Contents:
...Pilots are Special...Selecting
Your Instructor; Evaluation of CFIs;
...Where to go; what to do; …Imersion Program; ...Factors
in successful learning; ...Commitment to
Flying; ...Preliminaries to Flight; ...First Flight Preparations; ...Learning
to Fly; ...Changing You; ...Helping
your instructor help you; ...Helping yourself;
...The Student as a Student; ...Keeping
anger in its place; ...Student Evaluation;
...My Kind of Student; ...The
Best Program; …Kelly Learned;
…Training Advice; …
Pilots are special
A pilot has overcome his fears. He has replaced superstition
with rational thinking and knowledge. It takes a special degree
of courage to face your instinctive fears, over come them only
the face those things that deserve to be feared. The conquering
of these fears must be approached gradually and can be proven
to be partially overcome by passing the FAA flight test.
To become a pilot one must become a time and energy manager. Finding the time in this day and age requires sacrifice and perseverance. A pilot must forgo immediate pleasures. However, it is difficult to devote study and money into what can only be perceived as an improbable future.
As a pilot you become a different person. You have reached down into yourself and found new levels of self-reliance. New heights of confidence and assurance make it possible for you to challenge your teachers. Make them prove to you their way to perform works. You have learned to share responsibility if you must and to take total charge when required. You have confidence in doing those things you know you can do. You are also willing to accept your limitations by not doing those things you are not qualified for. You know what you know with certainty. You accept humbly that there is much you do know and much more may never know. You have learned to replace resignation and panic with planning and anticipation.
As a pilot you take care of your physical self just as you take care of your plane. You are moderate in your demands of your peers except when it comes to safety. Humor is a part of your personality. You can find a laugh in the direst of circumstance. The costs, waste, delay, and failures of the system are accepted as a fact of aviation life to be laughed at when there is no other recourse.
The joys of flying build with each experience. Experience builds on past experience in an ever-growing pyramid. Confidence builds in your own capability to deal successfully with the present and in anticipation of what the future offers. Flying success is built on faith. You have faith that the design and operation of the engine, the airplane, and all its parts will continue to operate in approved fashion. You have faith that the electronics of the plane and system will provide reliable guidance and communications. You have faith that at the certain speed the airplane will fly and that the runway will be below the wheels even though you cannot see it at touchdown. You have faith in yourself and confidence that what you have planned is both possible but worthy of doing. Together all things built on your faith makes flying the most rewarding individual achievement you will ever have.
Your instructor is one essential leg to the flight-training program. An interview and perhaps demonstration flight can be very deceptive. I do believe that flying with the first person to say hello has a relatively high element of chance. I would first select the airport from which to fly. You are more likely to fly more often if the field is convenient. What kind of airport and how busy is not a major consideration. Perhaps the field selection may be a choice between several airports. If a simulator is involved, it will be only as good as the instructor.
You might want to interview your instructor selections in a non-flying situation over coffee. Find out where they trained and from whom. Ask what are they planning with their flying career and just how their teaching you fit into the picture. If the instructor is building hours for another occupation you might look elsewhere. All instructors are different and changing instructors is always an option you should hold open. Better to make the changes, once considered, sooner than later. Ask why is the instructor an instructor. Is the instructor working for you or for himself or is another skimming some of his pay? Is the planned program designed to give you economy and achievement? If the instructor charges for telling 'war stories', the talking can become expensive.
What you are looking for is communication skills, experience, dedication and professionalism. You want an instructor who is willing to fly you into weather. You are looking beyond theory for practical knowledge and applications not always available in textbooks. Basically, you are looking for a communicator with knowledge, creativity, discipline, patience with the ability to determine weaknesses and strengths.
The last major consideration is time. An instructor who is not available is like not having one at all. As a student, you must not begin flying unless you have both the money and time required for learning efficiently. You should demand that the instructor have both time and available aircraft. Reliability is essential. Be on time and give the instructor only two shots at being late. Let him know this during the interview. Waiting is what makes old age.
50% of students who get medical certificates do not get their
licenses Why are we using the least experienced of our instructional
prospects as the majority of our teachers? Teachers, regardless
of what they teach are on the lowest rung of the career ladder.
A teacher is good who has enthusiasm for his material and is eager
to share it. Look for such a teacher.
Evaluation of
CFIs
Where did you train?
