Contents
An email; …Gene
Whitt's Flying Life? …Gene Whitt's
Other Life; ...My Month as a Student;
...Gadgets; ...Basic
Knowledge for Flying; …Passenger
Boarding Information; …Books
NOT to read by RAS contributors; ...Tail
Stickers for Aircraft; …Fear
of Flying; …Music and Flying;
…Unteachable Student; …Learnin' Ain't Easy; …CFI
Selection; …Flying Clubs;
Flight Instructors; …Instructional
Program; …Costs; …Growing Up as a Pilot; …Why?
…
Date:
Tue, 11 Jul 2000 11:54:19 -0700
To: gwhitt@ix.netcom.com
From: Rod Machado <rod@rodmachado.com>
Subject: Greetings
Greetings Gene:
Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed the aviation contribution
you've
made on your web site. I was very impressed by the items I had
a chance
read. You've obviously given a lot of thought to flying and teaching.
Most
important, you seem to keep a very open mind, which, in my book,
has always
been the signature of a wise person. I only wish that aviation
had more
instructors like you who treated the subject of flying and teaching
with
the importance it deserves. Hope we have a chance to meet someday.
Best,
Rod Machado
Saying;
Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice
until they can't get it wrong.
Gene
Whitt's Flying Life?
I have early childhood memories of airplanes starting with seeing
either the Macon or Akron dirigible fly at several hundred feet
directly over my home in Kansas City, MO. The next year my Mother
got me a ride in a Curtis Robin and afterwards I sat in the wicker
seats of a Ford Tri-Motor. From the age of ten through fourteen
I lived and went to school within sight of Hamilton Field near
San Francisco. From the far school yard I could watch Keystone
bombers lumber into the air and later Boeing P-12s and Martin
B-10s and P-26s "Peashooters".
I made models and read every airplane book and magazine I could get my hands on during my school years from 1935 through 1941. I made both solid and flying models and could identify the major warplanes of WWI and all the racing and warplanes before WWII. Shortly after high school I was inducted into the Army Air Force. I went through basic training and attended electronic technical schools until I got leave before sent over seas.
I had occasion to fly by air from San Francisco to Miami in 1943 by commercial airlines. Since everyone was on different priority tickets, it took me two days for the trip all by DC-3. Anyone with a higher priority could kick me off the plane. Ten days later I was in Calcutta, India.
I was on Tinian Island of the Marianas when WWII ended. I had
instructed navigators of the 58th Bomb Wing in the operation of
the improved APN-9 LORAN set which was 50% smaller and at least
50% faster to use than the previous APN-4. I was enamored in the
capability of LORAN but those who had been previously trained
in celestial navigation could not accept the unreliability of
the equipment that had numerous vacuum tubes. In the resulting
contest of wills
my rank of teacher-Corporal could do little to convince officers
where their navigational future was headed.
I was soon transferred across the building to assemble a device then called a Supersonic Trainer. This was a radar simulator that was able to simulate aircraft and wind effects by moving over a queen sized pool of water. Beneath the water was a glass map with glass, beads and sand that were capable to reflecting crystal vibrations in the water from the map back into a radarscope. The map was one of several covering different areas of Japan. The scope pictures were quite accurate representations of what a radar operator/bombardier, or navigator would actually see in flight over Japan.
Incorporated into the APQ23 were sine and co-sine wire-wound resistors. Linear taps could be taken from these resistors and odometer read-outs could be given of slant range to a target. We now call this ability Distant Measuring Equipment. It was used to determine the bomb release point much as with the Norden Bomb Sight by using dual tracking knobs to get a bomb release point in space that corrected for track and distance to target. July/August 1945
An additional ability of the APQ-23 was to electronically offset a radar-visible site by distance and azimuth into its wire-wound trigonometric computer. This means that an APQ-23 equipped aircraft was capable of performing 'offset' bombing by a process we now call RNAV flights. It would be capable of bombing targets that were invisible to radar by 'pretending' to bomb a visible radar site a known distance and azimuth from each other. July/August 1945
When the war ended, I had to wait two months for a ship to carry me to the U.S. During these two months I spend the better part of each working day 'flying' a Link Trainer. The state of art navigation for this period consisted of the Radio Range. Using the basic gyro instruments the pilot would be able to use the ADF to home on a radio beacon that when on-course would give a constant tone. Off course would give either the coded A or N depending on which side of the course you were on. Two months of this flying meant that twenty-eight years later when I took up flying, I could fly better on instruments than by looking out over the nose.
