Flight Training - September 2011 - 49

INSTRUCTOR REPORT

A good instructor is always learning
INSTRUCTOR REPORT offers insights for students and tips for CFIs.

spin

weight

precession

GYROSCOPIC PRECESSION
How a purple dinosaur can help you teach
» By Jamie Beckett

ESSENTIAL AERODYNAMICS: STALLS, SPINS, AND SAFETY
This Air Safety Institute course teaches need-to-know concepts that will help you avoid unintentional stalls and spins (flash. aopa.org/asf/aerodynamics).

WHEN MY DAUGHTERS were small, rambunctious, and prone to singing about virtually every aspect of their daily lives, one of their favorite tunes was sung by a bouncy purple dinosaur named Barney. It was not at all unusual to hear, “The wheels on the bus go round and round,” for hours on end at our house. Philip A. Parker’s lyrics almost drove me insane for a time. But now that my youngest daughter has taken up flying, and looks to her dear old dad for guidance and insight, I have the guilty pleasure of turning the tables on her and singing that exact same song—at least, until she screams for me to stop. You see, Barney was on to something there. The wheels on the bus do indeed go round and round. But what I hadn’t realized initially was that Barney was giving me a big, flashing neon sign of an idea on how to teach one of the most

vexing topics flight instructors have to pass along to their students. Let’s talk about gyroscopes, shall we? There are two fundamental properties that pilots need to understand in order to make good use of gyroscopes: rigidity in space, and precession. The first is a no-brainer. Rigidity in space sounds exactly like what it is. The gyroscope tends to want to remain rigid, in its original position, regardless of what happens to the vehicle attached to it. Simple. Elegant. Easy as pie. Precession is a whole different story. Students read books and search the Internet for understanding. They may even ask other students, or instructors, for some sense of what the heck precession really is. But for the most part, they come up empty. The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, which is an outstanding resource for

SEPTEMBER 2011 FLIGHT TRAINING

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http://flash.aopa.org/asf/aerodynamics http://flash.aopa.org/asf/aerodynamics

Flight Training - September 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - September 2011

Flight Training - September 2011
Contents
President's Perspective
Right Seat
Letters
Getting There in Style
This Weekend
Success Stories
What It Looks Like
AOPA Action
Member Products News
ASI News
Since You Asked
News
Member Products Final Exam
Insights
Flying Carpet
Protective Layers
Wheels Down, Rods Ready
Technique
Weather
Checkride
Flight Lesson
You Heard It Here First
Career Advisor
Tech Talk
Gyroscopic Precession
Flight Instructor Code of Ethics
Your Controls!
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - September 2011 - Flight Training - September 2011
Flight Training - September 2011 - Cover2
Flight Training - September 2011 - 1
Flight Training - September 2011 - Contents
Flight Training - September 2011 - 3
Flight Training - September 2011 - President's Perspective
Flight Training - September 2011 - 5
Flight Training - September 2011 - Right Seat
Flight Training - September 2011 - 7
Flight Training - September 2011 - Letters
Flight Training - September 2011 - 9
Flight Training - September 2011 - Getting There in Style
Flight Training - September 2011 - 11
Flight Training - September 2011 - This Weekend
Flight Training - September 2011 - Success Stories
Flight Training - September 2011 - What It Looks Like
Flight Training - September 2011 - AOPA Action
Flight Training - September 2011 - Member Products News
Flight Training - September 2011 - ASI News
Flight Training - September 2011 - Since You Asked
Flight Training - September 2011 - 19
Flight Training - September 2011 - News
Flight Training - September 2011 - Member Products Final Exam
Flight Training - September 2011 - Insights
Flight Training - September 2011 - 23
Flight Training - September 2011 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - September 2011 - 25
Flight Training - September 2011 - Protective Layers
Flight Training - September 2011 - 27
Flight Training - September 2011 - 28
Flight Training - September 2011 - 29
Flight Training - September 2011 - 30
Flight Training - September 2011 - 31
Flight Training - September 2011 - Wheels Down, Rods Ready
Flight Training - September 2011 - 33
Flight Training - September 2011 - 34
Flight Training - September 2011 - 35
Flight Training - September 2011 - Technique
Flight Training - September 2011 - 37
Flight Training - September 2011 - Weather
Flight Training - September 2011 - 39
Flight Training - September 2011 - 40
Flight Training - September 2011 - Checkride
Flight Training - September 2011 - 42
Flight Training - September 2011 - 43
Flight Training - September 2011 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - September 2011 - You Heard It Here First
Flight Training - September 2011 - Career Advisor
Flight Training - September 2011 - 47
Flight Training - September 2011 - Tech Talk
Flight Training - September 2011 - Gyroscopic Precession
Flight Training - September 2011 - Flight Instructor Code of Ethics
Flight Training - September 2011 - Your Controls!
Flight Training - September 2011 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - September 2011 - 53
Flight Training - September 2011 - 54
Flight Training - September 2011 - 55
Flight Training - September 2011 - Debrief
Flight Training - September 2011 - Cover3
Flight Training - September 2011 - Cover4
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