Page 2
Instructors Learn, too
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Contents:
Instructor Ideas;... Teaching
precepts;...Advice to an Instructor;
... I am a Professional;... Instruction
as I Do It;... Area Familiarization; ...The cockpit; ...Pilot Errors
50 Years Ago; ...Introduction to the Radio;
...Teaching to a higher level; ...A Training Program; ...Major
CFI applicant problems areas; ...Instructional
sequence; ...Gaining Experience; ...Judgment of Limitations; ...About Students;...Self-Doubt
is Normal; ...Who's in Charge?;
...Instructional Constants; ...What My Instruction Is Not;
...Effective criticism requires;...Procedure and Technique; ...Anticipation; ...Holding
Headings; ...Flying with your
senses; ...The nature of certainty;
...The Student as a Problem;
...A Need
to communicate; ...Teaching Memory;
...Reaction and Anticipation;
...Sequence Chart; ...Command
Authority ;...Instruction;
...The Instructor;
Instructor Factors ..................Facility Factors
Appearance and Experience..... Aircraft
Attitude ....................................Who's in charge
Communication skills ................Classrooms
Discipline ..................................Curriculum
Time in type of aircraft ...............Economics (Cost)
Pre and Post flight briefing......... Willing to counsel
Safety practice ..........................Interactive learning
Simulator availability ..................Policies of promptness
Availability .................................Specialization
Weather experience ...................Training aids
Does your pre-flight discussion cover:
· The maneuvers to be performed
· The departure and arrival area/checkpoints
· Radio procedure
· Common errors to be expected and anticipated
· How you can measure progress?
· When is a 'mistake'?
Canadian learning law #7 is called "Law of relationships
in which instruction is sequenced from the known to unknown, simple
to complex and easy to difficult.
Humor
If you expect to teach successfully you must incorporate humor
as the leavening to make your points rise properly. Learning is
fun in and of itself, a well placed remark or joke will serve
as a memory 'tag' to keep the learning point in place.
· Docendo Discimus...We learn by teaching. When
by yourself, you are the instructor.
· You don't know what you don't know.
· Much of what you think you know is incorrect.
· Together, we must find out why you don't know what
you don't know.
· It is practice of the right kind that makes perfect.
· You will never do well if you stop doing better.
· Students never fail, only teachers do.
· A student's performance is not so much a reflection
on the student, as it is on the instructor's ability to teach.
· Learning is not a straight line up...let the teacher
set the standards of performance.
· Much of learning to fly is to unlearn preconceptions
and habits.
· Unlearning is a very necessary and difficult part
of learning to fly.
· The way you are first taught and learn a procedure
is the way you will react in an emergency. It's important
to learn right the first time.
· You learn according to what you bring into the situation.
· Being prepared for a flight saves you money by saving
time.
· Given the choice, make the safe decision.
· If you must make a mistake, make it a new one.
· One problem is a problem, two problems are a hazard;
three problems create accidents.
· It's great to be good; even better to be lucky.
· Trusting to luck alone is not conducive to an extended
flying career.
· We progress through repeated success; we learn through
our mistakes.
· An instructors knowledge is proportional to the mistakes
he's made
· My writings use the editorial "he" for
convenience not because of any sexism.
· However, left handers have an advantage.
· Good habits deteriorate over time and bad habits
take root.
· Accidents happen when you run out of experience.
· Self instruction is the garden that raises bad habits.
· Our failures teach us. If you want to increase your
chances of success, double your efforts.
· ... almost always. Nothing is always.
· Luck will do for skill, but not consistently.
· One should never underestimate the stimulation of
eccentricity in a teacher. It challenges the teacher, too,
when occurring in a student.
· The nice thing about a mistake is the pleasure it
gives others.
· If you fly long enough the 'answer' is going to be
"Carburetor Heat".
· Never underestimate the stimulation of eccentricity.
· You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
· Flying, like life, is full of precluded possibilities.
Can't do...won't do... shouldn't do...
· What you know is not as important as what you do
with it.
Go down to lost and found and get your memory every time you have a senior moment.
As a teacher, I was not given to meaningless praise or reward.
As a flight instructor, I judge the lesson by knowledge applied,
improvement observed, and satisfaction achieved. The achievement
of normal expectations is viewed as acceptable but not deserving
of profuse adulation. Only when my retarded students did beyond
the usual were they praised. Praise, thus achieved value by not
being a throw-away for everyone. My gifted students were always
faced with ever higher expectations. My standards were once compared
with an ever extending extension ladder. One of my many weaknesses
as a flight instructor is an unwillingness to accept from a pilot
or a student less than their highest level of performance. Close
is accepted only when accompanied by significant improvement.
It is a poor student that does not exceed his teacher.
The instructor helps you teach yourself to fly. The instructor
tries to get inside your head. He wants to recognize your fears
and concerns. The instructor is trying to use what you know and
don't know to shorten the time and lower the cost of your learning
to fly. Good instructors like to teach. They will keep you from
getting hurt you as you wander through all the mistakes that every
student pilot should make.
Once read, that every advance by mankind has been achieved by
laziness. I hate to see students preflighting inefficiently. I
believe that flying correctly is the easiest way to fly. Every
maneuver can be either easy or
hard depending on how 'lazy' the pilot has been in knowing how
to make it 'easy'. I cringe when a pilot works too hard at flying.
Flying is easy only when it is efficient and I don't mean using
an autopilot.