Discuss experience and background
Why do you instruct?
Do you belong to a professional organization?
What is your own recurrent training program?
What flying sources do you use regularly?
You can find whom to interview by talking to people around the airport. Pretty soon certain names will keep coming up. Those are the people you want to see. Compare at least three and then ask to talk to some of their present and past students. Contact the local designated examiner and ask for recommendations. You are far more likely to make a good choice using the opinions of relatively experienced pilots and students. If you plan to fly at a controlled airport, go to the tower on different shifts and get ATC opinion. The question to ask is, "Who would you select as your flight instructor?" "Why?"
Use your eyes, ears and nose during your meetings. I have flown with instructors with various physical handicaps and have found that the instructor who overcomes problems has much to offer any student. Appearance makes a difference. Consider whether you want to work out inclusion of some selected ground instruction. Having the same person teach you to fly and guide you through self-study of ground school has inherent coordination advantages to the student. Your flying will supplement your ground instruction and vice versa. Taking a ground school is not very efficient.
Don't take your demonstration ride right away. Make an arrangement that will allow the instructor an opportunity to assign home study and a preflight review of what will be flown. Confusion has a negative effect on learning. Most instructors are above average pilots. Being able to fly is not nearly as important as being able to teach flying. The best teaching will occur before and after the flight. The airplane is a very poor classroom.
Money spent on a demonstration lesson can be informative. Try to take the same lesson from all instructors so you can relate comparisons. Have a set of identical questions to ask each instructor. Grade the explanations for each question. Questions should vary from highly technical to stupid. Listen for a change in voice tone and body language as the questions vary. A good instructor is not averse to admitting ignorance. Knowing where to find information is just as important as knowing. Good flight instructors learned on the job.
The type of aircraft is mostly a matter of personal preference. The instructor is often limited in his selection by what is available. You are not so limited. Some aircraft are somewhat too easy to fly. Others like taildraggers offer difficulties. Ask as many pilots as you can about their training preferences and then use your own judgment. Having a plane you feel comfortable with will improve your learning.
NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors) has a wide range of information, including NAFI flight instructor names, hometowns and contact telephone numbers. Html://www.nafinet.org
1. Time of year
Summer flying gives longer days but does not provide the most
desirable range of experience. Aircraft are more available in
the late fall and winter. Darkness in early morning and early
evening is a problem. Learning to fly during the worst weather
periods is the best way to maintain your attention to the vagaries
that affect flying. Learn in the fall or winter; enjoy in the
summer.
2. Schedule
You should not even consider learning to fly unless you can allocate
at least two or three flying periods a week. Each period should
include travel time and two scheduled flight hours. Actual engine
time will be about one hour + 15 minutes. Two hours of study time
must be planned for every hour of flying.
3. Finances
Do not begin flying until money is set aside just for flying.
The first twenty hours of learning to fly will be the most concentrated
cash-outflow you will face unless you buy an airplane.
4. Weight
If our weight requires the use of a C-172 as a trainer the cost
per flight hour will be more. The increased cost is somewhat offset
by the time saved meeting cross-country requirements and enroute
time to local airports.
5. Ground School
There is no reason that a person should not be able to self-study
ground school with about 3-5 hours of tutoring. I do not charge
for such time.
6. Preparation
Don't fly if you are not prepared for a lesson. You will get the
most bang for your bucks by being prepared. Even the best instruction
cannot fully compensate for lack of preparation.
Those who take over three months to get a license have not been very efficient. In the best training programs there are four things the student must have readily available.
1. Sufficient money to go from start to finish.
2. Sufficient time to study three hours for every hour of flying.
3. Aircraft and instructor availability to fly a minimum 3 times a week.
4. Able to plan lessons for different times of the day.
Why:
1. Flying will give you enough other concerns. Money should not be one.
2. If you don't keep ahead of the flying lessons in your studying, you will not learn as well, money and time will be wasted. Don't put off lessons unless you are not prepared. Give plenty of notice to the instructor. Your death is always an excuse.
3. You don't want to be dependent upon just one airplane. It is just as well to get some flights in a different type. One instructor is best only if available and always on time. Death is an acceptable 'no-show' excuse.
4. By flying at different times of the day you will find that
early morning is best but training winds are best in the afternoon.
The late afternoon sun can make navigation more difficult. Dusk
to
dark transitions are good experience. You should also experience
morning aircraft ice, frost, and carburetor ice.
