Want to get
through your
training with minimum expense? Is safety and building good flying skill
important to you? Your flight instructor can only do so much to instill
the proper skills to make you a safe pilot... the rest is up to you. In
addition, there are common sense things you can do to make your
training
experience efficient, pleasant, and fulfilling.
1. Aviate,
Navigate, Communicate. And
in that order! The most important task for the pilot developing new
skills
is to fly the airplane. New pilots trying to divide their time aviating
and communicating do neither very well. You can hear them stutter, make
incorrect radio calls, and make interesting verbal pauses when they
commit
a variety of errors in the traffic pattern. The flight isn't over until
you're back in the chocks. So keep your eyes out of the cockpit and
stop
to perform your checklists. A recent accident was caused by the student
pilot performing the after landing checklist during the landing roll...
nose pointed at the ditch on the side of the runway. Moral of the
story:
Learn how to
fly before you
talk on the radio
Stop the
aircraft to perform
checklists.
Fly the
airplane FIRST, see
#2
2.
Fly the airplane first. I'm sure your flight instructor
taught
you this. The key concept here is keep the flight parameters within
safe
tolerances... airspeed... altitude... heading... all are key to
ensuring
proper resolution to any upset, distraction, or problem. Too many
accident reports include the phrase, "Failure of the pilot to
maintain...."
Fly the airplane first, remembering its not over until the chocks are
set.
Awareness of altitude and airspeed cannot be under emphasized.
3. Look out
the window. Of
the top three killers in general aviation, collision avoidance is
number
two. The crash stats indicate mid-air collisions happen on good
weather
days below 3000AGL. That's where you are when the stuff starts
happening,
isn't it? Most people forget that good collision avoidance begins
in the runup area. Doing clearing turns to view downwind, base
and
final are just as important as looking the other way to make sure
someone
isn't landing the wrong way. Jim learned how important this was
when
his checkride was over before the takeoff roll. His examiner sent
a strong message that collision avoidance is a top priority. It
seems
unavoidable but student pilots would rather stare at the instrument
panel,
play with the moving map GPS, or read checklists while the aircraft is
moving. A good pilot is scanning outside the aircraft 85-90% of the
time
in VFR conditions. Remember, crash stats indicate midair collisions
happen
on good weather days and at low altitudes. That's exactly where most
students
are.
4. Don't
cancel flight
lessons. Sure there is always the occasional emergency - but it
should
be a once in a year event. Most CFIs have over $30-40,000 invested in
their
flight training yet are paid about the same as the screw sorter at Home
Depot. Flight Instructors do not receive compensation to sit at the
flight
school. They make their income only when the student shows up for
instruction.
It's difficult for instructors to find other students to fill your
slot,
even with 24 hour notice. Don't be surprised if your instructor charges
cancellation fees... not unlike other paid professionals.
5. Show up on
time. Why
not show up early to preflight your aircraft? Why would you pay your
instructor
to watch you do that? If you are late for your lesson, it causes stress
for both you and your instructor as you rush through the lesson that
was
planned for you. If the aircraft isn't available to you when you
arrive,
review notes from your previous lesson, and the maneuvers planned for
this
lesson.
6. Show up
prepared.
You will get the most bang for your bucks by being prepared. Even the
best
instruction cannot fully compensate for lack of preparation. Become
intimately
familiar with your training materials and you'll save incredible
amounts
of money. Its much better for you to learn at home for free rather than
while the aircraft engine is running.
7. Look before
you turn
the aircraft, on the ground and in the air. The reasons for this
should
be obvious but imagine pulling out into traffic without looking to see
if on-coming traffic could hit you. As an accident prevention
counselor,
I've seen quite a number of folks who don't look BOTH directions before
pulling out onto the runway. In a high wing aircraft, its best to
perform
a clearing turn right before you plan to enter the runway. You never
know
who is behind you coming down with an engine out emergency and no
radios.
8. Use the
checklist!
Its not only the quickest way to fail a checkride, the accident stats
prove
its a common way to kill yourself. How often do you forget to turn on
the
transponder before take off? The landing light? The mixture set
appropriately?
