Flight Training - November 2013 - 51

LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR

Nothing is important unless we make it so
» By Rod Machado

ONE THING THAT always disappointed me as a younger flight
instructor was returning from a
flight lesson without producing a
significant change in my student’s
skill level. Of course, there was the
learning plateau and a student’s
personal issues (to name a few) that
often explained a lesson’s limited
forward progress. On occasion,
however, I’d depart on a lesson convinced that my student was primed
for a large jump in skill, only to
return after achieving much less
than I knew was possible.
One day it dawned on me
that when my teenage behavior
disappointed my father, it was
sometimes the result of not having a clear idea of the behavior
he expected. Granted, willful
ignorance of our parents’ expectations can be a useful strategy when
invoking the “I didn’t know you
wanted me to do that” defense.
Most of the time my father prevented me from using that ruse
by sitting me down, looking me in
the eye, and invoking his Jedi-like
“Let me make this perfectly clear”
countermeasure.
If a person has even a scintilla of
communication skill, there’s very
little chance of a communications
misfire when he or she looks at you
and says, “Let me make this perfectly clear.” And that’s precisely
how my epiphany helped me get
the most out of my students during
each lesson when I began instructing. I realized that I was explaining
the maneuver properly but wasn’t
conveying the importance of
certain specific actions that were
essential to the maneuver.
Let’s assume your preflight
explanation consists of all the steps
necessary to enter and exit slow

flight in the clean configuration.
After the explanation, your student
can echo all the details of performing the maneuver in precise order.
Clearly, you’ve made things perfectly clear, right? Not necessarily.
In your student’s mind, it’s likely
that every step necessary to enter
slow flight is seen as being created
equal. Unfortunately, this isn’t true
for slow flight, or most other flight
maneuvers.
Most students can quickly
learn to reduce power and apply
sufficient aft elevator pressure to
maintain altitude while transitioning to a slower speed. What’s not
so easy to learn is the need to be
assertive with the power to maintain altitude as the target airspeed
is approached. This is a critical

of this statement is that it cues the
student to listen for, memorize, and
prioritize something significant.
Of course, I’m going to be judicious in how often I invoke these
“Let me make this perfectly clear”
moments. Use them too often and
they lose their significance. Fail to
use them enough and you diminish
your potential to teach effectively.
You might choose a different
phrase. I prefer “perfectly clear”
because it comes with the pedigree
of authority. It’s a dynamite phrase
that comes with its own blasting
cap.
Over the years I’ve made good
use of this phrase, but only because
I took the time to know when to
use it. For instance, one of the
critical elements of learning to land

I MAKE SURE THE STUDENT UNDERSTANDS THAT I'M USING THIS
STATEMENT FOR EMPHASIS AND NOT TO SCOLD.
element during transition to slow
flight. The increased induced drag
at higher angles of attack easily
can result in a loss of altitude and
even a stall if power is not applied
quickly and in sufficient quantity.
So how do you convey the
importance of this element during
training? I’ll do it by becoming my
dad. No, not by putting on plaid
pants and a golf shirt. Instead, I’ll
look directly at my student, smile,
and say, “Bob (or Bobette), let me
make this perfectly clear.” What
follows is an emphatic explanation
as to why Bob needs to be assertive
with the throttle as he approaches
the target slow flight airspeed. I’m
doing this in a friendly but very
serious manner (and I make sure
the student understands that I’m
using this statement for emphasis
and not to scold). The importance

an airplane is keeping the airplane
flying straight and tracking the runway centerline on final approach.
During the preflight briefing on the
landing lesson I’ll say, “Bobette, let
me make this perfectly clear. When
you’re on short final I want you to
keep those wings level with the
ailerons and the airplane pointed
straight with the rudders.” Nothing
is important unless we make it so.
This is how you make it so.
Then again, if you say, “Let me
make this perfectly clear,” and your
student says, “Oh my gosh, you
sound just like my dad,” you’re on
your way to being a more effective
teacher.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author,
educator, and speaker. He has been a pilot
since 1970 and a CFI since 1973. Visit his blog
(www.rodmachado.com).

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