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I told him I needed to see evidence of checklist usage before retarding the power to begin every landing approach—no exceptions. But he didn’t have to physically take out a piece of paper. We could mount a small checklist to the panel, or he could verbally do GUMPS—Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Prop/Pumps, Speed/ Switches. Either would satisfy me, and develop the proper habits for when he eventually did fly an airplane with a controllable prop and retractable gear. I believe giving him a choice in how to perform the landing checklist sat better with Steve than if I had simply made an ironclad directive couched as an ultimatum. Shortly he was getting the job done consistently, and soloed again soon afterward. Remember that the student is also a client. While we should be firm on safety issues, there may be ways to make the transition to a new instructor easier by being flexible. If you as a CFI insist on having your way in every instance, your client may decide to make another change.
Jason Catanzariti is a flight instructor with more than 2,000 flight hours.

They’re only a means to an end
» David Jack Kenny

NOT JUST BY THE NUMBERS
STUDENTS STRUGGLING TO put the pieces together might be reminded to “fly by the numbers,” which has a lot of value as a simplifying device. If you’re on your target altitude and airspeed when you roll out onto final, you’ll have a lot less to deal with as you wait to cross the threshold. Making turns and throttle reductions at the correct key points is the surest way to get there. Likewise, it’s essential to nail the airspeeds through rotation and initial climb to extract anything like book performance during takeoff. Like all simplifications, though, this one has its price. Excessive reliance on numerical cues can deprive a student of the mental flexibility required to deal with the constantly changing flight environment. Consider the case of one AOPA staffer who comes from the kind of technical background that values numerical precision. During a dual lesson at a towered field, the controller instructed him to extend downwind for traffic. His instructor had to talk him through it because he couldn’t figure out when to pull the throttle or SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE NUMBERS ARE where to turn base. Another employee began ONLY A MEANS TO AN END. WHAT COUNTS IS taking lessons after joining PLACING THE AIRPLANE WHERE YOU WANT IT the staff and proved an WHEN YOU NEED IT THERE. exceptionally apt student, getting her solo endorsement after 14 hours of dual. On the very first circuit of that first solo, inbound traffic called a four-mile final and she decided to extend downwind. She timed her descent perfectly—then had to go around when the same aircraft was slow to clear the runway. Unlike her colleague, she understood that the numbers are only a means to an end. What counts is placing the airplane where you want it when you need it there. Obvious? Sure—but less so when you’re just starting. Almost half of all of student pilots’ landing accidents involve stalls or other hard landings, compared to less than 20 percent of those among certificated pilots. While some are simple lapses in depth perception, the majority can be traced to poor airspeed control, flying onto the runway too fast, or trying to arrest a too-rapid descent with back-pressure alone. Misunderstanding the trade-off between pitch and power is one likely result of relying on formula rather than reacting to the actual conditions of the flight.
As statistician for the Air Safety Institute, David Jack Kenny knows all about numerical obsession.

the airplane, then apply sufficient rudder pressure to keep the nose from yawing opposite the direction of turn.” At which point the instructor might press on the student’s knee (with permission, of course) to demonstrate the appropriate amount of rudder pressure needed. Now that’s teaching. Our obligation to teach isn’t fulfilled by simply checking the boxes of a training checklist. We teach when we act to produce a relatively permanent change in a student’s motor, perceptual, or cognitive behaviors.

JANUARY 2012 FLIGHT TRAINING

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Flight Training - January 2012

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