Development of Confidence

The learner’s confidence often comes from their trust of the instructor.

Does your instructor inspire confidence? Do they have a vested interest in your training? Do they get excited for you when you reach a milestone like your first solo? Do they come up with creative ways of teaching when you are having difficulty? Or do they become frustrated when you’re not getting it and complain that they are “too good” to “still be a CFI?” 

• READ MORE: How Do You Obtain a Student Pilot Certificate After a Break in Training?

While you don’t necessarily have to like your instructor, you do need to respect them, and they need to respect you for learning to take place. If respect is not present, the best thing to do is change instructors.

Practice and Drill

“Why are we doing this again?” the learner asked when the CFI asked for a demonstration of ground reference maneuvers. 

The answer is because practice and drill increase proficiency, and proficiency results in confidence. A good portion of your flight training will be reviewed to make sure you consistently meet the airman certification standards (ACS).

On the ground drill can mean taking practice knowledge tests—as few as 10 questions at a time —until the material is learned, or going through practice check ride oral exams until the material is understood, not just delivered by rote.

What Hurts Confidence

Confidence is shaken if the learner gets the impression the CFI is making up answers to questions or if the CFI puts the learner into dangerous situations, like flying in a thunderstorm or icing conditions.

Some CFIs make excuses, like the CFI who flew into a closed airport twice (two different airports) with a learner because he didn’t check the NOTAMs. I asked the CFI why he didn’t check the NOTAMs before the flight and was told “that’s the student’s job.” Riiiiiight. Apparently he hadn’t taught his learner how to check NOTAMs because no one taught him.

• READ MORE: When Flight Training Stalls

If a flight is going poorly, the worst thing an instructor can do is tell the learner “just sit back, I’ll take us back to the airport.” It’s much better if the CFI engages the learner, if at all possible. If they don’t physically want to fly, have them run the radios, do navigation—all the while asking them to take the controls again.

The exception to this is when the learner does something willfully dangerous, like attempting to buzz something on the ground or not listening to the CFI when they tell the learner to go around. If the CFI has to take the controls to prevent a crash because the learner cannot follow directions, remove them from training.

Disengaged CFI

If the instructor views teaching as a chore, or complains how they want to move on, the learner can start to wonder if they are truly getting an education or simply paying for someone else to pad their logbook. This erodes learner confidence.

I wish I had a dollar for all the times I have heard pilot candidates remark they weren’t sure if they learned anything from their CFI because the flights were pretty much the CFI just sitting there. There was no feedback, good or bad.

A lack of communication can make a learner doubt themselves. I tell my learners if I am quiet in the cockpit, they are doing a good job. I learned to say this because a rather anxious young man was worried I was upset with him as his father had warned him, “It’s never good when a woman is quiet.”

Identifying What Makes You Anxious

If there is something that makes you anxious about flying, let your CFI know what it is. A good CFI will help you deconstruct the issue and come up with a workable solution for improving your confidence.

For example, if you are worried about getting lost, plan a dual cross-country flight using only pilotage and dead reckoning. Cover up the magnetic compass and make the GPS and VOR off-limits for this exercise.

The CFI might even toss in a divert. On the next flight add in a VOR (if available) and have the learner triangulate their position. Once you have that down cold, add in the GPS as a backup measure during cross-country flights.

Landings

Landings can cause anxiety. The ground is rushing up at you, and if you don’t have good airspeed control or there’s a crosswind that is taxing your capability, it’s easy to scare yourself.

Break down the process to identify the items that are giving you the issue: Is it staying ahead of the airplane? Run the checklist to get a better grasp on the procedures and “chair fly” the pattern, identifying what speeds and altitudes you are at on each leg.

• READ MORE: The Art of Ground School

If you are having trouble determining when to flare, have your CFI demonstrate how to fly 6 inches over the runway in the landing attitude, then do a go-around. The learner repeats this maneuver until they get comfortable.

Crosswinds

Since we can’t control the weather, an aviation training device (ATD) is excellent for learning how to handle crosswinds.

Start with crosswinds at 30 degrees and work up to 90 degrees and increase velocity. The learner gains muscle memory in the sim that can be replicated in the aircraft. Then make it a point to fly on wind days to get real-world experience.

