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Contents

Judgment of Limitations
The ability of a student to plan a safe flight or flying activity is determined by his judgment of his limitations. It is important that the student know what he knows how to do well, what needs practice for improvement, and what is of uncertain or unknown nature. The first two regions are his to explore. The uncertain and unknown should be openly discussed with the instructor and then incorporated into flight instruction. The student must not be one who fools himself into getting in positions where luck is needed for a safe outcome. Judgment is defined as the ability to see and choose between alternatives. Good judgment is determined by making the best choice. Instruction shows how to avoid an accident. The trainee determines whether it happens.

Good instruction enables a student to have the required judgment to see, avoid, or plan around potentially harmful situations. Judgment cannot be taught as a separate item. It is acquired through practice of safe behavior. A student can learn to perceive and evaluate a situation and choose the option required for a safe outcome. A safe flight is determined by selecting safe options. This is the subjective area on a flight test that is part of the test.

The well-trained pilot has reason to be confident but no pilot can be fooled by training into believe he cannot become overloaded. The student must believe that the instruction he has received is both safe and comprehensive. Being solo requires that a student trust the instructor's judgment. The combined positive judgment of the student and instructor should give the student a right to feel confident in the ability to perform safely and proficiently. As an instructor, I do not teach to the minimum level of safety and proficiency. I try to teach to a level where the minimums are exceeded and a reserve is available to the student sufficient to handle any unanticipated situation. Beyond that, I expect a student to exercise good judgment and make the safe decision. Judgment can be taught.

Communications between instructor and student has nuances of sense and meanings that are subtler than just words. Concepts, thoughts, and ideas are difficult to teach using just words. Words can have different meanings to different people. Words can have several meanings, words of the same sound have different meanings, different words having the same sound mean different things. Use and context may not give correct meanings. Context can change the connotations of a word and affect interpretation. These conditions apply to other languages as well. Explained in this context dual-language students are made more aware of the potential confusions possible in English.

The instructor who uses the same explanation at ever-increasing volume is unlikely to improve communications. What a person says, the words used, and the body movements used in concert can be in complete contradiction. Facial expressions are most significant. The hands and arm body language can increase resistance of a student's acceptance of what you say.

An instructor who resorts to an authoritarian style of instruction is one who lacks confidence in his ability to release the student from control. The student is less likely to be allowed to venture ideas or opinions. My style is built around what I have learned about the student. I need a close harmonious agreement on objectives and methods. I plan and build my instruction so that the student grows confidence and assurance. I want my student to be confident in my ability as a teacher to guide him over obstacles as they occur. I adjust my program to reduce problems and will back and fill basic skills as the need occurs.

The student and instructor of today are in a period of information overload since the advent of the internet. There are so very many conflicting and contradictory opinions available with 'authoritative' bases of fact that even the lawyers avoid opinions. Many of the conflicts are because of the varied background and training of those involved. Most pilots are unfamiliar with the vastly different procedures that are still 'right' because of aircraft design and capability. There are so many different forms of 'right' that even those who should know can't be certain.

About Students
1. A student won't learn from those they distrust
2. A student won't improve unless told what is wrong.
3. Overconfidence is a means of concealing insecurity.
4. High achievers are never satisfied with their performance.
5. Low achievers need to succeed with small steps.
6. A student who thinks events control his life, never makes mistakes.
7. A student is best taught by positive suggestion.
8. Most students get frustrated at one or more points.
9. Emotional maturity is a required quality of a pilot.

Self-Doubt is Normal
Every so often the instructor finds a student who is going through a phase of flying that is very disturbing to the student. A student may be making an excuse not to fly. Pilots making excuses not to fly start thinking about the happenings, 'might have's', and dangers seemingly associated with flying. The discomfort of flying is greater than the pleasure. If a student quits for a few weeks thinking about flying may produce discomfort. Flying and driving are risky. Things can happen and do go wrong. In driving what occurs is much more likely to be by another driver. A pilot is in complete control of the risk of flying. Flying is one of the most self-deterministic activities you can undertake. The pilot decides what is going to happen.

The discomfort associated with not wanting to fly comes from self-doubt. The student questions whether learning to fly is worth the money, time, effort, and stress. A concern for safety causes doubt as to one's ability to fly safely. The self-reflective and introspective pilot is seeking answers to questions for which there are no answers. Getting back into flying means that we recognize that part of being human is to question, have doubts, and to seek the high pleasure that goes with taking risks. Flying is a pleasure too important to be monopolized by the young.