I am a professional teacher of flying. I was a professional
teacher for twenty years before I began teaching flying. I belong
to a professional flight instructor's organization and have for
as long as it has existed. I attend professional seminars, subscribe
to over a dozen different papers and periodicals related to better
instruction and safer flying. I spend hours a week in furthering
my own professional background. I am not trying to use instruction
as a 'stepping-stone' to another career.
Flight instruction is predominantly intellectual as is penmanship.
The mechanics of flying are not as important as the development
of knowledge, discipline, judgment, and discretion. Everything
I do is specific to the student. If a student fails to do well
it is my failure; not his.
I only give flight instruction in those areas for which I am trained,
current, and qualified. I am dedicated to flying and spend most
of my time and energy working to improve myself when I am not
teaching. My major weakness is a lack of patience for those who
do not feel as I do.
I tend to be, too, intense in my instruction. I want my students
to succeed, save money, and learn quickly. I love flying and teaching
it and have difficulty accepting that others may have other conflicting
interests like jobs, vacations, and family. I am constantly narrowing
the student's perceptual field to flying or a single aspect of
it. Students, on the other hand, fail to see that flying is not
just the 'fun' of being in the air. Flying is the homework, preparation,
and required knowledge to make the 'fun' safe. The best flight
instruction takes place on the ground, it is on the ground that
you are exposed to the habit of preparation that makes flying
safe. Learn the habit of "What if..." before you ever
get into the plane. Murphy's Law exists in flying as in everything
else.
The teaching process requires that the performance objective proposed
to the student be explained, diagrammed, and demonstrated. I demonstrate
those objectives that are difficult to explain. I will create
situations that are likely to be a part of the students later
experience such as all the things that can go wrong during landings.
In all maneuvers I will try to give the student the cues to use.
Not all are visual. Sound is a very important first cue to changes
in airspeed. The element of success in any flight lesson is the
best motivation. I try to find some success to tie up the flight
package. I avoid relating problems of the lesson as a 'blame'.
We learn as much from our mistakes as from our successes.
Before a lesson I have established what to teach and how to teach
it. First I decide what ground preparation is required. I will
walk and talk the student through the big picture and then go
through details of anticipation and those parameters of expected
performance. Since we are building, usually, on prior knowledge
we must review those aspects preceding every lesson. Without the
prerequisites the lesson will be less than satisfactory. Every
student's flying career is like a new painting. The lesson plan
for a previous student must be adjusted to fit the next. The instructor
must find what works and mix and match the learning process to
achieve the final result. There are many routes to the same destination;
some are more difficult, bumpy, frustrating and expensive but
all will get us there if we persevere.
An intensive flight instructional period should not exceed 45
minutes of new material. Any instruction of new material beyond
this time will result in deteriorating performance and frustration.
However, it is important that a student's endurance be extended.
It is little clues that warn the instructor of student fatigue.
Failure to clear, pull carburetor heat, or trim correctly are
common signs. As an instructor, I point out to the student my
detection of fatigue and continue the lesson only to review material
while returning to base. Physical fatigue is not as significant
as is fatigue brought on by emotional pressures inside the student.
The poorest judge of fatigue and the performance impairment occuring
is the individual involved.
If the student has not prepared for the lesson, then the lesson
should be canceled, changed to a review, or otherwise adapted
for best utilization of resources. The student should be told
the sequence of maneuvers the instructor plans to follow. New
skill elements will be introduced early in the lesson. Review
and skill maintenance will be covered as time allows. Any discussion,
along with diagrams and walk through, should cover the procedure,
control movements, power settings, common errors, and performance
standards.
While there may be more than one way to teach a flight skill,
some ways may be quicker, more efficient, better, cheaper, or
safer. Behind the way I do or teach a given skill is what I have
learned from mistakes with numerous students, pilots and instructors.
Since the ultimate goal extends beyond a trainer, the student
should be taught from the beginning, as though he was in a higher
performance aircraft. The instructor who initially takes the easy
way to teach is performing a disservice to the student and thus
to aviation. I have detected in checkrides such instructional
faults as allowing a tight grip on the yoke, not using trim, always
making partial flap landings, not verbalizing clearing, and not
permitting the student to do the radio communications. I try to
concentrate on procedures that are safe to use in the worst of
circumstances.
If a particular maneuver is not performed by a student to acceptable
levels the instructor should choose the most economic method of
correction. Instructional skill is demonstrated where the instructor
is able to detect, analyze cause, and provide corrective feedback
to the student immediately. Some correction of errors should wait
until landing. Perhaps a demonstration by the instructor is required.
(My past students have indicated that I may not demonstrate often
enough.) Have the student repeat the exercise while the instructor
talks through the procedure. Have the student talk through a dry
run before doing it again. Every student and maneuver will require
a slightly different instructional touch. Rules and requirements
will not make you a knowledgeable, safe pilot--instruction will.
If the flying process is tending to overload the student it is
best to remove the pressure. The instructor may assume radio and
traffic watch or even talk the student through a procedure. Make
sure that the student is reducing the work load by correct use
of trim for airspeed. Have him talk through each maneuver as an
aid to the anticipation required for smoothness. Be aware than
much of 'getting behind' in flying has to do with airspeed control.
Trim!!
The truism that the way you first learn something stays with you
for life applies doubly to flying. The student who is taught procedures
in flying that were acceptable or even standard forty years ago
may be dangerously unsafe today. The radio techniques of forty
years ago are the equivalent of Elizabethan English in today's
airspace. The God-like ability of the instructor to perform flying
miracles of precision and performance gives a halo to even antiquated
instruction. The student, with his flying career ahead, can only
proceed oblivious to deficiency of procedure and the hazards created
thereby.