I began G.A. flying in 1968 in the NRI Flying Club at Concord, CA and started teaching ground school in 1969 and by 1970 I was a flight instructor by popular request of my ground school students. Since then I have accumulated 8000 instructional hours and another 2000 hours of other time.
Gene
Whitt's Other Life
I rebelled while in military high school and graduated a private.
I rebelled in college against the pap I was being fed to become
a teacher. I rebelled against two different school administrations
when as a teacher representative the biggest change I could get
was in toilet paper. I rebelled against the California Teachers
Association when I found that the association was controlled by
school administrators. I rebelled against the local airport administration
when they tried to prohibit free-lance flight instruction. I even
rebelled against the local real estate industry when they would
not show or sell me a home because I was a low-income teacher.
I did have some successes. Administrators are no longer members of the teacher's association. We built an apartment instead of buying a home. We retired on its income. I won a lawsuit against the airport and free-lance instruction has been a protected right in California ever since. I fought every parking ticket I ever got. Along with some other rebels we forced California to wiggle into a new kind of crime called an 'infraction' to make parking tickets work.
Monday: Rain.
Tuesday: Rain.
Wednesday: No rain; no visibility either.
Thursday: Take instructor to lunch. Discover I don't know enough
to take instructor to lunch.
Friday: FLY! Do first stall and second stall during same maneuver,
cover instructor with lunch.
Monday: Learned not to scrape frost off Plexiglas with ice-scraper.
Used big scratches on
windshield as marker to set pitch.
Tuesday: Instructor wants me to stop calling throttle, "THAT
BIG KNOB THING."
Also, hates it when I call instruments 'GADGETS'.
Wednesday: Radios won't pick up radio stations, so I turn them
off. Instructor seems
to think I missed something during the introductory flight.
Thursday: Learned 10-degree bank is not a steep turn. Did stall
again today. Lost 2000
feet. Instructor said that was some kind of record. -My first
complement.
Friday: Did steep turn. Instructor said I was ready for inverted
flight, yet.
Monday: Instructor called in sick. New instructor told me to
stop calling her "BABE"
Did steep turns. She said I have to have permission for inverted
flight.
Tuesday: Instructor back. He told me to stop calling him "BABE",
too. He got mad
when I pulled power back on takeoff because the engine was too
loud.
Wednesday: Instructor said after the first 20 hours, most students
have established a
learning curve. He said it seemed there was only a slight bend
in mine.
Ah-ha!...progress!
Thursday: Did stalls. Clean recovery. Instructor said I did good
job. Also did turns
around a point. Instructor warned me never to pick ex-fiancée's
house as point again.
Friday: Did pattern work. Instructor said that if downwind, base,
and final formed a triangle,
I would be perfect. More praise!
Monday: First landing at controlled field. Did fine until I
told the captain in the 747 ahead of
us on taxiway to move his bird. Instructor says we'll have ground
school all this week on radio
procedures.
Tuesday: asked instructor if everyone in his family had turned
gray at such an early age. He
smiled. We did takeoff stalls. He says I did just fine but to
wait until we reach altitude next
time. C-150 will be out of shop in three days when the new nose-strut
and tire arrive.
Instructor says his back bothers him only a little.
Wednesday: Flew through clouds. I thought those radio towers were
a lot lower. I'm sure my
instructor is going gray.
Thursday: Left flaps down for entire flight. Instructor asked
why. I told him I wanted the extra
lift as a safety margin. More ground school.
Friday: Asked instructor when I could solo. He laughed till he
cried. What was so funny?
Author unknown found in weekly throwaway
Gadgets:
Consider making up a 'Fanny Pack" for your preflight. It
could/should contain rubber gloves, rags, window cleaner, sump-cup,
tools. Put it on during preflight because it leaves the hand free.
Take it off while flying.
Keep a supply of "post-its" of different sizes in your flight kit. Make a frequency list on a longer one for what you expect to need on a given leg. Use small one to diagram destination runway and reference points for anticipated arrival or 45 entry.
Don't spend any money for overpriced devices from the local FBO (Fixed Base Operator or "Sporty's." The following suggestions work just as well for a lot less money.
A COUPLE of heavy rubber bands with a paper clip will wrap around your leg and make a good device to hold small note pads.
WEST BEND makes a series of kitchen timers and stop watches that can be bought at flea markets for as little as $8. These can be fastened to broom clips that will hold to the yoke. FBO's sell less capable timers for about $30.
A BROOM clip can be screwed to a spring paper clip with a 1-2 inch screw to hold checklists to yoke. A small plastic rectangle will hold approach plates or writing pad.
