CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 9 Issue 2 - 15
CFI TIPS
IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, YOU'VE ALREADY PLANNED
part of the learning process and tend to be
begin flight training drop out before earning
A SUMMER GETAWAY TRIP. Maybe your
temporary." We've all experienced them in our
own training, and they may be caused by one, or
a combination, of several factors-perhaps the
student just needs a break, maybe she's dealing
with a personal situation that has caused her to
be distracted from flight training, it could be that
the performance that was achieved at the point
of plateau is the maximum performance that the
student will achieve, or maybe it was caused by
too much practice on a particular task.
a certificate. While there are many factors at
play, training plateaus is surely one of them.
Not only is it discouraging to do the same
maneuver over and over without getting it
right, but all of those flights cost money. The
additional cost is not something planned on
in the student's budget, and she may consider
leaving flight training completely.
adventure will take you to an exotic beach, a
cabin next to a serene lake, a European city, or
maybe to the western United States to view
breathtaking landscapes like plateaus.
While on vacation, plateaus are beautiful. But
in the flight training environment, they're an
entirely different story.
Learning plateaus occur when the progress
that has been achieved in learning levels off,
so it appears as though further progress won't
happen anytime soon-if ever. But it will!
According to the FAA's Aviation Instructor's
Handbook, "Learning plateaus are a normal
PLATEAUS ARE ESPECIALLY A
CONCERN FOR NEW STUDENTS WHO
ARE EXPERIENCING IT FOR THE FIRST
TIME. IT CAN LEAD TO FRUSTRATION,
WHICH IS FUELED BY THE ADDITIONAL
COST OF THE EXTRA TRAINING, AND
COMBINED, THOSE COULD RESULT
IN THE STUDENT DROPPING OUT OF
TRAINING PERMANENTLY.
Plateaus are especially a concern for new
students who are experiencing it for the first
time. It can lead to frustration, which is fueled
by the additional cost of the extra training, and
combined, those could result in the student
dropping out of training permanently.
The frustration is felt by both the CFI and
the student. As flight instructors, we want
our students to be successful, enthusiastic,
and progress smoothly to the next milestone.
Students feel frustrated because they think
they'll never understand or master the task at
hand. Seventy to eighty percent of people who
As flight instructors it's our responsibility to
help students through the rough patches and
the good news is there are ways to deal with
learning plateaus.
First of all, put yourself in the student's position
and remember your own training days. Plateaus
happen to every student and if you can relay
some of your personal experience to your student
it may help him or her see how you dealt with
it. In fact, even better-since you know they're
common, tell your students about it before it
happens. The more they're prepared for the
difficult times the better equipped and mentally
prepared they will be to get through them.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 9 Issue 2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol14issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol14issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol14issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol14issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol13issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol13issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol13issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol13issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol12issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol12issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol12issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol12issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol11issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol11issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol11issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol11issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol10issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol10issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol10issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol10issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/flashcards_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol9issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol9issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol9issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol9issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol8issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol8issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol8issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol8issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol7issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol7issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol7issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol7issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol6issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol6issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol6issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol6issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol5issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol5issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol5issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol5issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol4issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol4issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/flashcards_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol4issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol4issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol3issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol3issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol3issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol2issue4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol2issue3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol2issue2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_vol2issue1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/cfi_201009
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com