---Same student calls 3-4 months later and wants to practice holding in preparation for checkride one day away. Go through holds at intersections, VOR, and NDB. Student makes every mistake possible. Good lesson. Told to proceed VFR back to CCR. Student makes good call-up and is cleared to make left base entry for 19L and to report 2 mile base. Student proceeds toward two mile final reporting point before instructor intervenes. Student contended that he was making a base entry to the two mile final reporting point. He doesn't know that he doesn't know. How about 50 hours of knowledge twenty times leaving him with only 50 hours experience.
---Had student referred to me who required only commercial single engine rating and CFI. Student had acquired ASEL, AMEL, instrument, and multi-engine commercial at Texas flight school. Met student at airport. Sat in C-172 to familiarize. Found student deficient in basic understanding of aircraft system operations and other essential knowledge. Referred to study program. Two weeks later had student prepare IFR flight to local airport. Met student and reviewed preparation. O.K. Flew actual approach into OAK and actual departure. First actual time student had ever acquired. Weird!
---Taking Instructor's renewal flight with examiner. Examiner tells me that he is the student and wants me to give instruction required for flight to Oakland. Tell examiner that after takeoff he is to fly the entire flight using only rudder, power, and trim. The yoke is not to be used. Examiner makes perfect flight including the ILS to the missed. I enjoyed the performance so much that I asked to try it. It works. You must know your power and trim settings for every phase of flight. Most of the pilots I have flown with do not realize how much of a flight can be flown by rudder alone. Modern aircraft have made us rudder-lazy.
A Series of Instructional Flights with a Special Student
I had been playing poker with him once every two months for the past three years. I had offered to fly with him on several occasions. He contacted me for help. He had over 90 hours of IFR instruction and over 500 total. He had failed FAA check ride two weeks before. Main difficulty declared to be holding. All flights to MYV at request of student since Examiner has led him to believe that is where the next ride will be. (It wasn't)
First Flight
Our first flight was a review of basic IFR maneuvers and aircraft control under hood. Aircraft control and all maneuvers were of acceptable standard. Practiced ADF holding at local radio station. The student flew with a full fist on the yoke but no apparent tension. A good lesson with both student and instructor pleased.
I met student at transient parking at CCR. We went into the Sheraton and did some preliminaries. Previous instructor had never done any ground preparation with student. All flights were to MYV, SAC. and SCK except for required cross country. Student had never done an approach to OAK, STS, CCR, LVK, or SJS. These were the closest airports with IFR approaches.
Student had only been to one nearby IFR airport once. All flights were normally to distant airports. Student was not aware of operation and communications procedures specific to FSS, Flight Watch, or Approach Control.
I discussed with him how he could use car at a four way intersection to practice holding pattern entries. I diagramed the course reversal procedure for two minute tracking to and from a VOR. We departed to CCR VOR. Instructor handled radio with Travis. Student was able to track to and from VOR quite well. altitude holding was excellent. Some difficulty was found due to in ability to maintain approach speed during descents. Did exercise four times and then flew to 990 radio station using ADF and descended to 1500'. Made teardrop entry and tracked inbound twice but had time problem so proceeded back to CCR. Showed student how heading indicator helped 45 degree entry. Good lesson.
Second Flight
Had student plan IFR to Sonoma County. Met and went over flight planning and found it to be barely adequate. Student had no knowledge of Tower-En route procedures. Found that this was possible APC to STS. We made a time check chart for flight. 15-20 minute wait for departure due to heavy IFR traffic. Actual conditions with ceiling 600 and tops 3000. We departed 18R at APC. Shortly after lift off student notes (screams) that turn coordinator is not working correctly. Instructor tells student to use attitude indicator. Instructor opts to proceed since it is VFR 1000 and above.
Student is having severe aircraft control problems on entry into clouds. Instructor tells student to use attitude indicator. Student very tight on controls. Instructor has to help in turn to VOR and tracking. Student unable to follow heading for more than a few moments before entering banks up to 40 degrees. Turned toward SGD VOR and instructor had to make constant heading suggestions in order to keep needle in doughnut. Poor tracking, airspeed, and student unable to make radio frequency changes required. Instructor took over radios and OBS settings to ease student load. VFR but student under hood. Student, under hood, having difficulty tracking from VOR to intercept ILS a distance of about 12 miles. 90 hours of instruction? Student needs assistance to set all frequencies and OBS settings.
At STS ATC requested minimum speed for spacing. Student has great difficult in tracking ILS and holding airspeed. Instructor doing all communications. Student directed only to fly plane. Student had difficulty and instructor had to assist. Intercepted localizer but student having severe problems as we are in IFR conditions. Student freezes grip on control yoke of aircraft and flies needles off scale. Descent to 1900 at STS but at marker beacon instructor advises tower that we are executing missed approach at marker. Student 60 degrees off heading and unable to control aircraft. Instructor takes over. Climb to VFR and re-contact approach. Proceed VFR to PYE and ask ATC for most expeditious arrival to APC.