Keep your ground checklist on a piece of cardboard hung by string around your neck. This should include preflight, pre-start, start, taxi, run-up, and pre-takeoff in one series. A second series should be post landing, taxi, shutdown, and tie-down. The backside of the card should be outlined in red with emergency procedures.
THE ashtray makes a good pen holder. Fasten a pen or pencil to your clipboard with a string long enough to make it useful. Hang a pen or pencil with a couple of rubber bands from the yoke as an emergency scribble digit. Always carry an extra supply of rubber bands.
TAKE TWO (one) old sectionals and cut out a circle 10-12 inches in radius centered on your home airport. Take an old record album cover and cut a circle to maximum size. Center the cardboard and your home airport. Glue the sectional to the cardboard and trim to size. Get a piece of fairly stiff wire or a rubber band. Bend the wire so that it goes through the center of the circle and the other end so that it folds under the circumference. The rubber band must thread through the center and the ends held with a paper clip. Mark the outer edge of the sectional in 10 degree marks and 30 degree numbers as though it were a VORs. These marks should be magnetic courses centered on your home field. If your home field is near the edge of a sectional this card will make it very easy to plan local flights as well as courses requiring both sides of the sectional. Just slide the wire to the desired course. Crease the circle so it will fold for easy storage. The backside makes a good place for emergency checklists, etc. Backside printout of radio procedures is part of radio material. Design radio callups, reporting points, and runway expectations so that when looking at the chart on one side, you can flip it over and read the appropriate radio material.
A BASEBALL type cap is invaluable when the sun is low on the horizon. It serves well as a barf bag if not ventilated. A bee in the cockpit is a problem best solved with a cap.
A THIN tube of plastic about 15" long serves well as a fuel gauge. Be sure the plastic is fuel resistant. Hold your finger over the end to hold fuel in tube for measuring. Mark the tube at different levels to get accurate time/fuel/flight conditions consumption. Take fuel measurements before and after each flight until you learn to estimate fuel consumption accurately for the flying you do.
SILICA GEL can be purchased with a plastic basket at Motor Home Suppliers. This will absorb cockpit moisture and protect the interior of an aircraft.
LOSING fuel out of the overflow tube can be fixed. Raising that side of the plane on a 1x12 or 1x12 ramp for the low wheel will solve the problem.
A long CLIPBOARD can be cut so as to be 2" narrower and then used sideways. Keep permanent checklist data and flight information such as clearance sequence, rate of climb per mile, time over 5, 10 mile distances, on one side. Have a supply of extra clips to hold notes, etc. Wide clipboards interfere with the yoke.
SUN GLASSES
Sunglasses that pass less than 15% light will reduce acuity. Photochromic
lenses may not work well with aircraft windshields. These glasses
may not change rapidly enough for certain mountain conditions.
Polarized sunglasses should not be used through a laminated windshield.
Many glass cockpit aids cannot be read with polarized glasses.
Wearing sunglasses will protect the eyes and reduce visual fatigue.
Get the best 'blue-blockers' you can afford.
Keep a partial roll of duct-tape and electrical tape in your flight kit. Carry a "Leatherman" knife, tire pressure gauge, and cellular phone. Wear walking shoes.
For many years I supplied my club aircraft with a pair of blocks tied with a short cord. The blocks were a 2 x 4 about five inches long and a 2 x 6 about eight inches long. The blocks in combination made it possible to block the seats in a wide variety of spacings. Cheap, simple, effective.
Basic
Knowledge for Flying
Item: Arriving late is better than never.
Item: If you have a plane that can carry a full load of passengers and baggage plus full fuel, it should have larger fuel tanks for when range needs exceed payload needs.
Item: Takeoffs are optional. Landings are mandatory.
Item: If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger, if you pull the stick back they get smaller. (Unless you keep pulling the stick back - then they get bigger again)
Item: Flying is not dangerous; crashing is dangerous.
Item: It's better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.
Item: The propeller is just a big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.
Item: Speed is life, altitude is life insurance. No one has ever collided with the sky.
Item: It's best to keep the pointed end going forward as much as possible.
Item: The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
Item: Everyone already knows the definition of a 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. But very few know the definition of a 'great landing.' It's one after which you can use the airplane another time.
Item: The probability of survival is equal to the angle of arrival.
Item: You know you've landed with the wheels up when it takes full power to taxi.
Item: Aviation is not so much a profession as it is a disease.
Item: There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing: Unfortunately, no commercial pilot knows what they are.
Item: Those who hoot with the owls by night should not fly with the eagles by day.
Item: Trust your captain... but keep your seat belt securely fastened.
Item: The only thing worse than a captain who never flew as copilot is a copilot who once was a captain.
