holidays (as well as the Advanced Ground Instructor test — more on that in a future post).

From here, the big challenge is going to be finishing up my lesson plan binder.

After that, I’m sure I’ll need to knock some rust off my actual flying. But the ground stuff is still the biggest hurdle between me and a CFI certificate. Still, after the marathon month of training I survived to earn my commercial ticket in 2015, I think that the slower pace of the CFI will be easily accomplished. Most importantly, that CFI certificate is going to give me the opportunity to get paid to bum around the airport on the weekends, which will dramatically change the costs associated with this addiction hobby.

Along the way, I’m hoping that the material I’ll be covering will give me some good fodder for this website. When I was a student pilot, I found a lot of answers to my burning flying questions from more experienced pilots online. Now, I’m hoping to return the favor.

2015 was a great flying year — all told, I logged about 80 hours, which seems to be pretty par for the course. But, if all goes well, I’ll be logging a lot more time in 2016. I’m definitely excited for the challenge.

What are your aviation goals for 2016? Leave ’em in the comments below!