Articles | Index

The Nature of Certainty 2010-03-18
In my careers as a school teacher and flight instructor I have developed student classifications that appear universal. There are students who make things happen; there are students who watch things happen; and, there are students who wonder what happened. Flying is not a good place for the last category student. To the extent that a student is not self-prepared or tutored into a maneuver the maneuver will cause a constant state of wonderment. It is a fortunate student who has sufficient awareness to recognize his state of wonderment as a requirement for a series of questions. The wondering student needs to study learn and question his way out of that wondering state. Having comprehensive study materials and a question/answer forum such as recreation.aviation.student on the internet can best do this. Just studying for the test is NOT the way to go. In some flight situation there is value in watching, but only if you are knowing what to watch. In making turns, you are watching the horizon and the nose relationship. In fact, most maneuvers require that you watch what is happening to the nose in relation to the horizon. The sooner these relationships are imprinted in your visual perception, the better. Keeping it there is the next step of the watching process. The ingrained desire to 'see' below the nose must be overcome if the 'watching' student expects to benefit when he moves into the 'makes things happen' phase. The best phase of learning and instruction in flying is the process of making things happen. This 'making' includes mistakes. The opportunity to make your own mistakes is of major importance. The opportunity to do something correctly is nice but the making of a mistake is a learning experience of unequaled value. Recognition of a mistake is part of the learning experience. A spiral descent is an example as is a wing drop during a stall. The process of making things happen either correctly or incorrectly is not left totally up to the student. The instructor creates situations as learning experiences. Distractions, for example. The instructor who allows a student to perpetuate an unsafe procedure is incompetent at least in that area. There are teachers (instructors) who from even limited experience seem to be all knowing about all things. There is considerably more to instructing than just being able to fly the plane through a particular maneuver. The 'watching' student will partially benefit but the instructions must include where to look and for what. If this, 'where to look and for what', was not included in the pre-lesson overview then it occurs in the cockpit. The cockpit is a relatively poor place to provide instruction. The poorest examples of such instruction I have noted over the years is when the instructor accepts and perpetuates a student's perception of safety when it is less than the optimum. An example, is when a recent private pilot flew me four miles from takeoff before reaching 1000' AGL. She wanted to see where she was going. All turns were at 15-degree banks or less so she could see under the wing better. (C-150) We only made one flight. She went with an instructor who accepted her way of doing things. Not the first time for me nor the last. Poor instruction is perpetuated but so is good instruction. The normal tendency is for the instructor to teach the way he was taught. I once knew a flight instructor who perpetuated three 'generations' of flight instructors whose students consistently failed to flare to keep the nose wheel from making initial contact. Numerous collapsed nose struts and propeller strikes were the result of this one 'old-timer'. The students loved these instructors because they could always see the runway on landing. The maintenance shops always recommended these instructors. The more the teacher (instructor) knows the less certain he is that there is only one 'correct' (profitable) solution for any performance. Advice can be right, wrong, conditional, dangerous, incomplete, misleading, universal, or limited in scope and application. Giving dangerous advice, even with a disclaimer is quite hazardous when the recipient has no way to discriminate or associate the advice in a meaningful context. Giving wrong advice can lead to fatal results when associated with flying. If in the giving of advice, you must include a disclaimer of any sort, it is better to refrain or at least to pose it as a question. Comment		External Links  Recent articles Unusual Attitudes P During the proficiency phase of hood work #39;unusual attitudes #39; should be practiced This means that you will put on the hood close his... The Student As A Student P How much does it cost Depends on motivation of student BR How long does it take 62 hours is average My students may... River Flying with Steep Turns P On some subsequent lesson it is well to select an upwind track along a very S shaped course By flying upwind the relative ground speed... Why Takeoff Pitch Changes P The initial lift off attitude at Vso is slightly higher than that required for Vy best rate of climb but is about right for Vx... Stall Spin Accidents ul li 60 of stall spin accidents take place during the takeoff landing phases of flight BR li ... What My Instruction Is Not B Flying is not the same as it was in WWI or WWII What worked then is unsafe now Accountability of the... Major CFI Applicant Problem Areas P middot; Not fitting lesson to student level BR middot; Too much talking without check on comprehension BR middot; Avoiding unknown an... About Questions P A friend was hauling a body from a remote location in Canada Only a caretaker was around the strip After considering the trees that lined... What's New With so much history in the past I would like to take you into the future: BR I am most proud of my... IFR Flying Faults P Initially VFR to IFR flight results in over controlling especially when making corrections Non instrument rated pilots who fly into instrument weather lose control in... Planned