Flight Training - January 2012 - 32

"LET YOUR CFI KNOW THAT THIS TRAINING IS CRITICAL TO YOU. IF THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO GET YOU COMFORTABLE WITH UNUSUAL ATITUDES, FIND SOMEONE WHO IS."

LUBOMIR GUEORGUIEV, PHD. IS LOOKING for a few good students. He’s concerned that many don’t pay attention to details and let procedures slip after getting comfortable behind the yoke. And he should know; Gueorguiev is the chief pilot at Beaver Aviation, located at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida, and has 2,500 flight hours and multiple certificates. He held the rank of major in the Bulgarian army and was granted the same rank in the Civil Air Patrol; his approach to training reflects both the discipline of military service and the exactness of scientific procedure. Gueorguiev expects students to be able to attend to details such as the preflight inspection and runup without additional guidance, because that’s what pilots do. He finds that many students don’t grasp the theoretical aspect of flying. “Flying an airplane is intuitive; most students don’t fail on basic piloting skills. What’s lacking is an understanding that flying is based on a sequence of procedures, and that these procedures don’t change. Accidents occur because pilots—students and those holding their certificate—get lazy. They start to think that they can do what they want in the sky. Make sure that your CFI drills the importance of following procedures and constantly challenges you on them. Their job is to make sure that you’re as alert as you are comfortable,” observes Gueorguiev. Gueorguiev also finds, as did other CFIs, that many people become enamored of flying and start down the path of becoming pilots—only to run out of funds. “You’ll also find people who start flying, stop for a while, then resume. They’ll never develop the skills to pass a checkride that way,” he adds. Have a candid conversation with your (potential) CFI after that first lesson; unless you’re ready for the total commitment, flying might not be for you. TO HEAR SPENCER SUDERMEN TALK about

unique student base in the world: “One hundred percent of my students come to me eager and ready to learn!” That’s because Suderman, chief pilot at the Torgeon Academy of Flight located at Camarillo Country Airport in Camarillo, California, specializes in aerobatic and spin training. Suderman’s students have just attained or are about to attain their private pilot certificate, and believe that additional training is necessary for complete mastery of the airplane. Suderman believes that most CFIs don’t tackle the scary parts of flying: stalls, spins, and unusual attitudes. But it’s these maneuvers that can keep a pilot alive in the air during an emergency. “I encounter people on their way to or just coming out of their checkrides, and they’re usually scared as hell to do stalls and spins. Most instructors will bring a student to the stall horn then push the nose down. It’s just not enough. Let your CFI know that this training is critical to you. If they’re not willing to get you comfortable with unusual attitudes, find someone who is.” Airplane manufacturers are continually improving their equipment to help minimize the stall/spin experience and make flying safer, thereby attracting more people to the activity. Suderman believes that while this move is a good thing, it leaves most students unprepared for emergencies. “Schools use stable airplanes like Piper Warriors. They’re easy to fly. But what happens if the weather changes or a VFR pilot suddenly finds him or herself in an IFR situation and gets into trouble? How about equipment failure? The pilot who has prepared for the worst usually can survive it,” he says emphatically.
CFI CAROL STEPHANS, who has logged

private pilot training, you’d think that he has the most

9,000 hours at fields between Wisconsin and Indiana, amplifies Suderman’s thoughts with her observation that modern airplanes—with their advancements such as GPS—are a good thing, but students who rely on technology too heavily are lost without it. “Understanding and mastering the basics will prepare a pilot for any situation, including manually determining positions, plotting a course, and getting un-lost,” she adds. In short,

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Flight Training - January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January 2012