Training Program
With unlimited resources a one month program is very possible. Taking a long time is much like climbing a sand mountain. Both you and the instructor must review and refresh skills and memory. I have taught many students both ways and quicker is always better.
Planes and instructors are always more available when the weather is marginal. Airports are less busy. ATC is more available. The student gets exposure into marginal conditions with experienced supervision. In the winter you can get your night requirements without flying until midnight. Flying in the rain is much like driving in the rain. Do-able but not for fun. Fly SVFR a couple of times to learn requirements, procedures and your limits.
1. You must be able to give priority to the time and energy required for learning to fly. If you can't or won't establish the priority, don't start. You must keep ahead of the flight program with your reading and preparation. You must not allow money to become a detriment to your commitment. Flying is not cheap and will not become any less expensive as you continue.
2. Your life ambition must be to become an old pilot.
3. Being a pilot is a state of mind; a personality. A pilot's
attitude, not just experience makes for excellence. Excellence
is a quality standard in flying sought but not often achieved.
Desire must be there but unless it is accompanied by application
there will be no progress.
4.The good pilot is able resist the temptation to do something
unsafe, illegal, or stupid. The temptations will always exist.
5. A good pilot will not fly in aircraft or conditions beyond
his capability or certification.
6. A good pilot does not ignore the FARs. The FAA looks to the
pilot to answer for any violations. Sometimes a magnifying glass
is used.
7. A good pilot is always a student, striving to make every maneuver
a bit more precise than the one before.
8. A good pilot knows his equipment, its limitations and how to
handle its malfunctions.
9. ATC can determine much about a pilot by how well he utilizes
the system and the required communications. Always admit when
you have a problem.
10. A requirement of being a pilot is in knowing the FAR rules
that apply to your rating, your responsibilities, and the flight
involved.
11. An instructor can only show you the way to the required learning.
It is your responsibility to know what you need to know and to
confirm that you get it. This is the most difficult area of student
responsibility. Flying the plane is a relatively minor part of
what you need to know.
12. The best time to get involved in an activity is before interest
in it peaks.
13. Being a pilot is a state of mind; a personality. A pilot's
attitude, makes for excellence. Excellence is a quality standard
in flying sought but not often achieved. Desire must be there
but unless it is accompanied by application there will be no progress.
1. Medical/student license
2. Flight Training Handbook
3. Student Pilot Guide
4. San Francisco Sectional
5. San Francisco TCA chart 6. Pilot flight log book
7. Airman's Information Manual (used)
8. Ground study course (tapes or Video)
9. Navigational computer and plotter
10. Flight Instructors Handbook
11. Guide to California Airports
12. 2-3 pens/4x6 cards
13. Cassette tape recorder/90
1. Schedule aircraft/instructor.
2. Aircraft keys.
3. Read Owner's Manual.
4. Wear lightweight shoes.
5. Make a question card.
6. If the instructor is 10 minutes late, call his office.
7. Become familiar with geographic locations around airport.
8. Personal stress, health, food.
There is no single way to get a pilot license. Getting it is
faster and cheaper if training is done consistently with the same
aircraft and instructor. Of equal importance is that you be exposed
to several different procedures but taught only the one that best
conforms to safety and the PTS. Find an instructor who teaches
because he wants to, not because he has to. A good instructor
is a contradiction in that he must be both a critic and a motivator.
Correction that points out the causes leading to an error is good.
Instruction that anticipates areas of difficulty is best.
Being casual and friendly does not mean being either careless
or having lax standards. Permitting a bad habit to develop could
be the worst thing that an instructor can do to you. A demonstration
that does not teach is useless. The best time to make your mistakes
is when with an instructor. Providing, of course, that the instructor
uses a mistake as a learning opportunity and a teaching opportunity
for the two of you.
What one learns in flying is how fragments of an individual's
experience are woven together, either supporting the long term
goal and ambition or unconsciously undermining our efforts and
needlessly complicating our program. Knowing too much about flying
can be just as detrimental to acquiring new skills as can knowing
too little.
You begin flying with an attitude that may or may not be compatible
to the reality required. Attitude is a basic human factor that
sets performance, competence, and professionalism. A pilot's mind-set
takes many forms and adapts to every specific task and situation.