A student may begin to feel various pressures to solo. I do not
solo a student until he has good command of the basics of flight
control, FARs, airspace and communications. I do not teach landings
until the basics are near mastery and only them do we learn about
the emergency and special situations that can occur in the landing
and takeoff process.
I have instructed at a largely general aviation airport (CCR)
with two sets of dual runways. This has been fortunate because
the potential complexity of arrivals and departures makes it doubly
important that the instructional process prepare the student for
this complexity. Any pilot capable of planning arrivals and departures
to this airport need not fear any other. My first airport meeting
includes a visit (with a tape recorder) to the tower and other
facilities. The visit includes introduction to the tower chief
and controllers.
From the tower I point out the runway directions and numbering
system. I make a point of discussing the flight of aircraft in
the pattern as to position relative to runway and direction. I
show how the differing locations of aircraft as they call up on
the radio can show you where to look in reference to your movement
and location. Next I point out the two- mile reporting points
for each runway as they are used for straight-in or base arrivals.
The Concord Airport Class D footprint is a communications required
area extending a nonstandard 3.1 nautical miles from the center
of the airport up to 2500' AGL. I point out the wind sock and
how it can be interpreted as to wind direction and velocity. I
make a tour of the ramp to show student how to look at airplanes
according to manufacturer and types. When ATC (Air Traffic Control)
advises you to look for a certain type aircraft, it is important
that you know what it looks like. It is even more important to
know where you are. Knowing where you are is the best stress reducer
known to flying. Stress focuses the attention and vision. It is
the partial reason finding an airport or an airplane is difficult.
In addition to the tower and home facilities I will take my students
to a Flight Service Station and a radar facility. I prefer to
self conduct these trips since FAA personnel often see the facility
from a different view. From the visits the student can appreciate
and see the logic behind some of the recommended ATC procedures.
I see that the student gets a practical tour suited to the flying
being done. The visit to facilities removes the mystique of ATC
and gives the radio voices reality. If these visits occur early
on, it is worthwhile to repeat again when correlating knowledge
makes the visit more meaningful.
Regardless of the student's experience I like to begin with a
directional orientation exercise. I first ask the student to point
to magnetic North. In Northern California a surprising number
of flyers still believe the highway sign system which more often
than not has signs saying North that is actually West, etc. The
fact that Northern California is really West of "Southern"
California only adds to the confusion. Any pilot departing South
from any major airport in California can expect to be over The
Pacific Ocean within 200 miles. After getting the four cardinal
headings sorted out, I like to position all the cities around
the airport for a distance of fifty miles. Lastly, I point out
the directions to nearby airports.
Prior to entering the plane, after the preflight is completed,
a complete discussion and analysis of both planned departure and
arrival are made. On the first lesson this may consist of only
mentioning toward a particular city. As lessons proceed, the coverage
becomes more specific and intense as required knowledge for solo
flight. I will generally warn the student during our phone conversations
as to what to expect and how to prepare. According to the runway,
a specific departure request is required to get us where we are
going. Choose a specific checkpoint toward which to depart. Have
the student locate the checkpoint and figure out the request to
be made to the tower. An additional benefit of this instructional
process is that the student can use his knowledge of airport checkpoints
for traffic awareness. An airplane reporting at the other side
of the airport from your departure can virtually be eliminated
as a hazard. However your downwind departure may be in conflict
with an aircraft reporting two mile base.
During each departure, flight checkpoints along the flight line
should be pointed out as to identification, distance, and runway
orientation. These points will be incorporated into the radio
work for subsequent arrivals. This radio planning for arrivals
is best done on the ground prior to departure to be followed by
a known arrival.
The area orientation process proceeds gradually with discussion
and explanations over many lessons. A complete diagram of the
airport is provided the student with most reporting points identified
at two, five and ten miles around the airport. A visit to the
tower gives the student a better idea of the airport layout. By
understanding the ground controller's viewpoint of the airport
and the tower's view of the various checkpoints the student will
be a safer pilot. The student is expected to visit the tower once
for each three-hours of flight time. Taking coffee to the controllers
is a plus.
The planned return to the airport requires that the beginning
student at least have an idea of which way to go. Later flights
require discussion and analysis that covers at least three or
four runways with a variety of entries and two-mile reporting
points. In my instructional material I incorporate an area diagram
covering call up checkpoints as well as an airport diagram giving
Class D airspace checkpoints and two-mile reporting points. Intermediate
position points are included where practical.
Using the tape recorder I go over all the instruments and controls. I pay particular attention to the markings and divisions on the dials, their degrees of accuracy, reliability, and source of power. I display aircraft papers and manual and recommend future study and perusal. I emphasize positioning of pilot, setting of seats, belts, windows and doors. I introduce positioning of controls and switches. I demonstrate the setting and release of the parking brake. This is information often omitted in checkouts. I will recommend that the parking brake not be used as a normal procedure because of its unreliability. I demonstrate operation of primer, throttle clutch, and fuel shut off valve. I show how the last few inches of rearward yoke movement goes up as well as back. Most of all I introduce the way the radio knobs and switches work. With the Master Switch on I will show how successive counts of 1-2-3-4 will give 10 degrees of additional flap. We will note irregularities on the flap indicator and practice getting the count so that we get 10 degrees every time. This eliminates one additional distraction during the landing process.
