55. Do you want to be a good pilot or lucky? Planning family trip across mountains. Teen-age son refuses to fly, insists on driving. Two days later find that aircraft lost all oil due to non-safety-wired drain plug. Plane had made safe valley landing at time/distance which would have put us in desolate mountain region. Moral: Nice to be good, better to be lucky.

56. High time pilot once low time pilot, first flight after checkout in C182. Hot day, short field, too much speed. Barely able to stop. It takes time to develop proficiency. Once normal landings are satisfactory put time and emphasis on short and soft field proficiency. A single flight checkout can be worse than none at all. Moral: First ten hours in type are most dangerous.

57. Taxied out for takeoff at isolated airport. At first turn found that the brakes would allow only right turns. Taxi route was sight to behold. Consisted of series of right 360's joined by curves. Thanks to P-factor takeoff went well.

58. I make a practice of having students use the small post-it stick-on to make a radio frequency list for each flight. I further insist that all x-ponder codes and unfamiliar frequencies be written down before verifying back to ATC. This initial training and skill development eases the transition to IFR.

59. After seeing the problems created by large knee and lap boards I now encourage the use of a long narrow board with permanent data written with felt tip pen. Several clips along the board will hold other papers. I encourage students to write ATIS and radio frequencies on hand held up to window level. Hold folded sectionals up to window as well. Minimize head down in the cockpit time.

60. Giving check ride to pilot. Consistently and persistently lands nose wheel first. Know this pilots instructor and the instructor's instructor. Instructors both have history of students who have collapsed nose wheels on landings. Moral: Instructing gives one the ability to perpetuate his knowledge or lack of it.

61. First flight to hard to find mountain airport. Airport becomes misplaced so I call Unicom. Am asked to describe any landmark. Proceed to describe fork in road with one store and several homes. Apparently only one of very many similar forks.

62. Low ceiling flight. Call tower in Oregon to advise tower of intention to transit their ATA. Am asked for position. Describe small city with large lumber yard warehouse with distinctive name. Identical buildings in every city of valley. Moral: Just because you say, "Its gotta' be" doesn't mean it is.

63. Called FSS and give location as large tank farm in Texas. Am advised that tank farms are not valid checkpoints in Texas even if you think you know where you are.

64. Call tower and ask if their mid-western facility looks like a silo. It is confirmed that the tower does indeed look like a silo. I proceed five miles en-route and find a silo.

65. Cessna pilot in last phase of PA 28 checkout. Have completed a series of touch-and go's. Student requests full stop. During roll-out student puts toes and pressure above the brake pedals' toestop on to the crossbar. No brakes on instructors side and maximum steering pressure to no avail as student has full pressure on bar. Aircraft veers off runway and takes out taxiway marker. Moral: Touch-and go's are not 'real world'. The brake system of one aircraft can break a different type.

66. Student having difficulty organizing radio work. Took time on ground to write out with two colored ink expected communications. Flew flight to correspond to both departure and arrival communications. Had student read and rehearse transmittals until smooth and not punctuated. Moral: The time taken to write out and fly a communications lesson removes stress and establishes confidence.

67. X-country at cruise speed with pilot. Inquired as to last time of doing power on stall. Pilot immediately pulled yoke to produce vertical flight. Needed acquired altitude to recover from resulting spin. Moral: Ask a dumb question anticipate a dumb answer.

68. When to start flying lessons? Suggest a late Fall start so that adverse condition experience can be gained with and under guidance of instructor. License by late spring gives generally good weather to gain additional experience. Helps avoid that sudden rash of low time pilot crashes with first winter storm. Helps avoid the winter time pilot dropout rate.

69. Have completed pre-lesson discussion and started engine when student asks question that required several minutes discussion. Bang on door and yell tells us of severe oil leak. Oil filter seal has just blown. Time duration was sufficient to have become airborne. It's good to be lucky.

70. Asked by former student to meet and discuss progress with friend who has 27 hours and still unable to solo. Have meeting and discussion. Everything seems O.K. as far as ability to verbalize. Finally recheck logbook and see that flights are generally a week or longer apart. Moral: Normal progress cannot be expected if frequency of lessons is not at least two flights per week and sometimes three.

71. There is no reason that the hand mike cannot be kept in the hand while taxiing and flying. On the ground, as experience will demonstrate, it is best to use the left hand. Prior to takeoff and in the air the right hand is preferable. It is surprising how many pilots find that they can talk with only one hand or the other unless initially trained in ambidextrous communications. Likewise, when a head mike is used, a pen can be kept in the hand for immediate use and not interfere with control usage. Moral: Practice cockpit economy and efficiency it is considered during flight tests and it saves you money.

73. Since most aircraft operation is almost as expensive on the ground as in the air, efficiency in run up can save money on ever flight. A complete control check can be made is a few seconds as follows: The left thumb always points to the up aileron. Yoke right, look right up aileron, look left down aileron, yoke left up aileron look right down aileron, look rear, yoke back up elevator, yoke forward down aileron, left right feet for rudder movement. Moral: Left handers fly in a right handed world.

74. With throttle at idle, index finger held fingernail distance back on throttle rod and throttle applied until finger touches clutch give 1700 rpm. Likewise, power change from cruise to 1500 RPM can be made using the index finger as a guide while the throttle is moved back. Practice until you can do it every time just by feel and sound. Moral: The more you can index the sounds, feel and performance of your aircraft the more efficient you flying will be.