Mind set reveals itself in our willingness and ability to conform
to the rules of the FAA, the POH, and physics. Every flight is
a challenge to be met by thorough planning and close performance
parameters. We are going to change you into a pilot.
A person's psychological makeup has a lot to do with the way he
or she learns about and flies an aircraft. Tremendous personality
changes take place whenever you acquire competence as a pilot.
You will become more talkative, especially about flying. To the
extent you exhibit one of the personality types (anti-authority,
impulsive, invulnerable, macho, resignation) we will see them
appear in different phases of your training. Self-confidence will
increase. On the other hand, where confidence is lacking, tension
will exist inversely. The student must exercise caution until
competence is attained. Anticipation and planning will replace
reaction. Both you and your friends will see psychological changes.
To become something new you must learn something new. For many,
the personal changes that occur from flying are enough. Each flying
hurdle that is overcome shapes the quality of the pilot. Pilots
don't give up when the situation becomes uncomfortable. Flying
teaches discipline. You will develop and expand personal qualities
you never realized were there. You will learn to control yourself,
be more assertive, make considered judgments, and replace reaction
with anticipation. You will grow 'older' as reaction becomes anticipation.
Wanting to fly is an attitude. Learning to fly right is more than
a unique acquisition; it is also an attitude. With the right attitude
you will prioritize your time to make learning to fly a lifetime
adventure. Any momentary failure will be just a learning experience.
Don't allow a focus on detail to obscure the dramatic achievement
of becoming a pilot. Don't be complacent with an acquired skill;
there is always another way. Understand the rules of physics and
the FAA; together they will make flying safe and rewarding. Safety
is never an accident, it is always the result of high intention,
sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution;
it represents the wisest choice of many alternatives.
Every nuance of my instruction is designed to choose the safest
procedure available. The regulations and aircraft design have
safety as a priority. Above that comes personal judgment. As an
instructor I try to expose the student to situations where good
judgment makes a difference. A student can never learn to use
good judgment unless exposed to the situations that require its
use. We will fly in marginal conditions, complex airspace, and
high winds. The student must learn his limitations.
The more an instructor knows about you, your background, motivation,
finances, and goals the better he will be able to advise you on
how to proceed. You must reveal any concerns you have about yourself
in regard to flying. Are there health, emotional, or conceptual
problems that you can foresee? Even if you are not aware of any,
it is more that likely that something will arise at some point
in your training. Spending more money does not guarantee better
instruction.
Flying should be fun. It is a challenge but those students who
continue find the challenge enjoyable. Stress, apprehension and
even fear are part of the challenge. If your instruction does
not replace them with fun then something is wrong.
Flying has many forms of stress. Some are self-imposed, some are
by the instructor, and still others are external and beyond any
control. Don't try to do something about things you have no control
over, like the weather. Bend with the impossible, adjust to the
unpleasant, and speak up against the correctable. Instructors
can adjust to your needs. Recently had a student who objected
to my gum chewing...I stopped. Student input is needed to make
instruction better. As a student, you know how to learn best.
Any reluctance to help the instructor do better is just prolonging
the problem. It is just as important for the student to understand
the instructor as it is for the instructor to understand the student.
If it isn't working for you...change instructors.
I try to teach efficiency in flying; not shortcuts. The way you
preflight, taxi, runup, takeoff and fly are indicative of personality
traits. We often feel that expertise in one chosen field carries
over into flying. Parts may but flying is a unique blend of training
and skills. I will modify what I can, blend in that which is acceptable,
and erase what I must. If you have flown previously some of this
will be more difficult than if I was working with a clean slate.
Most of your flying skills will be an assembly of fundamentals.
A fundamental is in turn an assembly of small actions, reactions
and anticipation. Only with practice (of the right kind) do these
small actions become smooth whole maneuvers. Failure to master
a component part will contaminate the entire maneuver.
1. The basics of landing an airplane require such an assembly
of fundamental skills. Most fundamental is airspeed control. The
proficient pilot is able to anticipate the power, trim and yoke
movement required to achieve a flight speed sought for a specific
configuration. This is as true for the proficient student as it
is for the proficient instrument pilot. Know what it takes and
then do what it takes. The mastery of speed, or any other basic,
rests on a strong chain of selected events. Once weakness weakens
the entire maneuver.
