CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 1 - 18

CFI TIPS
OF ALL THE ESSENTIAL TOPICS STUDENTS MUST
LEARN DURING FLIGHT TRAINING, PERHAPS THE MOST
DIFFICULT TO TEACH IS GOOD JUDGMENT. As the FAA
states in Chapter 2 of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical
Knowledge, " contrary to popular opinion, good judgment
can be taught. Tradition held that good judgment was a
natural by-product of experience, but as pilots continued
to log accident-free flight hours, a corresponding increase
of good judgment was assumed. " Let's not assume.
As instructors, we use scenario-based training, discuss
accident reports with our students, and simulate difficult
situations to test judgment in a safe environment. However,
some students are like my teenagers-they know it all and
need to learn lessons through personal experience rather
than taking my word for it. While no learning environment
is 100 percent realistic (you are sitting right there, after all,
as a safety net), there are many ways in which students can
be exposed to situations that help them learn good judgment
through first-hand experience, all while in a controlled and
safe environment.
JUDGMENT IS TRICKY BECAUSE IT'S
BASED ON SO MANY VARIABLES.
WEATHER
One of the aspects of weather flying that could be most
harmful to students and clients is flying into instrument
meteorological conditions (IMC) when not instrument-rated
or instrument-proficient. It's fairly simple to look at weather
reports, factor in our personal minimums, and make a
decision based on all available information. But judgment is
tricky because it's based on so many variables. What if your
student encounters unforecasted IMC? Will she continue on,
thinking it will surely improve soon since it's not forecast?
ASKING QUESTIONS WILL FORCE YOUR STUDENTS
TO THINK ABOUT AND EXPLAIN THEIR DECISION
MAKING AND GIVE YOU OPPORTUNITIES TO
REINFORCE THEIR GOOD JUDGMENT OR EXPLAIN
WHY THEY SHOULD MAKE A DIFFERENT DECISION.
I was in this situation several years ago, gradually descending
as the ceiling became lower and lower. I was being way too
optimistic about the conditions improving. Finally, I decided
that I had read too many accident reports about this very
scenario. I, fortunately, was instrument rated and current
so I contacted ATC and filed an instrument flight plan. But
if your student is VFR-only, will she descend, turn around,
land, or continue on? One way for you to safely allow your
student to experience this is to go flying in less than ideal
conditions but remain in the traffic pattern. She will see and
experience actual low-visibility conditions, without being far
from the airport and a safe landing.
RADIO FAILURE
Radio failure in flight is another scenario that requires good
judgment. This situation, like so many others, has many
variables and the decisions that are made depend on those
variables. If the failure occurs while in communications with
air traffic control, there are very specific steps to take. But if
that's not the case, what should you do?
I was flying with passengers recently when our intercom
failed. I did some troubleshooting and was not able to fix
the problem. We were flying in a remote area-the closest
towered airport was more than 50 miles away-and few
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 1

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