CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 1 - 2

Breaking the cycle—Final thoughts
FOR THE THIRD and ﬁnal installment of “Breaking the Cycle” I’d like to draw attention back to my ﬁrst article (CFI to CFI, Volume 2, Issue 3) on the topic of having “the discussion” with students who, despite your (and perhaps other instructors’) best efforts to teach good stick skills and judgment, just don’t seem to be making the cut. We’ve talked a lot about making a ﬁnal judgment of a student’s abilities, but I think it’s really important to stress that we owe some due diligence along the way. Before delivering a message that might put an end to someone’s dream of becoming a pilot, I think it’s important to make a genuine effort to assess the student’s potential, and then determine—based on the student’s response—whether discontinuing ﬂight lessons is, in fact, the best course of action. Here are a few steps that might be helpful:

CFI to CFI

First, be objective. Speciﬁcally cite areas of the PTS where the student is not measuring up and why. This makes it clear to both of you which areas need more focus. Following a lesson plan or syllabus can also help gauge a student’s progress and development—ensuring he has satisfactorily completed each lesson before moving on to the next. Make sure he knows your assessment is based on his current demonstration of ﬂight skills and judgment, and set clear expectations for the lessons that follow. Second, listen. Once you’ve expressed your concerns, give him an opportunity to share his concerns, too, and then see if there’s an opportunity to work together (even if it’s with another instructor) toward ﬁnding a plausible solution. Third, help him see the real-world consequences of deﬁciency. This is not about a good student failing his checkride on the ﬁrst try, but rather identifying

pilots who should never get a checkride endorsement in the ﬁrst place. Many people have failed at something and later succeeded: Michael Jordan didn’t make the 10th grade basketball team, Walt Disney was ﬁred by a newspaper because he “lacked imagination,” and Harrison Ford was told by the movie execs that he simply didn't have what it takes to be a star. Their failures, however, weren’t likely to result in fatalities. As professionals we have an obligation to be fair-minded, considerate, and courteous. But to some extent we also act as gatekeepers—and sometimes it’s in everyone’s best interest that the gate stay closed.

Paul Deres Director of Education, Air Safety Institute

leg such as “30 degrees past touchdown point,” “200 feet before pattern altitude,” and so on. Observe the student’s airspeed control—plus or minus ﬁve knots does not make a signiﬁcant difference in the landing rollout, but those not in control of their airspeed are not ﬂying in trim. If the aircraft is trimmed on ﬁnal and trimmed during the roundout, ﬂaring becomes much easier. If the student is not ﬂying in trim, go back to the practice area until this skill is mastered. Once the student is ﬂying in trim and has demonstrated proper rudder coordination and trafﬁc pattern procedures, address the visual cues used in landing.

OF THOSE LAST FEW SECONDS BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. WHERE DO I LOOK? WHAT DO I LOOK FOR?
Experienced pilots look out the front, even in aircraft such as Cessna 172s where in the ﬂare, the nose covers the horizon. However, these pilots are only marginally paying attention to what’s out over the nose—their focus point is about six to 10 car-lengths down the runway

…I CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE HANG

toward the horizon. They are gaining clues out of their peripheral vision while constantly asking three questions: 1. Are the runway edges spreading out or moving closer? 2. Are the runway edges rotating or staying mostly straight? 3. Is one runway edge moving closer than the other? As the runway edges spread out horizontally, the aircraft is descending closer to the ground. If the edges are moving in, the aircraft is climbing. If the runway edges are rotating, the aircraft is yawing; this needs to be compared with the other cues for the proper correction. If the runway edges are moving evenly away from the aircraft, the aircraft is descending with a ground track parallel to the runway centerline. If one edge is moving closer, the aircraft is drifting toward that edge—aileron and rudder inputs are needed to stop the drift. We can slow down the entire landing process and give students more practice

time in each landing segment by leaving a little power in for landing. Without a sudden power chop, the aircraft remains in trim, eliminating a sudden heave-ho back on the yoke. The aircraft spends more time in the roundout, the ﬂoat, and the ﬂare, allowing the student more practice time in each distinct step of the landing. Absolutely, there is a need to practice power-off landings, as well as no ﬂap landings and other emergencies. But, in the initial process of learning to land, choose a long runway and leave in a little power until after touchdown. To further expand the time available for landing practice, I spend signiﬁcant time teaching go-arounds with a maneuver I call “Scaring the Runway.” This is parttask training, which allows students to dedicate their full attention to one area or a combination of one or two skills. We will ﬂy progressively lower over the runway, sometimes with the student handling only one control, such as power or rudder, while I control the others. Depending on the skill work needed, we may ﬂy at 10 feet and solely practice tracking the runway centerline. If the roundout needs practice, we’ll ﬂy at lower and lower alti-

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CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 1