In December of 1947 an Air Force study released the following
analysis of pilot errors that precipitate accidents. There is
no reason to think things have changed since then.
· 50% of problems are "substitution" errors
where the incorrect control is moved
· 18% are "forgetting" errors in which the
pilot forgot to unlock, check or use a control.
· 18% are "adjustment" errors by operating
a control too slowly, rapidly or into the wrong position.
· 5% are unintentional activation.
· 6% were "reversal" errors such as moving
the control in the wrong direction.
3% are caused by inability to reach a control.
I introduce the ATIS frequency, 124.7, the alphabetical sequencing,
order of information during the day, and how to use this information.
Most important I show how the data may be written for maximum
usefulness by entering the data in the four quadrants of a + chart.
I give the phone number to use for home use and practice 685-4567.
To avoid mixing one ATIS with another it is best to use Post It
Stickers with one to every ATIS
I then take the student through what to say to Ground Control
and to the Tower. If no headset: I always make the student initially
practice what to say while holding the microphone to his lips
with his left hand. Held too far from the mouth, the microphone
admits engine and propeller noise. It is surprising how difficult
some find it to talk into a microphone with their left hand. All
ground radio operations with the microphone should be taught and
done with the left hand. For flight operations the right hand
should be used. It only takes a one time experience with ATC and
having the mike in the wrong hand to make this way of training
relevant. A yoke switch and headset eliminates the problem but
the training technique and skill is still worthwhile. Learn to
keep the mike in your hand if only by the cord. Don't start the
engine until you have practiced the radio work.
Before you enter the plane you should have noted the active runway,
the wind, and the direction you will be departing. By guessing
at wind direction and velocity the student can gain ability to
second guess the ATIS and interpret windsocks at airports. The
preflight consists of a complete tape-recorded walk around from
which the student will make a scratch checklist. The 'why' of
each item will be discussed with cautionary notes. It usually
takes at least five revisions of the checklist before an acceptable
one is achieved. Every pilot should develop his personal checklist
for each aircraft.
I have made it a practice to make each departure from the airport
in a different direction using differing departure procedures.
The most complex of these departures is the 270-degree overhead.
This 270 departure will allow many cross country trips to be initiated
on the course line. Likewise, arrivals are planned to give a variety
of checkpoints and pattern entries. This departure/arrival study
is followed by a complete oral radio review of what will be said
with anticipated response from ATC. The student must be taught
how anticipation allows him to PLAN where to say what. Always
practice communicating the correct words without pause. The student
uses the radio from the very beginning. You must learn to talk
airplane.
After you have received the ATIS, you want to position the aircraft
so as to be over a well-known geographic point commonly used as
a reporting point but at an uncommon altitude. The selection of
this point should be far enough away so as to allow you to plan
your arrival and prepare what to say on the radio. These points
usually allow you to select the best one of the several five-mile
points for entry into the ATA. The knowledge of these five mile
points and their associated two mile points helps you, the pilot,
plan what to say on the radio. This can be studied but will still
require actual performance to develop skill. You have done the
callup correctly when the tower says, "Approved as requested".
You will never stop learning how to make arrivals.
After a couple of flights the student should begin to see how
a given two-mile point may serve both as a two-mile final reporting
point and as a 45 entry for another runway. Concord, due to its
parallel runways, has a relatively complex arrival/departure system.
One reporting point may serve as a two-mile base reporting point
for different runways. It will take many flights and much instruction
to master its multiple options.
I follow the same discussion and analysis for our arrival and
departure at neighboring airports. Fortunately, these airports
are in different quadrants and vary from having a Class C airspace
underlying a Class B airspace to uncontrolled. For years I have
made a practice of using these airports for pre-solo landing instruction
and practice. This has meant that the student gets the practical
experience of departures and arrivals. He develops familiarity
with procedures, airports, and landmarks in a 25 mile radius surrounding
his home field. I can only guess the comfort such knowledge provides
the student on solo cross-country flights.
Aircraft radios are usually divided into two separate parts: Communications
and Navigation. For now we will deal only with the COM side. The
on/off switch works for both sides. As with most radios, the on/off
switch is also the volume control. There is a 'squelch' control
that is adjusted to just below the level of hearing a hiss or
buzz. Where reception is poor, the squelch would need to be full
right. More Initially you will need to know only four frequencies.
Memorize them.
ATIS on 124.7,
Concord Ground on 121.9
Concord Tower on 119.7
Emergency 121.5
At this point I show how the frequency range and selection is
controlled by the knobs. I suggest that the sequence of frequencies
at our home field can be very quickly and efficiently selected
by counting the clicks. I explain the used of the squelch control
and how a volume selected for taxi may not be sufficient for takeoff.
There are two COM frequency control knobs. The large knob controls
the numbers to the left of the decimal point and the small one
those to the right. The large knob can be turned completely through
the numbers right or left from 118 to 135. Turn right to get larger
numbers; left for smaller.
How the numbers appear when turning the small knob will vary but,
it is usually from .0 through .95. An additional switch can allow
an additional place value that gives up to 720 radio frequencies.
The numerical values can be changed continuously in either direction.
I would suggest that you practice turning in sequence
from 124.7 to 121.9;
from 121.9 to 119.7
from 124.7 to 119.7
from 119.7 to 121.9
from 121.9 to 121.5
These changes are those used for normal leaving and ending at
CCR (Concord) Practice in counting the clicks as you go left or
right from one frequency to another. You should do this so that
you can reduce the amount of attention (distraction) needed for
changing frequencies. Try it; you'll like it. Where an aircraft
has dual radios, the operation and understanding of the control
panel will be explained.