2 .If you are a student who has a death-grip on the yoke, you
are working too hard. You will fly better by learning to trim
and let go. Most any airplane can be flown quite well without
touching the yoke. Use the rudder. A well- trimmed plane can be
made to climb or descend slightly, just by nodding the head. Try
it. I used to call trim the power steering of flight. I was corrected
into calling it cruise control. Knowing what to do and when to
do it allows the lightness on the controls that makes flying easy.
3. Even talking on the radio can be made easy. To talk effectively,
you must know where you are or will be when you plan to talk.
You will give your altitude as an additional warning to other
aircraft. You will rehearse to eliminate unnecessary verbiage
and eliminate pauses and punctuation. All the rest is 'canned',
in the same informational sequence for every ATC situation. Additional
information by the pilot beyond the minimum shows the extent to
which the assertive pilot is in command. You must know enough
to protect yourself from ATC mistakes.
4. When not flying, a good student pilot is thinking about flying.
Will study beyond the minimums of knowledge and assignments. Comes
to sessions with prepared questions.
5. Have you ever been told that the question you asked related
to information that you did not need to know yet? An instructor's
failure to make use of this learning opportunity dulls initiative,
weakens curiosity, and inhibits future questions. The only question
that an instructor may not respond to is the unasked question.
How much does it cost? Depends on motivation of student.
How long does it take? 62 hours is average. My students may take
longer but they know more and are better prepared for the flying
world.
Larger airports in metropolitan areas tend to take longer and
cost more. Airport procedures can take 20% of the lesson time.
Weather is an uncontrollable factor. The dedicated student will
rearrange life style to give required mental and physical presence
required to lesson preparation. The closer together the lessons
the less slippage of learned material between lessons.
Neither money nor time should become part of the problem. Get
enough money available be fore starting. Four flights a week are
ideal in the beginning until solo. After solo, one lesson a week
coupled with two directed solo-flights works until beginning proficiency.
Don't learn to fly in a situation where your needs are treated
second to other priorities. Request and demand first preference
for your lessons as scheduled. Make a fit with your instructor.
If something about the instructor or training situation becomes
an annoyance, change the instructor and situation as required.
Total immersion is the best way to learn. Borrow and buy selectively
of materials at your level. Don't start with jets. Get to the
airport earl and get cockpit time. Read the aircraft papers and
POH. Visit and talk with people on the airport. Ask questions
about other planes. Carry a question card to keep track of things
you plan to ask your instructor. Watch airplanes land. Visit the
Tower.
Becoming an efficient student requires some planning. An inappropriate
instructor is the most likely reason you will have for quitting.
Learning to fly is a shared responsibility. The instructor must
give you things to do in preparation for the next lesson. You
must come to a lesson prepared. Have the instructor outline the
program you are expected to follow so you can study ahead. Frequent
flights are best. Even a brief flight will contain a complete
review of all aspects of flying. Fly safely and efficiently. Unplanned
flying is not a practical use of time and money.
Fly to satisfy yourself. Not all of every lesson will be to your
satisfaction. Make note of aspects that are causing stress and
discuss them with your instructor. The making of mistakes is an
essential part of the learning program. The more self satisfied
you are with what you are doing the more motivated and efficient
will be your progress.
You expect your instructor to be the product of a program that
assures experience in flying and the teaching of flying. It helps
if he has an additional commitment to instruction, personal maturity,
and knowledge of
what is to be learned by the student pilot.
It takes great trauma to etch what you know at a given moment
to be permanent in your memory. Memory is selective and built
upon experience. You get out of a situation directly in proportion
to what you bring into it. Skill retention is intellectual, procedural,
and manual. If you do not fly regularly you will undergo a rapid
and significant deterioration in flying skill and ability. You
will not forget how to fly. You will lose those little touches
of finesse and anticipation that only come with a continuous flight
program. Even more quickly will you lose and be unaware of intellectual
requirements. Pseudo-agnosia, again. Such pilots assume their
demonstrated skills to be much higher than in reality. Such pilots
believe that their desire will substitute for practice or training.
It doesn't.
Don't expect excellence in the beginning. You and the instructor
are climbing a hill of worry together. The hill must be climbed
a step at a time. If too much time occurs between lessons the
hill turns to sand and each step begins to slip backwards. Even
in the best of learning conditions the student may experience
a plateau. This leveling of the learning curve is a normal and
to be expected part of becoming a pilot. The student pilot should
expect to experience one or all of the following plateaus:
1) Prior to solo;
2) Prior to solo cross-country,
3) Subsequent to taking the Practical Test.