Item: Be nice to your first officer, he may be your captain at your next airline.
Item: It's easy to make a small fortune in aviation. You start with a large fortune.
Item: A fool and his money are soon flying more airplane than he can handle.
Item: Remember, you're always a student in an airplane.
Item: Try to keep the number of your landings equal to the number of your takeoffs.
Item: You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.
Item: Gravity never loses - the best you can hope for is a draw!
Item: Flying is the 2nd greatest thrill known to man, Landing is the 1st!
Item: Flying is just throwing yourself at the ground and missing.
Item: If weather and winds constitute a possible problem, do not plan a refueling stop at a single runway airport. Even on the ground you may not be able to taxi to the pumps.
Item: For safer crosswind takeoff operations, leave the nose wheel on the ground until a bit above normal rotation speeds. Then 'pop' it off and hold it off in a crabbing angle to the runway as the wind may require.
Item: The mixture knob is red for a reason. Improper leaning will affect the color of your bank account.
Item: At ten thousand feet 30% of your power has been lost.
Item: Verify proper vacuum during the pre-takeoff runup.
Item: An aircraft is not airworthy even in VFR conditions with inoperative gyros.
Item: Running out of fuel in G.A. Aircraft happens on average, three times a week.
Item: Effective useable distance for a landing light is 200'. Use of light sooner does little good.
Item: Keep looking around; there's always something you've missed.
Item: Judgment skills are more important than flying skills.
Item: Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
Item: Ability to retreat from error is an essential attribute of a safe pilot.
Item: Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.
Item: Always remember, you fly an airplane with your head, not your hands.
Item: Never let an airplane take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.
Item: Many receive advice, on the wise profit by it.
Passenger
Boarding Information
Welcome aboard this non-commercial flight in the vicinity
of San Francisco. We will be departing shortly and with any luck
at all will continue to be airborne until our return to our departure
point. You will be instructed to fasten your seat belt and you
are expected to obey the aircraft captain in every other instance.
Please make sure your seatbelt is on and that your seat is securely
fastened to the fuselage. At this time, any personal items should
be stowed securely in the trunk of your car, since there is no
overhead compartment or space beneath your seat, to speak of.
Please turn off all portable electronic devices, and keep them
off until we have landed safely, or for the duration of the flight,
whichever comes first. Smoking is not permitted inside the cabin;
smoking outside the cabin should be reported to the captain immediately.
There is no beverage service during the flight. If you need to make a bathroom stop, do so prior to our departure. In-flight entertainment will consist of watching the pilot's desperate struggle to control the plane. We'll be flying at an altitude deemed, in the opinion of the pilot, to be safe and most likely to avoid other aircraft. This is in theory; but, should the plane's altitude drop precipitously, please check to ensure that the pilot is awake and in an upright position.
As we prepare for takeoff, please take this opportunity to locate the exit nearest you and, if you have any sense at all, avail yourself of it before it's too late. In a moment, the pilot will begin handing out the release forms in preparation for takeoff. Be assured that in all his time aloft, the pilot has never lost a passenger; however, your results may vary. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight.
Books
Not To Read?"
None of the titles have any bearing whatsoever on the actual skills
or personalities of the people mentioned. It's just a joke, okay?
101 ways to trip a circuit breaker, or "How I saved money
by rewiring my aircraft" by Jim Weir.
"How to freeze your main gear brakes by taxiing in ice and
snow", And a companion work, "How to call for de-icing"
by Timothy Metzinger.
"I Learned All I Needed to Know about Flying in Kindergarden"
by Gene Whitt
The Pitts isn't the Pendulum by Todd Pattist
"Swing Low,Sweet Chariot - a rebuttal by by AlexY"
"Taildraggers: Just say NO" by Michael Masterov.
"C-I-T-A-B-O-R-I-A What else is there?" by Billy Beck
POH? Who needs it? And my bible......" by Fred Choate
"Flying with Left Wings Only" by machogrande as offered
by Don Tabor
"I Can't Fly because Republicans Own All the Airplanes"
by Machogrande
"Usenet Duelling: Invective at Ten Paces", by Machogrande
"Marx is My Co-Pilot" by Machogrande
"Become A Pilot Without Turning Into A Right-Wing, Dittohead,
Freak" by Machogrande
"101 Things You Can Do Only Once in a Plane" and "Hey,
Watch this Sh*t - Fun things to show Grandma on a Sunday afternoon
flight" by Heather R.G. Hopfensperger
"Vector THIS....." by a disgruntled ATC person
"Getting the Most from a Company Car" by Jim Fisher.