You should note that the frequencies for both sides Com and Nav,
of the radio go from 108.0 to 117.95 on the Nav side and from
118.0 to 135.95 on the Com side. These are the aircraft VHF FM,
(Very High Frequency, Frequency Modulation) frequencies, limited
to line of sight reception and transmission.
An ADF can be used for reception only on four AM (Amplitude Modulation)
radio bands and is not restricted to line of sight. The frequencies
are shown in magenta. One of the four bands is the standard commercial
broadcast band. The ADF needle will point to the selected station
only on the ADF setting. On REC the best reception of music is
possible. Military radios use UHF (Ultra High Frequency).
Because of the concentrated information that is being loaded
on the student in the beginning, I use a tape recorder so that
the material is available under less stressful conditions. This
allows the student to listen and make notes about unanswered questions
or concerns. With the instructional tapes as a guide the student
can plan a head for the next lesson. the first thing I usually
ask of a student is, "Are there any questions?" I average
over thirty minutes of pre-lesson ground instruction before every
flight. If a particular can be walked through, we walk it through.
I use the FAA Instructor's Handbook from page 85 as a lesson plan
guide but I have many variations and supplements to the basic
requirements simply because I feel that the FAA requires only
a minimum and I don't teach to minimum skills. Prepare for the
lesson by reference to the syllabus and ;I very much recommend
that you call the instructor the night before a lesson to confirm
that you have read the related reading material from the FAA texts
or equivalent written in a more interesting style.
I have been known to be a difficult taskmaster in setting my performance
criteria for students. I admit to some tendency to press students
in their accuracy in flying a specific airspeed instead of accepting
the POH variable range. I admit that I expect my students and
pilots to be proficient in their radio work. We rehearse on the
ground and in the air until it meet professional level. I admit
that I expect taxiing skills be practiced and developed quickly.
I admit that I take a bit longer in soloing my students. However,
after my students solo they progress quickly and efficiently in
their ability to fly solo between airports of all kinds and complexity.
My students use trim for all changes of configuration; they fly
hands off and use only two fingers on the yoke.
My students have been exposed to crosswinds up to 18 knots at
90°. They have flown SVFR and marginal VFR. They have
landed on a farmers field. They have flown to a weather emergency
field and made a surveillance approach using radar assistance.
They have made their night landings at least five different airports.
My students are proficient at pilotage. They know where they are!
My students are, if anything overly proficient, in their ability
to follow ATC instructions and to suggest other options. My students
are respectful in their care and treatment of the aircraft, courteous
in their relations with other pilots and aircraft. My students
transition into larger and more complex aircraft with a minimum
of time and difficulty because they have learned to fly and control
the C-150 or C-172 as though it were a much larger and complex
aircraft.
I make a practice of having prospective students come to my
home (office) for a couple of hours to discuss flying. I request
that the student arrive on time with a tape recorder. Too much
information is covered to be remembered, otherwise. We begin by
discussing their needs, requirements, motivation, background and
prior experience. Sometimes, the specific future flying plans
of the a student requires somewhat different instruction. I advise
getting any insurance and appropriate flight medical before beginning
training or making any purchases.
A student is not supposed to know very much in the beginning.
I will ask many questions as an instructor. It is not my intention
to demean the student. I need to find out the student's limits
of knowledge. I need to know what you don't know. When I get a
wrong answer, it probably means that I asked the wrong question.
A major part of teaching is knowing the question to ask that will
enable the student to identify the upper limit of his knowledge.
The correct question and answer combination leaves the student
with a sense of accomplishment. It allows the instructor room
for further extension of that knowledge. Questions are a learning/teaching
tool.
The study process is just beginning with the completion of traditional
ground and flight readings. The initial information package is
just the foundation upon which to build. I set up a flight and
study program according to the situation as I see it. I explain
how the success of any teaching I may do depends on their background.
The better the student understands the value and necessity of
the study program, the more likely I will find a well-prepared
student for each flight.
Thanks to the use of the tape recorder much greater instructional
efficiency can be obtained. More time can be spent on the ground
both in preparation for the flight and in flight review. The student
knows that the information is available for review. The tape recorder
in the air gives the student an opportunity to re-fly the exercise.
The student will hear directions over the intercom system that
he responded to without thinking. Things will be said on the radio
tape that never reached his consciousness during the actual flight.
It is suggested that the student playback the tapes initially
while driving and then during study periods where notes and outlines
of information should be compiled on 4 x 6 cards or a computer
file. This information can be a valuable review program later.
Just because information is on the tape does not mean that the
instructor can assume it is understood and capable of being applied.
The best time to begin flying lessons is in the late fall. This
is the time of the year when weather will allow development of
go/no-go judgment in the student. It also allows the exposure
of the student to SVFR (Special Visual Flight Rules) and other
adverse weather under the guidance of the instructor. Weather
will help determine the spacing of instruction. Cross country
flight conditions will provide a desirable mix of winds and weather.
Night flight requirements can be met well before midnight. By
late spring the student should finish his requirements and complete
the flight test just in time for the good weather of summer. The
summer is used to develop hours and experience. By winter, selective
flying can continue secured by the knowledge acquired the previous
year. Too many students give up flying when faced with winter
weather unlike any they experienced during a summer of instruction.
In recent years the "total immersion" method of flight
instruction has come into vogue as an efficiency/cost saving mechanism.
