CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 8 Issue 1 - 7

THE DEBRIEF INVARIABLY BEGINS AS YOU'RE PUTTING AWAY THE AIRPLANE-BUT
THIS GETS THE DISCUSSION GOING WHILE YOU'RE BOTH PARTIALLY DISTRACTED.

AS AN INSTRUCTOR, I NEVER FELT SATISFACTION
WITH A TYPICAL FLIGHT DEBRIEFING. I TRIED
DIFFERENT SYSTEMS: FITS-STYLE, chronological,

and task-based referring to the syllabus. They all
fell victim to one core ﬂaw-they happened right
after the ﬂight.
Don't get me wrong, debrieﬁng right after the
ﬂight makes logical sense. The experiences are
fresh, so the analysis should be more effective.
You and your client are still in the same place.
It provides a closure to the lesson, with an
opportunity to set up for the next meeting.
However, the niggling details of real life
undermine the effort. The debrief invariably
begins as you're putting away the airplane-but
this gets the discussion going while you're both
partially distracted.

Even back at the FBO, too often the client is
focused on something that was frustrating or
simply didn't go well. If it was really frustrating,
those feelings get in the way of hearing other
topics-especially parts of the ﬂight that did go
well. Sometimes the client is just mentally (or
emotionally) spent. Sometimes they have to run
off to the next task. Sometimes your next student
or task is distracting you as well.

PUT IT IN WRITING
To counter some of this, I have started emailing
debriefs to my clients after the ﬂight. These
are never a replacement for the after-ﬂight
debrief. They complement it-and the results are
universally appreciated. The system also yields
unexpected beneﬁts.
It starts with taking notes during the ﬂight.
These are important events or debrieﬁng points

and things such as syllabus items completed and
number of landings performed. After the ﬂight,
I let the informal debrief happen. Topics will
be those foremost on our minds. They may not
be the most important in the grand scheme, but
they are the most pressing.
Next, I make sure the client doesn't have
any questions about the ﬂight. They weren't
taking notes, so they likely forgot questions
that came up. Sometimes I'll prompt this by
a quick chronological list of maneuvers we
just practiced. If we need to review something
together, such as a speciﬁc detail using a tool
like CloudAhoy (cloudahoy.com), this is a good
time to do it.
Then I complete their logbook entry and add
that I'll send my notes and write-up via email.
We part ways.
http://www.cloudahoy.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 8 Issue 1
