CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 4 - 17

CFI TIPS
HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN A NEW CAR AND PUT THE
WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON INSTEAD OF THE TURN SIGNAL?
Or pulled up to the gas station on the wrong side of the car?
After a while of driving a specific vehicle, we get used to
where everything is and we can do things like turn on the
windshield wipers without even thinking about it. But, in a
different vehicle everything changes and we need to re-learn.
The same is true in aircraft. There are many things we do
each day that are rote but flying should not be one of them.
We know that the majority of accidents are caused by the
pilot, so we should regularly consider how we can do better
and teach our students to do the same. We can engineer
mechanical failures out of the system and increase reliability,
but managing the human element is much harder.
The way we, as humans, interact with airplanes is the
basis of the entire field of human factors. There are
countless topics for discussion within that field; for now,
let's focus on the human factors of aircraft cockpits. For
new pilots who are renting aircraft for lessons, human
factors issues are compounded by the fact that they
are probably flying multiple aircraft, each configured
differently and containing its own idiosyncrasies.
WHEN SWITCHING TANKS IN FLIGHT, AND
ESPECIALLY AS PART OF AN EMERGENCY
CHECKLIST, TEACH YOUR STUDENT TO LOOK
AT AND FEEL THE SELECTOR BEFORE ACTING.
For example, the fuel selector may be to the left side of the
pilot or in the middle of the two seats. And the selector
itself may or may not have a 'both' selection and may or
may not be indented. When switching tanks in flight, and
especially as part of an emergency checklist, teach your
student to look at and feel the selector before acting.
FOR NEW PILOTS WHO ARE RENTING AIRCRAFT
FOR LESSONS, HUMAN FACTORS ISSUES ARE
COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT THEY ARE
PROBABLY FLYING MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT, EACH
CONFIGURED DIFFERENTLY AND CONTAINING ITS
OWN IDIOSYNCRASIES.
Another opportunity to make your students aware of human
factors at play is the labeling of switches in the cockpit. In
my airplane, the master, fuel pump, and lights are across the
bottom of the panel beneath the control yoke. The placement
of the switches, along with my aging eyesight, makes it
difficult at a glance to identify which switch is for which
function. My mechanic put colored covers on them, so now
it's simple to identify master (red), fuel pump (blue), and
lights (white). Even if your student is flying airplanes with
switches in different locations, this is a simple way to ensure
that at least the labeling is consistent.
The position of the trim can also vary drastically from plane
to plane. For example, it could be a trim wheel between the
seats on or near the panel, or a trim crank located above the
seats. If your student is used to a trim wheel and transitions
to an airplane with a crank, he will need to learn which way
to turn the wheel for up/down trim rather than looking up at
the wheel each time he uses it.
An important safety feature to consider is the placement
and use of the brakes. Some aircraft may not have dual
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 4

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