It works, at a cost in experience. A certain amount of seasoning
experience that is acquired by extending the instruction over
varying weather conditions is lost by such concentration. Compressed
training both in ground and flight training makes it possible
to produce an educated fool who flies. I would like my students
to grow in experience by enjoying flying. As a pilot advances
up the flying ladder, he will find that ratings and knowledge
are expected but experience is preferred. Experience is an unpleasant
teacher since it gives the test first and the lesson afterwards.
Aviation skills are composites of several fundamental elements.
The single elements are introduced, learned, and mastered on at
a time through practice. Practice of the right kind that is. Each
element is then combined with another element. The aggregate of
the single elements is harmonized through practice and anticipation
until they produce a continuous flow called a maneuver. A maneuver
is not mastered as an entirety until the basic elements are mastered
and sequenced. The success of a maneuver is based on the performance
of each basic element. Any defective element will affect the maneuver
and can be the precipitating cause of an accident.
The ideal is any teaching program is a plan that gives maximum
positive transfer of a selected learning skill to a progression
of tasks with a minimum of interference between skills learned
in separate tasks. What this means is
that the making of 30° banks in basic flight maneuvers
in level, climbing, and descent will be applied to the traffic
pattern as they are performed with variations in flap configuration.
This is a complex process where the instructor and student are
seeking consistency, anticipation, and safety awareness.
There are only two types of flight instructors; those who are
trying to get out of instructing and those who are trying to stay
in instructing. I am trying to remain an instructor because I
see a need. The treasure of experience, required of an instructor,
can only be built up by operational time. Unfortunately, it is
time that causes a reduction in experienced instructors.
Instructors begin to customize of their training program before
the first flight. For the individual's motivation, background
and time the instructor must have different way to present ground,
flight and post flight instruction. The instructor's program should
expose the student with the full field of required knowledge,
familiarize him with the local situation and lay the groundwork
for the next higher phase of training.
The very first flight lesson must have planned objectives both
immediate and of longer range. The student must be aware of the
immediate and perhaps of the longer range ones as well. The best
way to waste the time and money devoted to flying is to not know
what is to be accomplished. Every lesson has stated or written
objectives and measurable results. A properly integrated flight/ground
program will bring the student to the airplane prepared for that
lesson, expectant of a partial review and eager to be prepared
for the next flight.
I often believe I became a flight instructor to get even. Much
of my own instruction was excessively wasteful of time and money.
A student is under considerable physical and emotional stress
when learning to fly. If cost is contributing to the student's
stress, it would be best to stop flying until funds are acquired.
Learning to fly is expensive, and no amount of anxiety is going
to change the cost. Don't waste time trying to change things that
can't be changed. (What, again.) Use of the correct terminology
is an essential part of flying. Vocabulary development is a must.
An instructor must be a good at making any explanation fit into
the student's level of comprehension. The best explanations take
place on the ground; the best demonstrations take place in the
air.
Flight instruction is a behavior forming and modification process.
You are working in an extremely precise and unforgiving profession.
Behind every major flight performance there is a multiplicity
of small movements and skills required in making a safe result
possible. Students learn their attitudes toward flying from the
instructor. Attitudes affect behaviors. The teaching of a safe
flying attitude is even more important than a high skill level.
I will try to remember to always give the "why". If
I forget, ask. The reason behind doing a particular act makes
the act more meaningful, more likely to be remembered, and more
acceptable to the student.
The instructor should have given some idea as to what to expect
on the next flight. This information is basic to any preparation
required. My students are expected to follow up with a phone call
the night before a flight so that in addition to discussion of
the planned flight alternatives caused by weather or time can
be covered. As a student, you can reduce the stress of a lesson
by being prepared. Your first instructor will set your standards
of expectations and preparation. The biggest problems will be
scheduling. Most of the expense of learning to fly is due to a
poor scheduling program.
Prior to every flight I will spend at least 30 minutes discussing
the skill building blocks upon which the coming maneuvers will
be based. I will walk through, diagram, and 'handee' so that the
student understands both the maneuvers and the performance parameters.
I will depart up wind if possible to make the flight less costly.
I use the climbout to teach skills such as Dutchrolls. I plan
the entire lesson so that when completed we will be in position
to contact our home base.
We make a sequential listing of the expected radio frequencies
we will need. We review the universal frequencies that we should
know. According to our experience we will mentally, orally, or
write the expected communications to accompany the frequencies.
The night before we will check with the FSS for the forecast that
applies to our expected flight time. An hour before leaving home
we will make another weather check with the FSS and perhaps even
make a phone call to our destination if no weather is available.
I help in arrival planning to know the runway in use and wind
conditions. You will save far more than the cost of the phone
call by being able to make an efficient arrival.
The final flight preparation should be a check with the instructor
if you have any unanswered questions. Instructors who enjoy flying
respond to the student who is inquisitive and makes available
the extra effort and time to learn more. A good student helps
the instructor do a good job. Don't wait until you get into the
airplane to ask the "What if...," questions.
During the post flight debriefing it is beneficial if the student
is able to make a self analysis of how he performed. It is important
that the student recognize good, satisfactory, and poor performances.
This means that the student must know what the tolerances of acceptability
are. It is even more important that the causes be determined.
If, for whatever reason, his solo performance is outside these
limits he must so advise his instructor and plan for a corrective
lesson. Every student flight should have its parameters designed
to meet requirements for the flight examination. To fly otherwise
is a waste of time and money.
· Not fitting lesson to student level
· Too much talking without check on comprehension.