"How to Win friends and Influence your Airport Nieghbors"
By: Mike "I Need A New Muffler" Hoza
"Snooze Rooms-The Pllot's Guide"'by bluestreak
"The F.A.A. and You: How to Enforce the F.A.R.'s on Your
Own" and "FAR Self-Study: Learn How to Violate Yourself"
by Jeff Johnson
"1001 Ways to Sell Aviation Literature", by Bob
Gardner.
"The MU-2 Story", by Mike
"Wear Your Airplane", by Tina Marie, clothing
specialist
"Missouri Summer Favorites: Cooking on Your Cowling",
by Dustin Graves
"How to Remember the Keys Before You Get Strapped In
and Ready to Go", by Dustin Graves
"External Power and Antennae Cord Management Inside Cockpit
For Dummies", by Dustin Graves
"Everything I need to know about being a CFI I learned in
kindergarten" by Joe~~
"How to use an IFR approach to get a straight in to almost
any airport" by St Stephen Ames
"Three point landings using only one main" by
Highflyer
"Slips with Flaps: How to land the 172" by Tina
Marie
"Coping with flapping doors" by Ben Tristam
"Coping with deflated tailwheels", with a followup
work, "Finding 4-inch innertubes at 6pm on a Saturday night
in Corpus Christi" by Dylan Smith
"The Wonderful World of Cessnas" by Stephen Ames
"Badges? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Line Badges" by Bob
Gardner
"Say Anything, Please" or "A Pilot's Guide to Squelch"
or "26 Ways to Annoy Approach Controllers" by Unknown
"The Performance of Light Bricks" or "Full-Flap
Takeoffs in the 152" by john Lowry
"Unadorned Skydiving for Experts" and a second book
"Slipping With Flaps, Landings Made Dangerous" by Tina
Marie
"Buying too much airplane: How to survive the first 50 hours"
by Tina Marie
"Flying for Dummies, "Hurricane Crosswinds made Simple"
and "101 Ways to Bust your Checkride" by James Bieker
"You, Your Airplane, and Radio Shack", by Jim Weir?
"Freds's Guide to Crashing Small Planes" by Fred Choate,
Student Pilot
"Passenger Terror - How to have fun with your small-plane
passengers" By | Jay Hoeneck
"Teach Yourself To Fly In 30 Minutes or Less" by Roy
Smith, CFI
"Do It Yourself Engine Repairs for Dummies" by Ron and
Margie Natalie
"FARs Made Complicated" by Stan Prevost
"Zero-Zero: IMC for Beginners" by Andy Grose.
|Up Close & Personal: Formation Flying for the Novice. by
Steve Ames
The Sky's the Limit: How to Experimentally Determine the Service
Ceiling of Your Aircraft. Part 1. Without Supplemental O2. by
Steve Ames
Those who can do, those who can't teach: A Guidebook for CFI's.
by Gene Whitt
"Get Your PPL in 500 Hours or Less" ; Subtitled "The
$9000 Dream." "Objekt's
Guide to CFI's of NC and Southwestern VA," and "Your
Third through Seventh Instructors." all by Objekt
"The F.A.A. and You: How to Enforce the F.A.R.'s on Your
Own" by Jeff Johnson
"There's No Math In Flight", by John T. Lowry
"Zero Zero takeoff for Dummies"; "VFR Not Recommended:
What's he really saying?"; "He sure looked far enough
away in the camera" by St Stephen Ames
"Running on the Fumes from Formulas," by John T. Lowry.
|"Learn to fly by spending the next two years reading text
files" by Gene Whitt.
"Perfecting Your Go-Around," by Karen Alexander
"SoCal Approach, Where Do YOU Think I Am?; How to find the
airport without admitting you're lost"--by Tim Howell
"Teach Yourself Aerobatics in Only One Lesson" by Jeff
"IMC Adventures with John Wayne (Airport)" by Victor
Morange;^)
"Build Your Own Plane from Scratch for Less than $10 with
Common Radio Shack Parts"; >Previously printed as a 4-part
series in Kitplanes_.by Tim Howell?
"How to hack your old PCS phone into a linear detection super
accurate Loran receiver" by Chuck Forsberg
"Grumpy old men and their flying machines" --by highflyer
"Real Airplanes are for Wimps" by Microsoft
"Radio Engineers do it with Frequency" by Jim Weir
"The Sun actually rises in the West" by Troll Inc.
"Gay Pilots may Bite me" by Anonymous|
Teach yourself semiconductor physics in 14 days (a beginners guide
for the aspiring student pilot), by Jim Weir
"Proper Flaring Technique" (or "There's two fat
guys in the front seats of this plane. It's bound to be nose heavy")
by Al Gilson's CFI
"Upper Body Workouts and the Primer: The Guide to Starting
a Cessna at 20 Below" -by Stella in Minnesota
"Pattern Flying at Uncontrolled Fields: How to Cut-in When
It Really Counts" by Jeff Johnson.
