CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 3 - 16

CFI TIPS
IN A WORLD WHERE TECHNOLOGY IS (FOR BETTER
OR FOR WORSE) A PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE, I FIND
IT REFRESHING TO TAKE A BREAK FROM SCREENS
WHENEVER I CAN. Reading a book (the kind with actual
paper pages), taking a walk without being connected to
any devices, or enjoying an evening talking with family
and friends. For me, those are much-needed tech breaks.
In aviation, knowing how to return to the basics is not
only interesting and challenging, it's something we should
be teaching our students for their own safety. Being able
to navigate without a screen, operate without radios, and
land without a VASI or PAPI are just a few examples that
you can emphasize with students during their primary
training and during flight reviews.
ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, YOUR STUDENT
SHOULD KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE BY PILOTAGE
INSTEAD OF BY FOLLOWING THE MAGENTA LINE
ON A SCREEN.
While the chances of a complete technical failure in flight
are slim, it's not unheard of. Highly skilled pilots have
found themselves to be completely unprepared, and even
unsure of their location, when an iPad goes dark. On a
cross-country flight, your student should know how to
navigate by pilotage instead of by following the magenta
line on a screen. Even with fully functioning technology,
VFR pilots should be in the habit of knowing where they
are-being situationally aware of nearby airports, the
weather, surrounding terrain, and airplanes-and being
able to communicate that information as needed. If your
student is already in the habit of doing all of that, the next
step is to remove their access to technology and ask them
to navigate with paper charts. In a real situation where
technology has failed them, they would need to know how
to access information they are used to having at their
fingertips, in new ways. This includes radio frequencies,
approach information, and headings to their destination.
THERE IS PERHAPS NO MORE ISOLATING FEELING
THEN HAVING A RADIO FAILURE IN FLIGHT. DOES
YOUR STUDENT KNOW HOW TO SAFELY HANDLE
THIS SITUATION?
There is perhaps no more isolating feeling than having
a radio failure in flight. Does your student know how
to safely handle this situation? While radios may not
seem like a natural fit for the " high-tech " category, if a
backup (such as a transceiver) is not available, this is
most certainly a return to basics. Simulating radio failure
in VFR conditions helps your student practice the next
steps. According to the AIM, after a radio failure in VFR
the pilot " must continue the flight under VFR and land as
soon as practicable. " That doesn't mean to land in an unsafe
area just to get the airplane on the ground. The airplane
is still in perfect flying condition, so the goal is to identify
the nearest airport and fly a normal approach and landing.
(The procedures to follow after a radio failure in IMC are
specific to that type of flying. While IFR procedures aren't
covered here, instructors teaching instrument students
and proficiency checks for rated pilots would cover this in
that training.) One of the considerations when choosing
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 3

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