· Avoiding unknown an answers
· Not 'hearing' the student
· Quitting lesson before needed level of proficiency.
· Instructor loses control of lesson.
Incomplete paper work.
By the second flight the student should have previewed the
aircraft manual. The manual checklist material must be completely
incorporated into that of the student. The next flight's preflight
will use the scratch checklist with the instructor reading the
items while the student does the checking. The student will make
another revision from this tape and use it on the next preflight
under the instructor's supervision. On all future flights the
student will have the plane preflighted and ready at the appointed
time. Fuel, oil, and weather status are confirmed to the instructor
as well.
The first three flight lessons are designed to acquire competence
in the four basic maneuvers, climbs, level, descent, power changes,
trim, flaps, stall recognition, and associated turns. I make it
a point to combine the basics with radio procedures, area familiarization,
knowledge of aerodynamics, emergency procedures, and safety. The
next two or three lessons uses ground reference flying to develop
those skills required to fly airport patterns according to wind
conditions.
With these lessons as the basis we now apply them to takeoff and
landings. These are initially practiced as a unified series of
maneuvers, including downwind, base, final, go-around, climb,
and crosswind. Patterns are practiced with emphasis on power,
airspeeds, trim, and flaps to both the left and right. This is
done initially at altitude to remove the inhibitions caused by
ground proximity. Then it is practiced at a neighboring tower
airport with the go-around occurring progressively closer to the
ground.
The next four or five flights are planned as landing practice
at nearby airports in different directions from the home field.
These flights include the procedures of departure, arrival, radio,
checkpoint selection, as well as the actual takeoff/landing procedure.
During the actual closed pattern the instructor takes all responsibility
for communications and traffic watch. This reduction of burden
is important to the success of the student.
The landing lessons are then concentrated at the home field. The
landing lesson just prior to solo consists of an airport exercise
utilizing all runways and common pattern maneuvers. Normally two
or perhaps three supervised solo flight follow at the home field.
The instructor next flies with the student to and from one of
the local fields that have been used previously for landing instruction.
On return, the student is allowed to immediately duplicate the
flight. This is repeated three or four times to all the local
fields with the variety of radio procedures required. The student
now has a circular region of 40-50 mile radius in which he would
be knowledgeable of the area, airports and appropriate procedures.
About this time there will be a change in the instructional approach.
Initially, the instructor will become more strident and demanding
in all parameters. Airspeed is now expected within 2 knots, altitude
within 25 feet, headings within 5 degrees, power settings right
on, trim for hands off, ball centered and banks at 30 degrees.
Aircraft control, situational awareness and assertive communications
are now the goal of every lesson.
Suddenly there is silence. The instructor just sits there and
watches or at most, only points. The instructor expects the student
to note and correct mistakes without intervention. It is best
when the student talks to himself so that the recorder notes what
is transpiring. If deemed necessary, I will take over control,
and speak briefly to make a point before again relinquishing control
again.
The next two or three flights, other than local student solo training
flights, cover proficiency in different types of landings. The
first cross-country training flight is an instructor/student prepared,
planned, and flown. Everything works perfectly. The next flight
is prepared, planned, and flown by the student with the instructor.
Creative instruction presents realistic problems where they naturally
occur and otherwise. Subsequent to these training flights the
student prepared, plans and flies a minimum of ten hours of cross
country with one extended flight. About this time the studying
required to take the written examination should be completed and
the test taken and passed.
When the cross-country requirements have been flown, the proficiency
phase begins. All flight maneuvers are reviewed and practiced
in dual and solo flights to meet the Practical Test Standard requirements.
Preparation is for the oral part of the PTS. This includes knowledge
of weather, sectional, aircraft, manual, computer, FARs, navigation,
radio, and airspace. The skillful pilot is smooth. Aircraft control
is done in anticipation and not reaction. You should know ahead
of time what to expect of the airplane, the atmosphere, and yourself.
It is best to learn a new process related to flying, such as aircraft
radio procedures, without any similar previous experience. This
is especially true if the initial instruction is correctly done.
Every individual has background and experience factors related
to flying that can either make it easier or more difficult. The
instincts of the student may be contradictory and erroneous. The
competent instructor must deal with these and more. The incompetent
instructor often provides fertilizer. Changing habitual behavior
is the single most difficult teaching and learning aspect of instruction.
The goal of habitual behavior makes it even more important that
the first taught or learned process be correct. In an emergency,
a pilot will return to his first learning exposure and react accordingly.
A student because of the instructor's inability to detect erroneous
instincts and perceptions may retain basic flight deficiencies.
This instructional weakness may be fostered by the inherent safety
of the modern aircraft. Yet it is this inherent safety of the
aircraft that conceals the damage done by inadequate instruction.
Even the most docile of aircraft will bite given the opportunity.
The problem lies with the instructor who fails to insist on the
safest of all procedures compared to the relative safety of the
other options. It's not that there is only one way to operate
an airplane. However, of the possible options, one way may provide
more safety options. Therefore it is necessary for the instructor
to be knowledgeable as to the what and why of these options. The
instructor is, hopefully, the medium for exposure to both failures
and successes. The problems students have are directly related
to instructional problems.
The instructor must keep the student advised of what constitutes
desirable performance prior to each lesson. After each lesson,
the different maneuvers should be discussed individually according
to these parameters. Students are ultra sensitive to post flight
critiques. Increased smoothness, accuracy, and confidence can
measure any progress in a lesson. It is important that the instructor
be truthful and not given to false praise. The very nature of
flying makes acceptance of anything less than proficiency to the
highest attainable level downright dangerous. This is regardless
of other time considerations. Total immersion into flying at every
moment is the best and least expensive way to learn to fly. Anything
else is proportionately less efficient. The search for superior
performance begins immediately; the acquisition takes longer.
