Flight Training - September/October 2021 - 7

LETTERS
THINK LIKE
A PILOT
I DON'T NORMALLY REACH OUT TO AN
author but, I had to say thank you to
Dave Hirschman for putting in words the
advancement of learning that pilots go
through ( " Head Work, " July 2021 Flight
Training)-good job.
As a lifelong learner, too, I share his
sentiments.
Rob Chambers
Medford, Oregon
the correct basic flight controls. Flying an
airplane with complex procedures provides
too many complications not needed
and a pilot that is far from stress free and
enjoying the flight. Situational awareness
is important. Pilots don't have complete
situation awareness when they are busy
using acronyms.
William A. Quirk III
Anchorage, Alaska
I JUST READ DAVE HIRSCHMAN'S ARTICLE
in the August issue of Flight Training. I
had to stop reading it and send this note.
Hirschman is my new hero; I am going to
put his picture on the wall in my hangar.
It takes courage to suggest that the king
is not wearing any clothes (from the
Emperor's New Clothes). It was refreshing,
encouraging, and hilarious. I cried, I
laughed; thank you so very much.
I hold six instructor certifications in
TOO MANY
ACRONYMS
DAVE HIRSCHMAN IS ABSOLUTELY
correct ( " Unusual Attitude: Too Many
Acronyms, " August 2021 Flight Training);
pilots innately do not need acronyms for
flying an airplane. All this does is to make
flying an airplane complex and puts extra
pressure and stress on the pilot. What I
learned many years ago is that " simplicity
is the ultimate sophistication " for flying
airplanes. " Seat of your pants " flying is all
you need. Watching, feeling, and seeing
what your airplane is doing will tell you all
required for safely flying airplanes. When
your airplane is not in the proper order,
pilots can change it in seconds by using
other disciplines, and have been teaching
and instructing since my Marine days in
the 1970s. Nothing in my experience was as
bizarre and foreign to me as an instructor
than becoming a student pilot five years
ago. Acronyms are just one head-scratching
example of a system of instruction that has
such a lousy completion rate, something
like less than 25 percent depending on
whom you listen to. I can't imagine what
kind of Marine Corps we would have if a
75-percent washout rate was acceptable.
The story of the emperor's new clothes
ends well with the little boy pointing his
finger at the king and exclaiming he has
no clothes; unfortunately we are not going
to see the same result here, but again I
applaud the willingness to point a finger
and say that's not right. I fear that life in the
flight training world will continue accepting
a 75-percent failure rate as normal and
acceptable. Thanks again, made me laugh
out loud.
Paul Smeltzer
Athens, Louisiana
We welcome your comments. Please email
flighttraining@aopa.org. Comments will be
edited for style and space.
FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
7
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Flight Training - September/October 2021

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