75. There is a basic skill inherent to proficiency in making crosswind landings if you use the cross controlled (wing low with opposite rudder) technique. This basic skill is the so-called 'Dutch roll'. The Dutch roll can be efficiently taught during two minutes of climb after leaving pattern altitude. The beginning student should be informed that reasonable skill in the Dutch roll will take about five flights. The Dutch roll consists of rocking the wings the same degree to each side in the rhythm of the Tennessee Waltz while keeping the nose straight. Airspeed must be kept constant for uniformity of rudder pressure. Start to the left.

76. Just as it is impossible to intellectualize how to move the feet to roller skate, so with the Dutch roll. You have to try it from wings level over and over as the standing start of skating. After five lessons the Dutch roll usually falls into place as does roller skating. When applied to the crosswind landing the Dutch roll allows instinctive use of aileron and rudder needed to maintain runway alignment, nose straight and constant airspeed. It is my firm belief that you cannot intellectualize crosswind landings, swimming, or skating. Once the 'dutchroll' is mastered successful crosswinds follow as the night the day. Moral: Trying to think control applications needed for crosswind landings is like learning to roller skate by reading a book. It can't be done.

77. Introduction to the power on stall need not be a violent traumatic experience. Just set power at 2000 RPM and emphasize smoothness of entry and gentleness in recovery. A long series of these stalls can be both demonstrated and performed at 60 knot entry within a one hundred foot altitude range. Full power stalls should come later. Moral: Keep it gentle and smooth.

77a. At what point is a G.A. tire not airworthy? Operations with low tire pressures do seen and unseen damage. You will not be held accountable until something happens.

78. Pre-stall clearing should be preceded with both a look and verbal clearing in both directions. Make first turn to left because any following traffic should pass to your right. In high wing aircraft it is important to search the sky toward the raised wing prior to bank reversal. Flying the turn should be done by reference to the nose. All to often, students try to see in the direction of the turn during the turn with resulting altitude and airspeed deviations. Moral: Don't let driving habits interfere with flying techniques.

79. The willingness to admit to ATC a problem, lack of familiarity, or need for help needs to be taught. Neither the student nor the high time pilot can be expected to be all knowing in all situations. The instructor should set up a training situation to demonstrate this neglected skill of flying proficiency. Marginal weather conditions make the lesson real to the student. Moral: Only one Being knows it all.

80. The student will learn best if he comes to the lesson prepared. The instructor must make sure the student knows, before the lesson, the elements to be reviewed and introduced. The prepared student gets a better lesson at less cost. Moral: Pupils don't fail. Teachers do.

81. The voice recorder is the most neglected single instructional aid in flight instruction. Recorded flight instruction both in and out of the airplane provides the student with a reusable learning experience. The actual reliving of a flight while driving to work brings to light instructions and ATC communications not realized at the time. While the recording can be used without an intercom, an intercom plug cuts out all engine noise. The cost is minimal when compared with the lost instruction that relies on memory. Moral: Try it; you'll like it.

82. Trim is the power steering of flying. The pressure of holding an untrimmed flight configuration will eventually bring about an unplanned airspeed or altitude deviation. Learn to use large trim movements to quickly approximate position and then make fine changes. Cessna has an engineering relationship between power setting, flap position and airspeed. Piper has a different but useable system. Moral: You shouldn't have to work hard to make flying easy.

82. The student should be taught, from the very beginning, that the yoke is held with a very light TWO finger touch. Four fingers behind the yoke will cause a climb, every time. Holding the yoke with a full grip just compounds any tensions. The sense of pressure from the yoke is best felt through the finger tips. Every pilot will adjust trim for the finger pressure he has come to expect. Instructor should normally require trim for hands off for every new flight configuration. Invariably, a change in pilot results in a trim change for the individual touch. Moral: Practice, of the right kind, makes perfect.

83. Recently flew with neophyte flight instructor. Tried to demonstrate different trim technique which I feel increases efficiency and would reduce airspeed deviations. Lack of acceptance due to concern that NIH (not invented here) syndrome at FBO would get him in trouble and make him different. Is it just possible that rigidity of instruction is deliberately increasing instructional costs?. Moral: We don't know what we don't know._

84. We tend to teach the way we have been taught. Only a few of us have been so fortunate as to find a way to break away. Changes in technology have made changes in teaching possible. Such is the case with the Cessna engineering of flaps and trim. For every ten degrees of flap there is a full turn of trim which will exactly compensate to maintain airspeed. Still instructors perpetuate the flip/feel trim technique without acknowledging even the existence of the engineered relationship.

85. Experienced pilot made his soft field approach reasonably well but in the flare the yoke began a rapid series of short jerks and turns. The landing was relatively flat and not soft. How many of you remember the little old green flight test guide of twenty plus years ago that indicated every yoke movement while landing should be back and every power change a reduction. Works now, as well as then.

86. Vertigo can be demonstrated on the ground. Select large open space. Hold a yard-stick to the nose with the head tilted well back. Make about three smooth turns left or right with the eyes focused on the far end of the yardstick. Stop, bend down and place yard-stick on ground, remain bent over as you step across stick and then straighten up quickly. Be prepared to fall.

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