Instruction The military is a leading exponent of programmed instruction Under such a program every thing in the future is based upon the building blocks... Accident Precipitating Causes 1991 ul li Inadequate preflight and or planning BR li 1 4 of all accidents are caused by inadequate preflight BR ... The Competence of Incompetence With the advent of a new study as to what constitutes competence there is a new fear by the self assured that they may be among ... Crash Survival #1 survival item is to let a responsible person know where you are going your route and ETA Insurance is to make contact after arrival ... Would You Believe That You Can... ul li Be a non instrument rated pilot and fly in VFR condition of top of overcast at night in a VFR only... Operation of Airplane Systems P I FONT SIZE quot; 1 quot; REFERENCES: C 61 21 AC61 23 FONT Airplane Handbook and Flight Manual I ... Standard Rate Turns P All banks under the hood are at standard rate Standard rate turns requires two minutes to make a 360 degree circle One minute for a... It's About Judgement P In flying there are as many ways to gain skill and experience as there are pilots Time alone is a very poor criteria Once pilot... Minimum Controllable No maneuvers below 1500í BR Stall horn whimpering at all times BR Power added as required to hold altitude in 10 degree maximum banks BR ... You and Illusions P 1 Illusions can and do occur to everyone BR 2 Proper planning for strange airport conditions is essential BR 3 Weather and... IFR Rated Pilot ul li 1 accident in 4 459 hours in IFR conditions BR li 1 accident in 61 900 hours in... The E-6B The E 6B was more created than invented by Phillip Dalton in the early 1930s It was initially called quot;The Dalton Dead reckoning... Lost Procedures Maintains original heading BR Identifies available landmarks BR Uses Navaids and contacts ATC for assistance BR Considers precautionary landing as an option ... Instruction as I do it... P I tend to be too intense in my instruction I want my students to succeed save money and learn quickly I love... Sources of Inadvertent Stalls Becoming Spins B 1 Inadequate rudder application in steep climbs Climb power raises nose decreases airspeed and increases P factor BR 2 False... Night Flight (Discussion) Use of checklist BR Preflight BR Chart reading BR Hazards and precautions BR Lighting systems of plane and airport BR... Emergency Procedures Use of checklist BR Emergency descent BR Situations where required BR Advantage of using flaps BR Speeds within 5 knots BR ... Vertigo P Beware of false sensations Your inner ear will give you feelings that are overpowering With low time under the hood you must avoid attempting to... On Motivation Students will only learn if they want to Contrary to commonly held parent #39;s opinion children are not inherently resistant to instruction ... Restricted Areas P You should determine if area is quot;hot quot; or in use Hazardous area usually due to military firing bombs explosive missile activity... 1998 Nall Report li B VFR flight into IFR conditions is the leading source of fatalities Judgment failures are the cause BR ... Written Tests Private Pilot Written Test figures: P P 1997: Total tests taken 32 981 92 1 passed the test average ... Private Pilot Endorsements An instructorís endorsement indicates that he feels you have been instructed in and are competent to perform a given maneuver At that time Your logbook is a legal document... Ground Review All frequencies BR Sectional use BR FARs BR Aircraft manual one in aircraft required BR Aircraft papers logbooks ... Illusions - IFR for VFR pilots P The purpose of IFR training is to be able to read interpret the instruments and fly accordingly The introduction of the VFR student to the... Parking P The number one region of aircraft accidents is getting into a parking space Some pilots seem to think it necessary to make a little jog toward... Operation of Airplane Systems P I FONT SIZE quot; 1 quot; REFERENCES: C 61 21 AC61 23 FONT Airplane Handbook and Flight Manual I ... Private Pilot Legality License in possession BR Current medical BR Flight review or additional rating ... Prevention of taxiing problems P Communicate BR Use airport diagram BR Get ATC help early BR When in doubt ... Special Use Airspace (SUA) P Not on charts but often mentioned by VOR Tower broadcasts Locally by Livermore ATIS to warn of National Guard firing range near Danville San Ramon border... Self-Doubt is Normal B Every so often the instructor finds a student who is going through a phase of flying that is very disturbing to the student... Runup P Use a run up checklist Always face the wind Engine cooling is the reason We are not teaching a flying career made only... Wind and Groundspeed P Turning as low levels from a crosswind path to a downwind path can be hazardous It leads to the terrible downwind turn stall accident When... Teaching Memory P The way an instructor presents material has a great influence on student retention of what is being taught Trauma is proven to be the absolute best... Crosswind Takeoff P The crosswind takeoff requires some timing skills that are not present in other landings On full power application the yoke is held full over into the... Postflight Debriefing The postflight debriefing begins as a self evaluation by both student and instructor as to why certain operations were less than successful or why... PTS Oral/Flight Test Meet with examiner before the tests and ask relevant questions BR Examiners weight BR Cross country plan BR Weather contingencies BR Cost... Thoughts on Thoughts ul li Flying is not dangerous; crashing is dangerous BR li Flying is the perfect vocation for a man who wants to... Effective Criticism Requirements 1 Student instructor awareness of what is being done wrong P P 2 Instructor analysis of why P ... VFR Midairs 82 occur by one aircraft being overtaken from the rear BR 35 occur with convergence less than 10 degrees BR ...  Related Links
©2010 4VFR.COM, All Rights Reserved	Powered by 4vfr.com