There may be others and it is unrealistic for a given student
to expect never to have a plateau.
The plateau breeds frustration. Quitting is a very real consideration.
The rapid initial progress has slowed and possibly regressed.
The first reaction is an undirected internal anger. The situation
feeds on itself. If the student fails to communicate this anger
or frustration to the instructor, it just gets worse. Learning
to fly is a complex activity requiring both conscious and unconscious
parts of our mind. It takes time for the mental areas to season
and blend what we have learned. 95% study currency is required
to balance the 5% physical aspects of flying if a student is to
maintain progress.
Often it is the best students who consider quitting. Never stop
practicing your four basic skills and reviewing your knowledge.
Any decrease in your performance skills will decrease your confidence.
You are more likely to experience problems in later flying in
direct proportion to the amount you ignore your previous experience.
First things first, and the first thing is thinking about flying.
What turns a student the wrong direction can be the sudden
onset of a series of failures. The myriad of emotional reactions;
anxiety, panic, euphoria, relief, hope, despair, blame, self blame,
and anger leads far to many to give up without realizing that
these cycles in achievement are all a part of life, not just learning
to fly. Recognition of this may be your greatest return on investment
from flying.
Anger is a form of emotional blackmail, an adult temper tantrum.
Like a thunderstorm it can grow into yelling and violence. It
can be a blame-game where the responsibility for anger causing
situations is transferred. That's the invitation. Don't play the
game. Find a way to express your anger in a way that will not
do harm to yourself or others. Don't dig yourself into an emotional
hole. One of the greatest changes that occur in a person who becomes
a pilot is, of necessity, his willingness to accept those conditions
and situations that are beyond his control.
It is important that the student realize the extreme responsibility
that exists when an instructor takes on a student. The ultimate
responsibility is when the student is soloed. Any instructor who
begins with symptoms of stress will become much worse prior to
solo. Instructor stress will be mirrored by student stress. You
are looking for certain instructional qualities. Being a super
pilot is not one of them. You want to learn in a relaxed ground
and cockpit atmosphere where the instructor is willing and able
to take the time to explain without making you feel demeaned for
not knowing. The instructor should be just as willing to listen
to your reasoning for thinking as you do no matter how wrong.
One of the more difficult processes in learning is to unlearn
that which we 'knew' all along. Flying will change your personality.
A pilot has a positive personality, a positive 'can do' outlook
on life, and an awareness that some aspects of life, time, and
nature are beyond control.
Evaluation is a teaching constant. It begins when the lesson
begins. Continues throughout the lesson and for me can continue
for years. Just today (5-11-98), I had a student bring to my attention
that I had advised him to quit smoking over twenty-five years ago. My lesson at that time was re-evaluated
twenty-five years later as a long-term positive influence on the
pilot's life.
Progress and even lack of progress is subject to evaluation
as to why what is happening, is happening. Even success bears
repetition as does a lesson that did not achieve sought for goals.
I spend considerable instructional time introducing material.
Introduced material is just that and not subject to the 'progress'
evaluation. I introduce the four basics, slow-flight and the stall.
I introduce ground reference. I introduce new airports and flight
areas. I introduce all the different kinds of approaches and landings.
I am not teaching for any level of proficiency. I am teaching
for awareness and recognition. Every introduction is evaluated
on that basis. Every introduction will be followed by one or more
lessons that will be evaluated by a standard of, "Is the
student safe to do this solo."
When I give a test or an oral quiz I do so with the intent that
the student will both give the process and the reasons why that
process is relatively more safe than any other. The reasoning
behind an initial left clearing turn, going to slow-flight when
#3 to land, and making 'on-course' requests from ATC is just as
important as the performance. There is some rote knowledge that
must be known. Even that rote knowledge will not be retained or
be useful unless it is applied in an actual flight situation.
The beauty of an oral examination that includes a walk-through
by the student is that it allows immediate evaluation and correction.
Clearing problems on the ground is far more efficient and effective
than with the student under flying stresses. The oral presentation
lead to clearer understanding and interpretation of the technical
terms of aviation.