Lights - Camera(transponder) - Action(fuel related items) is a great
pre
takeoff final check. How often do you completely ignore the after
landing
checklist? If you don't know how, ask your instructor. Want to save
money
on your flight training? Learn your aircraft's checklists and
procedures
early in your training. You can practice these on the ground for free
9. Preflight
weather briefing. A
preflight briefing consisting of weather and TFRs is an absolute must.
Take a look at FAR 91.103 to see what your responsibility in this
matter
is and you'll realize the folly of ignoring this crucial step. Use
authoritative
sources of information such as the FSS station or DUATS. If you don't
know
how, ask your instructor.
10. Take care
of the equipment. Since
most students rent aircraft for training, the potential consequences of
a hard landing aren't readily appreciated. There are two kinds of
pilots:
the one who cares about the aircraft as if it were his, and the one who
doesn't care. Which one are you? And if you don't care, how long do you
think you'll survive? Be gentle on the controls, the brakes, the flight
control surfaces. Your instructor is a great resource on the proper way
to preflight an aircraft, so if you're unsure, ask.
11. Talk about
your progress. Share
your feelings, frustrations, successes and failures. No doubt your CFI
has seen it before and knows how to get you through the struggles that
come with learning how to fly. Sometimes its difficult to assess a
student's
fatigue or saturation point. An open dialogue with your instructor will
go a long way in making your training experience fulfilling and
efficient.
12. Be smooth.
In
all your actions, smoothness will keep your instructor's nerves from
getting
frazzled as well as limit unsafe flight conditions. "Small correction!"
is what my old CFI used to yell at me. When I become a CFI, it became
my
favorite phrase. When the pilot jerks the aircraft controls, its a good
sign he doesn't have good control of the plane. When you make that
small
correction, give it time. See how the plane responds and evaluate
whether
you need another small correction.
13.
Communicate your intentions.
The flight instructor can't read your mind... so tell him what you are
about to do before you do it. Whatever you do, don't scare your
instructor
with sudden climbs, turns, or descents. And anything that starts with,
"Hey, watch this" usually signals trouble. Surprises are much better
when
they come in the form of buying your instructor a coke after the
lesson.
14. Plan - Do
- Check
- Analyze. Plan your maneuvers before execution. While you are
doing
the maneuver, check to be sure you're within standards. Then after
you've
completed it, analyze your performance. Do you need to apply more back
pressure on that steep turn? Why did you flare too high on that last
landing?
Your instructor would like to hear your answers.
15. Be a
partner in learning.
Try to get as much value from your CFI as possible. Some of the things
you can do to improve your retention of lessons learned include: asking
questions, reviewing the relevant book material after a lesson, seeking
additional sources of information (videos, tapes, magazines), and
pairing
with another student. All of these things will make your instructor's
life
easier, and shorten the time it takes you to acquire the knowledge
required
to be successful in your goal.
16. Get your
rating as
quickly as possible. Not only will you spend less money, you'll
complete
your training with a minimum of wasted effort. Schedule your lessons so
you can fly regularly. The longer the time between lessons, the more
the
student forgets resulting in more time spent reviewing past lessons.
Make
sure that finances and family life are under control while you embark
on
your training plan. Then, once you start, don't stop. The aviation
learning
curve is steep enough to merit consistent attention until you achieve
your
goal.
17. Be
responsible.
The pilot is the ultimate command authority for the flight... the one
responsible
for the safe conduct of that flight. If anything goes wrong, passengers
look to the pilot who must step up to the plate and take
responsibility.
The goal of flight instruction is to gradually transfer that
responsibility
to you. Are you ready? That can't happen unless the student seeks to
be:
a partner
in learning,
a self driven professional who craves knowledge about aviation.
precise
in their flying,
a passion for doing things correctly goes beyond using the checklist,
its
a way of life.
safe,
never taking unnecessary
risks, and properly managing the risks of flight.
prepared
as a student,
for each lesson, but even more important, a prepared pilot who plans
each
flight and seeks to know "all available information."
the
ultimate judge of
their own performance, accepting responsibility for their setbacks and
asking for help to improve their skills while not being too
self-critical.
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