"101 Excuses Your Examiner Never Heard" by Unknown
"How To Check The Oil In A Greasy Navajo And Not Stain
Your White Shirt" by bluestreak
"The Complete Crew Car Guide" by bluestreak
"Jepp Revisions Made Easy" by bluestreak
"The Beginner's Guide To Aerobatics In V-Tail Bonanzas"
by bluestreak
"How to Take Your Airplane Apart, One Flight At a Time"
by Jill Kamienski
The chapters of this book are :
1. Climb a 150 to 8,000 feet over eastern Colorado farm fields
and pop the spinner off.
2. Clamp the tailwheel of a Champ on touchdown in a full left
deflection and take it on an excursion off the runway.
3. Have high voltage indications and radio problems in a 172 heading
into Cheyenne (class D).
4. Have a fuel cap come off during flight in a 172.
5. Take an Arrow around the pattern and have the nose gear collapse.
6. Get a problem with the seal in the prop and have oil cover
the windshield in a Husky.
"Where's my airport?" By Andy Davis
"VOR Navigation for Dummies" by Andy Davis
"Skinny Pilots and Their Effects on Climb Rate" by Andy
Davis
"Where'd My Student Go?", A Guide for CFIs that Never
See Their Students
Again After Their Solo Signoff - by my Instructor Russ Mann
"The Treetop Pilot" - Stan Prevost
"Psyche!" - The Professional Student's Guide to Scheduling
Checkrides" - Billy Beck
"Advanced Tactical Maneuvers for the Student Pilot"
- Dudley Henriques
"Cheap Thrills with FAA Approved Medications" - Jay
Honeck
"Head Vice: A Buyers Guide For Migraine-Producing Headsets"
- One I'm considering writing.
"Student to Captain in Less Than Three Months" - Stephen
Ames
"What the Hell Did You Say, Buttwipe? - A Guide to Getting
Along With ATC", Bob Gardner
"How to win friends and influence people" by J Kelley,
foreword by HighTimePilot
"Solo Students Guide to Buzzing your Girlfriends House",
Deadend Charley
"Short Final: A pilots guide to knowing when to establish
communications"
"Hmmm...what would happen if I pulled this?: A pilots guide
to your first, and last, passenger"
"Sun, what's that?: A pilots guide to flying in Seattle"
, -- Scott
"When ATC Shouts 'Bravo,' It's Probably Not Applause"
-- X. Tended Downwind
"Where's That Heavy? Pattern Aerobatics in Your Mooney"
-- Thurston Howell III
"Flaps Zero on Short Final and Other Ways to Impress Your
CFI", Peter H. Schmidt
"Vne, Fact or Fiction?" by Kami Kazie (Alias of Gene
Seibel)
Hunting Moose in the C-150" by Ben There and Done That (Alias
of Gene Seibel)
"100 Things To Do With Your Fathers PPL" by Late Tu
Breakfast (Alias of Gene Seibel)
"The Fine Art of Tractor Trailer Touch N' Goes" by Big
Rig (Alias of Gene Seibel)
"Building Time as a 747 Stowaway" by Class A Flyer (Alias
of Gene Seibel)
"AC 124Z: Absorbency Properties of Advisory Circulars"
by Far Away (Alias of Gene Seibel)
"Vector Analysis of Headphone Jack Insertion" by J.
Lowery ;- (Alias of Gene Seibel)
Airspeed: Who needs it! Lowspeed Johnny
Flying on Fumes by Sump Strainer
Mastering the Thunderstorm by Vector Analysis
1001 Uses for Bubblegum in Aviation by Big Chew
Aerodynamics and Duct Tape by Stick Tewit
Amateur's Guide to Test Piloting by One Wing Low
Using convective updrafts to increase range, Don Paquette
Virga, it's not just for breakfast anymore, Don Paquette
Night Lights: only for chickens, Don Paquette
Inadequate hand propping by one armed Louis, Don Paquette
Testing the max load factor on wings, Don Paquette
The joys of alcohol in the cockpit, Don Paquette
Convincing your mother in law to take the right seat, Don Paquette
How to fly without a CFI, Don Paquette
Turn your plane into a glider to reduce hobb's time, Don Paquette
Viewing (your city) at 50' AGL, Don Paquette
Master cross control stalls during landing, Don Paquette
Pre-heating condoms with the pitot tube, Don Paquette
Formation flying with geese, Don Paquette
Here's mine: "NORDO on the Active". Dustin Graves
IFR for dummies by Scott Migaldi
In-flight engine maintenance for the private pilot by Scott Migaldi
Home built aircraft from the New Yankee Workshop by Scott Migaldi
Let me add mine: "The Compleat Student's Guide to Weather
Prediction, or Damn, Another Lesson Canceled."- Eric Remy.