We make no procedure turn VOR 6 into APC with instructor closely supervising headings and aircraft control. Things seem to be better but not much. After landing and parking instructor advised student to think over why the flight went poorly and we would discuss after instructor made phone call.
Instructor returned and student advised that the flight went totally wrong when the turn coordinator became inoperative. Instructor admitted that he had failed to note action of turn coordinator during taxi out. When instructor returns student indicates that difficulty started when turn coordinator failed. He was unable to keep the aircraft level or on a heading without the turn coordinator.
On further discussion, instructor found student had no idea of angle of bank relationship to airspeed which would let him ballpark standard rate turns on the attitude indicator. Student used attitude indicator for pitch information. Student controlled all banks by standard rate indication of turn coordinator. Student controlled heading by reference to wings level position of turn coordinator and heading indicator. 90 hours and a sign off with this scan??
The fortuitous failure of the turn coordinator at moment of IFR entry may have saved his life. Instructor reviewed setting and interpretation of attitude indicator. Turn coordinator to be covered until further notice. Ball to be visible. Instructor noted that student froze on controls during communications, bumps, or changing radios. Student advised that manner of holding yoke was contributing to difficulty. Student agreed to work on finger tip control.
Student has never been shown how (90 hours) to prepare for an IFR flight. Does not know how to use FSS system except to file. Student has never done a tower enroute or pop up IFR flight. Student had never been walked through headings or drawn route of flight. Student had never made a dry run of radio frequency changes or OBS settings. Student did not wear shoulder harness as a common practice. Student did not use a checklist. Understanding of radio procedures and phrasing poor.
Student did not have an IFR instrument taxi checklist for turn coordinator, AI or HI. Student indicated that without the turn coordinator he was unable to make the standard rate turns required for heading control.
On further discussion, instructor found student had no idea of angle of bank relationship to airspeed which would let him ballpark standard rate turns on the attitude indicator. Student always used attitude indicator for pitch information only. Student controlled all banks by standard rate indication of turn coordinator. Student controlled heading by reference to wings level position of turn coordinator and heading indicator. 90 hours and a sign-off with this scan??
The student had done all of his prior instrument flying using his turn coordinator for turns and wings level flight. His attitude indicator was for pitch reference only. Prior to the failure of the turn coordinator his aircraft control had been excellent in flight. If the instrument had not failed the instructor would never have known of this extreme and incorrect dependence. Failure of this after getting his ticket could have easily resulted in a fatal accident because he became unable to control the aircraft in actual conditions.
Third Flight
Instructor assigns student IFR flight to nearby airport with FSS, Watch and Approach. Student again fails to fully understand the necessity of and how to prepare. Found student not well prepared for flight APC to OAK. Instructor goes through complete flight preparation and agrees to handle navigational radios. Considerable time spent on discussing correct radio procedures and avoidance of unnecessary verbiage. Flight headings and procedures much improved. Needs to work on light touch on yoke. Too focused on assigned headings and does not initiate ILS intercept until fourth challenge and reset of heading bug by instructor. Considerable S-turning on localizer and difficulty getting on glide slope. Visit Approach, FSS and Flight Watch. Distinctions between communications procedures covered. Specific communications in the IFR system covered as to procedures and reasons.
How had previous instructor signed off for IFR flight test without picking up on this? No partial panel?? Further found that student did not know of sum-of-digits relationship between headings of HI nor how to use 200/20 or +2/-2 to find reciprocals. Entire flight was a good lesson for all concerned.
Previously filed IFR APC-OAK. Did dry run on all radio and OBS settings. Good preflight and pre takeoff preparation. Did not track to or from SGD well. Radar vectors. Unable to get #2 OBS to set radials. Had to remind student of need to get ATIS and set up intersections on localizer. Radar vectors to final and cleared for approach. Student "locked" on heading assigned and unwilling to make heading change required to keep localizer intercepted and centered. Too focused on assigned headings and does not initiate ILS intercept until fourth challenge and reset of heading bug by instructor. Considerable S-turning on localizer and difficulty getting on glide slope. Student very high and unable to get aircraft on glide slope until well inside marker. S-turning throughout approach and unable to determine heading needed to lock localizer. Student rides brakes while taxiing. Brakes wearing badly.
Visit to Bay TRACON. Used screen to show student the "why" for certain specific communications requirements. ATIS and altitude, etc. Student unaware of how system operated. Visit to FSS. Took student on guided tour. Showed filing process. Showed radio system for FSS and Flight Watch. Student unaware of specific radio procedures for each situation and reasons. Showed weather cameras and radar. Showed tape recorder room. Student left with better understanding.
Returned VFR with student under hood. Practiced standard rate turns at different speeds using attitude indicator. Considerable time spent on discussing correct radio procedures and avoidance of unnecessary verbiage. Flight headings and procedures much improved. Needs to work on light touch on yoke. Distinctions between communications procedures covered. Specific communications in the IFR system covered as to procedures and reasons.
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