During the proficiency phase or instruction I deliberately set
up situations that require the student to make decisions. I have
them talk through their options if low or high on final. What
are your options to correct the situation what are your options
if your plan won't work? What do you plan to do the next time
so this situation won't arise again? The process is one of evaluating
judgment under stress as well as performance.
I want a student who responds, enjoys, and pays attention.
I enjoy sharing my love of flying with someone. I often share
too much, try too hard, and overwhelm the student. I don't want
the student to be just a well for me to fill. I try to augment
every mistake or success, to an event-mistake or event-success
in my career, with a brief story. Stories, while time consuming,
are the cement of memory. The story is a sharing of the joy-spirit
of flying. I want a student who is enthusiastic, who laughs at
my old jokes, and who challenges what I say until I can back it
up by an experience or text.
I want a left-handed student. Flying is the only area other than
being a first baseman, batter, or pitcher where lefties start
with an advantage. About 15% of the population are so blessed.
A higher proportion of pilots seems to be left-handed. Flying
does not require the specialization of fine motor skills. That
field is left to right-handers.
The
Best Program
Those who take over three months to get a license have
not been very efficient. In the best training programs there are
four things the student must have readily available.
1. Sufficient money to go from start to finish.
2. Sufficient time to study three hours for every hour of flying.
3. Aircraft and instructor availability to fly a minimum 3 times a week.
4. Able to plan lessons for different times of the day.
Why:
1. Flying will give you enough other concerns. Money should not be one.
2. If you don't keep ahead of the flying lessons in your studying, you will not learn as well, money and time will be wasted. Don't put off lessons unless you are not prepared. Give plenty of notice to the instructor. Your death is always an excuse.
3. You don't want to be dependent upon just one airplane. It is just as well to get some flights in a different type. One instructor is best only if available and always on time. Death is an acceptable 'no-show' excuse.
4. By flying at different times of the day you will find that
early morning is best but training winds are best in the afternoon.
The late afternoon sun can make navigation more difficult. Dusk
to
dark transitions are good experience. You should also experience
morning aircraft ice, frost, and carburetor ice.
With unlimited resources a one-month program is very possible. Taking a long time is much like climbing a sand mountain. Both you and the instructor must review and refresh skills and memory. I have taught many students both ways and quicker is always better.
Planes and instructors are always more available when the weather is marginal. Airports are less busy. ATC is more available. The student gets exposure into marginal conditions with experienced supervision. In the winter you can get your night requirements without flying until midnight. Flying in the rain is much like driving in the rain. Do-able but not for fun. Fly SVFR a couple of times to learn requirements, procedures and your limits.
1. I learn something EVERY time I go up. Even if it's just T&G's, I always learn something.
2. It is absolutely SHOCKING how little I really knew when I first got my ticket. Some is a result of flying in the LA Basin, but most is the same for anywhere.
3. It is a real effort to keep yourself from getting too comfortable (read: complacent) in the plane.
4. The difficulty of landings is directly proportional to the number of pilots watching. A bad one with one in the plane, and a terrible bouncer with 10 watching stand out.
5. The plane will fly fine when the window pops open. Fly the plane.
6. Turn off the GPS every now and then (or more) to keep you interested in other forms of navigation. They're great, but can make you lazy.
7. ANR headsets are worth the money.
8. Judgment is everything.
9. Checklists should get longer, not shorter.
Side note:
By the second year, hand dominance appears. Aircraft are equipped
to do things equally well both left and right but American aircraft
do things easier to the left. The rest of the world is right handed
from scissors, tools, guns, phones, serrated knives, power mowers,
binders, desks, keyboards, screws, and knobs. On average, right-handers
do live eight months longer than left-handers. Average age difference
66 years to 75 years. Life is not fair.
Training
Advice
Usually you are relearning prior material. By flying twice
a week is better and less expensive overall.
Plan to take a lesson with another instructor. You will learn better by being able to compare instructors. Even learning a negative is beneficial.
Plan to take a lesson in a different type and perhaps a more powerful aircraft. This will give you an idea of how your instruction in a trainer is preparing you for the real world.
Get some tail wheel time, glider time, and aerobatic time. You will learn things about the rudder, ground effect, and aircraft performance you never believed possible.
Work on your taxiing skills. Follow the yellow lines.
Different airplanes land differently. Learn to use different sight lines as required by different airplanes.
Learn to land with and without flaps as well as slipping in different configurations.
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