Flight Training - October 2011 - 50

INSTRUCTOR REPORT»

As students gained experience in cross-country flying, I would move my seat back so they might feel as if they were flying solo. I would fold my arms and say as little as possible. If a student asked a question I suspected they actually knew the answer to, but merely desired affirmation, my reply would be, “What do you think?” I would then let them explain and decide on an action themselves. This led to students being more decisive in the cockpit, and made for more interesting postflight debriefings. This is not to say I became passive or lazy. It means that I spoke more purposefully, not to simply fill air. And I saw a difference in my clients as they transitioned from students to pilots in command. My new strategy especially paid dividends with some of the more challenging students. I believe one of my finest moments as a flight instructor came from choosing to be quiet at the right moment. Al was a stubborn man. A pilot for many years, he was required to take remedial training and a checkride because of an accident. Having been

out of the training environment for so long, he found it difficult to remaster some of the basics and adjust to changes in technology. In particular, he had a tendency to neglect flight planning. No matter how much I emphasized, or ordered him to do his homework, Al always seemed to feel he would just figure it out when push came to shove. One day he planned a crosscountry to a nontowered airport with a nice restaurant. The plan was to land, discuss his oral exam over lunch, then practice maneuvers on the flight back. When Al showed me the route I noticed there was another airport two miles away with an almost identical runway layout. As we got closer I watched his navigation carefully. About eight miles away Al spotted an airport—the wrong one. I decided this was a perfect opportunity for me to shut up. Perhaps he would catch his own mistake. Or he might actually land at the wrong field, giving me a powerful debriefing point. Either way, it would be better if I didn’t intervene. However, this carried some risk.

If he continued to approach the wrong airport, I had to ensure we did so without becoming a hazard to other aircraft. I listened carefully on the radio (the two airports used the same frequency) and scanned aggressively for traffic at both locations. I surreptitiously checked the field elevation and pattern direction, all the while wondering whether Al would catch the error. But Al had his target in sight and was heading toward it with the tenacity of a bulldog. Keeping up my scan as we entered the downwind leg, I wondered if he would notice the runway numbers didn’t match our intended destination. Soon we turned base and final, then flared and touched down smoothly. As we rolled out Al began to look around for a restaurant that wasn’t there. “Hey, wait a minute,” he said. “Nice landing,” I replied mildly. “Wrong airport.” He exhaled slowly. “Oh, boy.” We then embarked on the twomile hop to our original destination. Al later told me it was the longest flight of his life. During lunch we discussed the numerous ways he

Don’t scare ’em
» By Rod Machado

FIRST-LESSON ETIQUETTE
disappointing a student on his or her introductory flight or very first lesson is not knowing how to avoid this issue in the first place. Here’s a strategy I’ve used to prevent this problem. It’s worked with great success over the years. Before I take someone on a demo flight or their first lesson, I ask them what they expect the flight will be like. If they don’t understand the question, I elaborate by asking them what they imagine will happen on the flight, or what others told them might happen. You’d be amazed at what some people say. Some say that they expect to be allowed to take off and even land (which is fine, I’m happy to oblige and let them try—under my watchful eye, of course). Others are sure that they’ll never be allowed to touch anything in the airplane for fear of bringing the machine down. When asking the question, I also ask about the more common issues that tend to create anxiety on initial lessons. For instance, I’ll ask about what they expect in terms of air bumpiness, banking the airplane, the changing sounds of the engine with changes in power and changes in pitch attitude. These are all things that can spook the easily spooked in flight. Once I have an understanding of what the student expects, I use it to guide my conduct on their first intro flight or lesson. My objective is always minimum shock and maximum pleasure. I only wish I had used this technique on my very first (and expensive) date in high school. Had I asked beforehand, “What do you expect a date with me will be like?” she would have replied, “I guess it will start with a lobster dinner….” At that point I would have said, “Well, guess again."

THE ONLY THING worse than scaring or

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Flight Training - October 2011

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