The instructor should be aware of factors, both within and beyond
the instructional domain, that affect the learning and performance
of the student. The instructor has an ever increasing responsibility
to prepare the student. There is no way the student can be prepared
for every eventuality but the good instructor will try. The actual
flying of the aircraft becomes a background for the required radio
procedures, area orientation, and positioning. Situations must
occur or be created that expose the student to the realities of
flying. Increased self-confidence must not become over-confidence.
Every student and instructor has frustration levels that are evinced
by tangible and intangible evidence. The instructor will anticipate
possible areas of frustration and set the parameters to avoid
problems until they can be approached with the appropriate skills
and knowledge. I try to advise the student that the totally overwhelming
amount of information coming at him through the first few lessons
will rapidly sort itself out. Much of what we do is repetitive,
such as starting the engine. Some skills will take several flights.
The Dutch Roll (needed for crosswind landings) requires up to
five flights before the first satisfactory series. The first ground
reference lesson will be a disaster unless it is presented as
an introduction.
The purpose of extending flight times with students, after they
start making mistakes, is to build up that reserve performance
capacity required to meet future flight requirements. Failure
to have such capacity means that on a subsequent flight the student
may reach a capability/requirement imbalance. The student pilot
can be taught to recognize the progression by having the instructor
note mistakes as they first occur during a flight. Pilot error,
as though a single cause, is an over simplification of how fatigue,
lack of preparation, or pseudo-agnosia (Not knowing what you don't
know)affects a given maneuver.
Every lesson will contain review segments where a higher level
of performance is the goal. Transitions into configurations are
performed more quickly; heading and altitude parameters are closed,
and speed tolerances are tighter. Expectations are raised; self
doubts reduced; and confidence increased. A good lesson always
leaves the student full of anticipation for the next level of
proficiency.
Failure to expose a student to a variety of marginal conditions
be it weather, turbulence, airports or terrain fails to develop
judgmental skills.
Once reasonable proficiency in the four basics and landing
procedures has been acquired, it is important that the instructor
provide variations such as are likely to occur during student
solo flight. I don't believe a student should be soloed until
he has experienced, with the instructor, at least light to moderate
turbulence, low ceilings, unanticipated wind changes, reduced
visibility and unexpected ATC directions. Any of these factors
can so disrupt the thought processes and performance of a student
as to create a dangerous situation. Instruction should provide
the student with at least one exposure to possible events that
are common to solo flight.
A proper flight program shows a student what his limitations are.
The initial restrictions imposed by instructor endorsements will
eventually be replaced by those perceived by the neophyte pilot.
The instructor must expose the student to those situations that
will give him experience in determining his personal limits. In
addition, there are aircraft and regulatory limitations that must
be known to the pilot. Personal limitations apply to and are set
by all pilots. Aircraft limitations are set by the manufacturer
using superior pilots and new planes. The pilot must make allowances
for how much he and his aircraft deviate from superior and new.
The FARs set limits designed to promote safety, consideration,
and efficiency.
Experience is what you think about what has happened. Flying gives
you, the pilot, exposure to experiences. Your contemplation of
those experiences as recorded in your logbook reveals what you
gained from the experience. Another source of experience is learning
from others. The sharing of experiences and profiting from them
is ingrained in the folklore of flying. Most aviation books and
magazines are replete with a sharing of experiences. Start with
"Stick and Rudder." Every personal and shared experience
should be evaluated for its usefulness. You can never know too
much about flying. The best way to learn about flying is to teach
it. Teaching a skill makes you understand it.
One essential of the successful program is the frequency of the
flight lessons. Anything less than twice a week is too little,
anything more than three times a week is going to require near
full time ground study. Make a One-half hour of tower visiting
time for every three hours of flight. The instructor expects a
phone call the evening before the flight to review the flight.
Feel free to phone at other times to discuss flying or your concerns.
The pilot who never (seldom) practices flight in the outer performance
ranges of the aircraft is not prepared for the critical flight
situation. This would include such speeds as Vx and Vy climbs,
short and soft approaches, slow flight, minimum controllable,
slips, go-arounds and ground reference. The reserve capacity between
requirement and capability decreases with passage of time. It
is for this reason that the time interval between student flights
should never be more that three or four days at most. Unless you
learn from it, whatever you experience while flying will not result
in improvement. Don't practice beyond the parameters learned with
the instructor. If you want to go beyond these parameters, do
it with the instructor.
Every flight decision is a judgment decision. A decision/performance
line, extending through 'best,' to better, to good, to bad to
worse, to worst exists. There is no one way to perform any flying
operation. If the operation, such as slow flight, is achieved,
the actual performance is along this line. The instructor teaches
performance and decisions along this line and his level of acceptance
sets the achievement standards of the student. As flight training
progresses, standards are changed and raised and raised again
and again. This process must be recognized and accepted by both
instructor and student. There is no more an end to this continuum
than there is the mathematical "pi".
Research shows that the more experience you have the more quickly
you will make critical decisions. Practice making decisions makes
the decision-making process more efficient. This ability applies
to all aspects of flying. If the pilot is not exposed to situations
that require decision-making skill, the skill will not develop.
Practical training opportunities must be afforded the student.