CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 1 - 3

tudes until inches from touchdown, then I’ll add enough power to balloon us up about 6 feet (lower the nose!), reduce power, and descend, repeating the process. Height judgment skills can be worked on as well, with the student answering the instructor’s query, “How high are we?” Most of the time, I will initiate the go-around and ﬂy the pattern while we discuss the approach and maneuver, and instructions for the next maneuver. This gives the student a break from the intense concentration of the practice and allows them to hear and process what I am saying. Other times I will instruct the student to initiate the go-around, and take over at a safe altitude so we can discuss the maneuver. “Scaring the Runway” becomes a game with an appropriate introduction and ongoing instructor commentary. During the preﬂight brieﬁng, I’ll ask the student to imagine the runway cowering in fear as we approach, and its sigh of relief as we pass over without touching down. During the ﬂight, if the student touches down hard, shortcut the student’s self-reprisal with a sharp “Take that, runway!” or light-hearted “Don’t blame me, blame the asphalt!” A cheery “Just kidding!” when performing a go-around also lightens the mood. The part-task training can be expanded to include crosswind landings. Within the instructor’s comfort zone and with an easy alternate nearby, take the student to an airport with strong crosswinds, using the runway with the most direct crosswind component. Again instruct the student that the goal of the lesson is not to land, but to practice maintaining runway centerline using wing-low and crabbing techniques. The stronger the crosswind, the more exaggerated the control inputs needed, the more the student will gain from the practice. Keep a weather eye on the home airport to ensure the ability to return and land should the weather cause the winds to move toward home base. Sometimes toward the end of a “Scaring the Runway” practice session, the student will touch down gently enough, not realizing we’ve landed. Keep the lesson intensity going: Slowly reduce the power to idle, reminding the student to maintain full aft yoke, runway centerline, and proper crosswind controls through slowing, taxi, and clearing the runway to a full stop. Only then allow the student to relax yoke backpressure and complete the after landing checklist. Take over taxiing and allow the student to bask in the accomplishment of a greaser landing, something the student previously thought impossible. Using the “Scaring the Runway” process, my frustrated student pilot experienced her ﬁrst greaser landing. Knowing landing was now possible, her frustration and developing fears evaporated. She soloed shortly thereafter and completed her private pilot certiﬁcate two months later; another success story. Bridgette Doremire is an independent Master CFI in Phoenix, Arizona, and author of two ﬂight instructor lesson plan books as well as several quick reference GPS guides. Visit her website at www.slantgolf.com or email bridgette@qref.com.

ASI seminar

Wanted: Alive! Reining in the Fatal Accident Rate
BY MACHTELD SMITH
DID YOU KNOW the general aviation fatal accident rate is not dropping? That’s why the Air Safety Institute is calling on you to combat this alarming trend. And what better way to do this than participating in ASI’s latest safety seminar, “Wanted: Alive! Reining in the Fatal Accident Rate.” Joining the ranks of ASI’s well-known programs that are packed with exciting and educative content—including interactive online courses, accident case studies, real pilot stories, and webinars—“Wanted: Alive!” explores why, despite advancements in technology designed to keep general aviation safer, pilots continue to ﬁnd themselves in the same accident-causing scenarios that have plagued GA for years. Participate in the safety conversation as the Air Safety Institute discusses the top categories of fatal pilot-related crashes, and digs a little deeper into why those are still happening. And the take-away: You’ll have a chance to learn from those mistakes. Accident prevention is fundamental to improved safety: Please mark your calendar and register for the free seminar held in a location near you (www.airsafety institute.org/seminars).

Machteld Smith is a senior aviation technical writer for the Air Safety Institute. She holds a commercial pilot certiﬁcate with multiengine, instrument, and seaplane ratings.

Ask ATC: Progressive taxi
What’s the most common mistake pilots make while taxiing? Ask your students and fellow CFIs! Then share observations from the air trafﬁc control tower in this short video clip. Visit www.airsafetyinstitute.org/askatc for additional answers to common ATC questions.
Sponsored by the National Air Tra c Controllers Association

Safety Quiz: ATC procedures
Are your students well-prepared to interact with ATC? A clear understanding of expected procedures enables them to effectively express their needs and anticipate ATC’s instructions. Share this 10-question quiz (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/ATC proceduresquiz) to brief them. Underwritten by the AOPA Insurance Agency, Inc.

www.airsafetyinstitute.org | 3

http://www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/seminar.cfm?FA=SS http://www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/seminar.cfm?FA=SS http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/askatc http://www.slantgolf.com http://www.aopa.org/asf/asfquiz/2011/111223atcprocedures/index.html http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org

CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 1