" The Complete English Language Dictionary For Air Traffic
Controllers Dealing With Pilots From Alabama" :-) Dudley
Mastering the Thunderstorm.; Gene Seibel
This one has me laughing my ass off ; Gene Seibel.
Aerodynamics and Duct Tape; Gene Seibel
"Students are from Mars, ATC's are from Venus"; John
Gruson
"Low and Slow - A wake up call for Instructors" ; John
Gruson
"The Kavorkian Guide to Thunderstorm Flying"; John Gruson
"Inverted Flight without a Harness: Leveraging the Pucker
Factor" by S.Uck Vinil
"Water Landings--Not Just For Floatplanes Anymore";
Antonio Aponte
"Create Your Own Logbooks from Scratch"; Antonio Aponte
"Backyard Carrier Launcher in 7 Days"; Antonio Aponte
"Simulating Air Traffic Control from the C-172"; Antonio
Aponte
"A Pictoral Retrospective of the Pitot Tube"; Antonio
Aponte
"Hand-Propping Techniques for the Visually Challenged"
; Antonio Aponte
"Hairstyles for the Woman Aviator" by Martha King
"King Video Implementation for the Treatment of Insomnia";
King
"Teach Yourself Aerobatics"; Antonio
"Building Your Own Anti-Density Altitude Machine" by
Depok Chopra
Let me add mine: "The Compleat Student's Guide to Weather
Prediction, or
Damn, Another Lesson Canceled."- Eric Remy.
In-flight engine maintenance for the private pilot; SFM
"MU-2 Pilots Make More Noise"; (EXR101)
"Why won't gramma fly with me anymore?" by Sean D. Tucker
Tail
Stickers for Aircraft
My cockpit or yours?"
Construction vehicle
Do not Push
Get your eyes off my tail & scan !!!!!
Hey baby, what's your call sign???
Horn broken, watch for finger
Stick it up your alpha sierra sierra
Caution wake turbulence....
I brake for small aircraft
"Stella passed her checkride in me: you could too!"
My other airplane is a car
If you can read this sticker, you are too close!
My other airplane is an F-18
Fear
of Flying
An Opinion on Fear
I have concerns with fear as it relates to flying. I realize
fear of heights and falling.are instinctive and normal. It appears
irrational to let our fears inappropriately affect reasonable
considerations. It requires that you take a positive attitude
toward what you want to do and the way you do it. This approach
can overcome irrational fears. By not flying the risks cease to
exist. The risks of flying will still be there. The pleasures
of flying exist as driving force in the face of the risks. You
cannot experience one without exposure to the other
The pilot has resigned himself to the fact that one must forego
some security for pleasure. If you fear heights and sense them
when flying then you must counter this concern with thoughs related
to the pleasurable sensations that exist in flying. The distinction
between fear and respect is reasoned understanding that risks
exist; any lack of caution is a ticket tor disaster. Failure to
recognize the risks opens the Pandora box of unanticipated fears.
By understanding and accepting risk you remove the irrational
causes of fear from flying. The skilled pilot can and will prepare
for risk situations. Fear and irrational behavior is to be expected
on the part of the unskilled and unprepared pilot.
Music
and Flying
I don't know that anyone has ever equated music to flying
by comparing the skills of a music master vs. a student to the
flying skills of a master pilot and a student pilot. It is my
understanding that a student learning most any instrument is under
stress, using far more energy and effort to play a few notes,
while the master will play a concerto with a light touch and little
apparent effort. The master aerobat will through skill and anticipation
make an aircraft perform miracles while the student pilot will
sweat bullets just making a level turn.
It appears that there is more music in flying than one would have
ever imagined. The flying student who has music as a backup career
has the basic ingredients for being a successful pilot. But then,
so does anyone else who has taken a mental/muscular skill and
mastered it.
The
Unteachable Student
I have found that, my methods, and I am incompatible with about
5% of my students. This was true when I was teaching school and
still holds true for flight instruction. I have advised three
students not to continue because of judgment difficulties. The
one that continued with another instructor and killed himself
flying back from passing his flight-test.