The anxiety of flying can only become the relaxation of flying if the pilot is mentally prepared for it. When the pilot is insecure with a particular flight operation, be it radio, cross winds, airport arrivals, or some other aspect, he tends to avoid that situation. This is normal but dangerous. We cannot predict what flight operation will become essential to safety. As a pilot you must make constant evaluations of the what and why you make certain flying choices.

The solution to a student's sense of failure as a problem interfering with learning is related to a training/learning program that will reduce the intellectual/emotional load. A student's overcoming of difficulties depends on the teacher's ability to detect cause, effect, and provide solutions.

As the student becomes aware of his abilities and limitations, he must also be aware of those which are fixed and incapable of change as well as those which can be changed. The pilot has a fixed physical ability to fly, see, and hear. Certain artificial devices can improve on seeing and hearing but only structured training in performance and attitudes can increase the reserve capacity in ability.

The student must, also, consider his own capability and experience. Is this a first time experience or related to previous background such as going to another airport or even a revisit. The student needs to base his preparation on his individual needs and weaknesses and his expectations. This includes his ability to make the aircraft perform in line with its published capability, his knowledge of the area, his radio proficiency, and his safety planning.

Every phase of flight has requirements in knowledge, aircraft management, communications, or pilot ability. All to frequently, the greatest demands on our piloting skill occur just when the required ability to meet those demands have reached its lowest point. The pilot in a given phase of flight has a level of capacity in knowledge, flying skill, communications, and capability reserve. The analogy I have often used prior to solo is that I expect the student to be able to fly, navigate, and communicate in the airport pattern. At the same time he should talk to me about a completely unrelated matter. This last item is 'reserve capacity'. We drive cars all the time doing this. I do not want my soloed student to become overloaded and without the reserve capacity to handle the unexpected. I train my students in every area to have ample reserve capacity.

When something happens that you have not anticipated, your attention focuses. In flying, this often means that flying the airplane ceases to maintain its priority. Your training must cope this by teaching you to be aware of what exists in the present flight situation and using that information to heighten awareness of what can be expected to happen. How you react to the unexpected can be trained. Simulators are great for this with the big airplanes. Small aircraft 'unexpecteds' are only available in the POH and are not practical or safe to simulate.

Who's in Charge?
Low time instructors have most of the 'Who's in Charge?' kind of difficulty. This is because they have not had the opportunity for making the decisions. There are several kinds of situations that require this kind of experience and knowledge. Any exchange of control should be predicated on the assumption that the exchange will improve and not exacerbate a situation.

Low time instructors tend to delay taking over the controls when dealing with an advanced student. No instructor should make assumptions about the capabilities of a student that will delay assumption of control when safety parameters are exceeded. These safety conditions are most likely to occur during the approach and landing phases. Every instructor should precede the flight with a comprehensive review of what will be covered specifically directed toward situations conducive toward distraction.

VERY specific control transfer is required when...
1) A problem exists relative to safety.
This can be so simple as not clearing, yoke position while taxiing, cross-control turns, procedure errors, airspeed, trim, etc.

2) Related to a transfer of control.
The CFI should make prior arrangement with anyone having access to the cockpit controls as to what he will say in taking over control of the aircraft. The exchange of control authority should be explicit and positive.

3) Conflict of control exists
Where prior arrangements of control authority have not been made and no positive exchange is made, both pilots may be working at cross-purposes. Control manipulations become exaggerated due to the mix of control forces. An accident usually results.

4) Nobody is in control
This occurs when the pilot in control 'gives up' and expects the other pilot (CFI) to take over and salvage a situation. The CFI may refuse or fail to recognize the control transfer. You will only get away with 'nobody' in control if the aircraft is trimmed for its flight situation.

5) Failure to Communicate in the cockpit
Confusion in the transfer of control any one of the above situations can arise if prior arrangements are not made. "I got it" is ambiguous. "I have the controls" is less ambiguous. This statement requires that the other pilot respond with, "You have the controls" Using the word airplane in these phrases is ambiguous in that the reference could be to traffic.

6) The competent pilot does not need to prove anything.
Being competitive and a winner are not traits that apply to the flying of light planes. Aerobatics and the military are reserved spaces for these traits. Soloing is not the goal or end-all of flying. Competence and safety are what we are after on every flight. Our life ambition is to become an old pilot. (What, again!) All you prove is stupidity if you fly in a manner or situation to prove something. Competence is shown most often by not flying, than by flying.

 

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