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on behalf of both planes thus reducing unnecessary transmissions. Not only does it make sense, the AIM specifies as such. Another frustration is the use of IFR intersections for position reports in lieu of miles and direction from the airport on the CTAF on a VFR day. Our primary students are not instrument rated, nor do they have an approach plate in front of them. Let’s consider the audience when we speak. At a tower-controlled airport, N-numbers and intersections are useful, but not so much at a nontowered field. This pertains to military jargon and informal terminology as well. Though our students may think they sound clever to ”call the ball,” it’s counterproductive. It doesn’t impress anyone to hear terminology they are unfamiliar with at a time when they’re seeking advisories. If those listening don’t understand, you’ve failed to communicate. So, what happened over Block Island that summer day? The fishing story came to an end just in time, permitting me to warn the two pilots. They took evasive action and expressed enormous gratitude. Over lunch my student asked me what would have happened if the fishing story had lasted even seconds longer. The answer was understood, and so was the lesson.
Matthew J. Kiener is an ATP, CFII, AGI, and owner of a Cessna Aerobat.

The numbers don't lie: Loss of directional control tends to lead more landings astray
» David Jack Kenny

DOWN TO EARTH

“THERE ARE THREE secrets to making perfect landings. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.” Anyone who’s ever been a student pilot—much less tried to teach one—won’t be too surprised to learn that two-thirds of all accidents involving fixed-wing student solos happen during landing attempts. The good news is that less than 2 percent of them cause any serious injuries. Still, aircraft damage results in lost training time for other students and lost income for their instructors, and if not corrected quickly, damaged self-confidence can result in students being lost to aviation altogether—never mind the damage that increased claims and insurance premiums do to the whole industry. Clearly, student crack-ups don’t serve anyone’s best interests, and no CFI would sign off a student whose recent landings hadn’t been on a solid winning streak. Still, every instructor who’s ever given a solo endorsement knows that it’s a calculated risk. Is there information out there that can help make that calculation more precise? Data on just how landings go wrong might be a start. While students worry about learning to time the flare—and with good reason—their most common problem isn’t going up and down, but side to side. Losses of directional control made up 45 percent of all student landing accidents over the past 10 years, and less than half of these were specifically blamed on gusts or crosswinds. Learning to steer the airplane precisely, and keep steering it until it stops, cuts the risk of a landing accident by almost half. Lost directional control also caused more than 60 percent of solo takeoff accidents, second only to landings among the ways that students came to grief. In the vertical axis, flaring early causes trouble twice as often as flaring late. Almost a third of the past decade’s landing accidents were stalls, while hard landings not involving stalls accounted for 15 percent. Long and short landings were almost equally rare, making up barely 2 percent of the total—slightly less than the number blamed on wet, soft, or contaminated runways. And we shouldn’t be too hard on students. Bad landings made up 30 percent of the accidents sustained by private pilots, who typically spend a lot less time in the pattern. Pilots carry the skills developed—or neglected—as students throughout their flying careers.
David Jack Kenny is manager of aviation safety analysis for the AOPA Air Safety Institute and an instrumentrated commercial pilot, but really struggled learning how to land.

gear in lieu of the nosegear, how to keep the airplane on the runway and not letting it develop any lateral movement, and so on. Am I advocating any lessening of standards for pre-solo students? Of course not. What I am advocating is offering your student a more realistic assessment of what his or her behavior should be to achieve the short-term goal of soloing, while keeping the long-term objective in view. Of course, this strategy applies to every required private pilot maneuver, not just landings.

45% OF ALL

STUDENT LANDING ACCIDENTS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS WERE CAUSED BY LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL.

JUNE 2011 FLIGHT TRAINING

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Flight Training - June 2011

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