It is very difficult for a student with difficulties to separate out the instruction of a new instructor from that of the first instructor. The learning law of primacy rules more than we would believe. Perhaps a different type of aircraft at a different airport along with a different instructor would resolve the problem. No mention of the reading or ground school material was mentioned. Perhaps videos would help. Regardless, I think a clean break from the past would give the student a chance to 'start over'.
Were he to be my student I would have him talk into a tape recorder along with me prior to every flight. We would discuss the procedures for a closed traffic pattern exercise. We would verbalize everything he would do and how he would do it. We would walk and talk the flight first by direction and position, then by altitude and changes and finally by what is said on the radio. The same process would carry through in the aircraft, on the ground and in the air. The use of a checklist in every step of the way would be mandatory.
The lesson would be listened to by the student after the flight
and critical notes taken for discussion with the instructor as
to the what and why of problems and successes. Additionally, the
student would be told what to prepare for the next lesson. I would
make myself available
by phone in the evenings, especially the night before a lesson
to make sure that the student was prepared.
From this beginning, I would adjust the program to fit the needs of the student. The essential is to make each step successful. Nothing breeds success and confidence better than success. Though I was only an incidental part of Lisa's success, she is a shining example of how desire overcomes difficulty.
In a subsequent communication I indicated that it was just possible that the student had some unexpressed or shown fears or concerns that were overriding his efforts to learn and remember.
Learnin'
Ain't Easy
1. The way you're first taught is the way you will react under
stress.
2. Unlearning and learning a new way is harder than learning right
in the first place.
3. Teaching a skill requires much more than just demonstration
and performance.
4. Learning transfer requires expression in your own words of
the information.
5. An abstract word requires 32 repetitions before it becomes
'yours'.
6. A skill is not 'yours' until you have performed it eight times
correctly.
7. Retention is related to the imprint of the occasion and the
background of the student..
8. Only through reviews of different types can we really remember.
9. Over teaching is not a waste of time or effort.
CFI Selection
All CFIs and airplanes are different. Try to get the best
match you can. You may need to give a little in CFI or airplane
to get the best for you.
Narrow the search down convenience of the airport, then by FBO.
Work on availability of aircraft and CFIs.
Smell the restrooms. Look at the outside grounds. Count the smokers. Take a trial ride.
Make a list of questions. What to ask the owner. What to ask the Chief Pilot. What to ask the CFI. What to ask another trainee.
High price vs low price is not always a good criterion. Be selective. Don't fall for a 'money up front' situation. FBOs come and go rather rapidly. Find someone who is willing to talk to you about flying.
Flying
Clubs
Facilities
Organizational particulars
Membership
Safety record
Checkouts
Insurance
Availability
Flight
Instructors
Background:
Experience
Ambition
Availability
Reliability
Why you?
Instructional
Program
Syllabus
Ground and Flight
Lesson sequence
Lesson frequency
Expectations
Costs
Ways to cut costs
Pay schedule
Other charges
Growing
Up as a Pilot
It takes more than time to grow and mature as a pilot. Judgment
cannot be measured just by time but by the number of successful
decisions made weighed against the poor decisions. It would be
akin to a quarterbacks touchdown passes measured against interceptions.
At the present time I am flying with a pilot who has been flying
for 35 years. Even when his aircraft has been sitting in the open
for over five days, his preflight is so cursory that he only check
the fuel in the tank where the gauge is inoperative. I arrive
early to make sure that his preflight fits my much higher standards.
He is planning to make a flight across Canada to Anchorage, Alaska.
I have agreed to help him plan the flight. He is planning a rather
casual flight with stops to smell the flowers along the way.
I feel that this approach offers him the best chance of success.
We he to be under any pressure
his lack of judgment could get him into serious weather difficulty.
He has made mistakes in judgment and wrecked an airplane in the recent past. Learning to improve his judgment requires that he be exposed to those conditions that require the making of good decisions. However, he is so concerned about redoing past mistakes that he will not allow himself to be taught how to deal successfully with adverse conditions. This means that he is unwilling to continue to learn about flying. It means his personal envelope will not be expanded. It means that he does not know how to or even want to find ways of seeking outside validation about what he hears from others or even sees himself.
The poor flight instructor has been a perpetuator of as many misconceptions and bad habits in future pilots and flight instructors. The worst of instruction seems to have a persistence that confounds the truth. Mistaken ideas exist about all flying procedures. There are 'holidays' in the knowledge of even the best of us. I found one in mine just a few weeks ago about fuel pumps in Cessnas.
Why?
Why do "slow down" and "slow up" mean
the same thing?
Why do "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean
the same thing?
Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after
light"?
Doesn't 'expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?
Continues on The
Beginning student
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