You will be surprised at how much more confident you feel

Check Ride Oral Exam

It is often said that check ride failures most often happen during the oral exam rather than the flying portion.

If you have test anxiety, ask your CFI to set up mock oral exams for you. These need to be more than just reading out of the oral exam guide. Have another CFI put you through your paces. 

Understand that the purpose of the mock oral exams is to find the soft spots so that they can be reinforced before the actual check ride.

Overconfidence

The opposite end of the spectrum is the overconfident pilot who resents instruction.

If the learner has flown with another CFI who didn’t do preflight and post-flight briefings, or didn’t use a syllabus or emphasize checklist use, the learner can become resentful of the replacement CFI, suggesting they are trying to undermine the learner’s confidence by showing them what they don’t know. That’s the wrong attitude for a learner to take.

Every time you fly with a different CFI, anticipate you will learn something, just as CFIs pick up something from each learner they fly with.

CFIs need to be careful not to criticize the previous instructor, or say things like, “I can’t believe you don’t know this.” That can be a challenge sometimes, like when the learner doesn’t do clearing turns or use the rudders in flight.

“My other instructor told me not to do that,” or “my other instructor never made me do that,” are red flag phrases which usually translate to “something was lost in translation.”

If a learner is successful in another aspect of life, like their career, they can be of the mind that learning to fly will be very easy for them. When it isn’t, that can be a challenge to their self esteem.

The CFI can help the learner by pointing out that learning is a process, and anything as skill and knowledge dependent as flying is going to take time and practice and patience. Both the learner and CFI need to recognize this so that learning can take place.

The post The Confidence Factor in Learning to Fly appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This year I met several newly minted flight instructors and flight instructors in training who wish to do more than build their hours from the right seat. They want to be good teachers of flight. I really hope they meant what they said.

Training the Trainers

One of my great joys is working with CFI applicants who share the mindset that instruction is important and not just a way to build hours.

I will train teachers, not time builders. To do otherwise would be a disservice to future pilots.

The Problem With Shortcuts

We compared notes about applicants we’d encountered who had gone through accelerated training programs for CFIs.

While there are people who do very well with “quick ticket” training,  the fact is a few day courses don’t really teach you how to be a teacher. The only thing that does this is experience.

We all start out green. Time and practice is the only way to achieve seasoning.

Nearly everyone had a story to tell about the CFI applicant who wanted to take shortcuts just to pass the check ride.

They didn’t know how to organize a lesson, create a lesson plan, or offer a critique, but they had memorized the check ride. They parroted things they read off the internet. The mindset was “you’ll learn to teach after you get the ticket.”

This is unfair to the person who you are supposed to be teaching. They are paying for instruction, and you should be able to deliver. If you cannot do that, get out of the right seat.

Options to Improve CFI Training

Ideas were floated on improving the quality of flight instruction in the U.S.

The top suggestion was to increase CFI pay to entice them to stay on the job for more than one year. That’s the average time spent teaching for the pilot who is building their hours toward ATP minimums.

The theory is that spending more time as a CFI would enable these people to become better teachers. More experience doing something does tend to improve your performance. I submit, however, that unless that person really wants to be a CFI, this amounts to putting lipstick on a pig. 

If the candidate thinks flight instruction is beneath them—and there are some who do—no amount of money in the world is going to change that. Often their attitude comes across in the cockpit and the classroom.

Also, many smaller flight schools don’t have the revenue to support this business model, or they see all CFIs easily replaceable, saying their lack of experience justifies the low pay.

In many cases, working full-time as a CFI is too financially challenging. And even though they are good teachers and enjoy the job, many CFIs leave the profession for higher paying careers in other industries. 

Quality Over Quantity

Another suggestion was to create a training metric for CFIs, such as a set number of hours logged as dual instruction received post-commercial certificate to qualify for the CFI check ride, or be paired up with a CFI with more experience in a mentoring relationship before you are permitted to endorse anyone for a check ride. For example, the newly minted CFI would need 100 hours dual before they can sign off a client. 

These are intriguing ideas, but I am reasonably certain that in the U.S. with the pilot shortage and the “hurry up” mentality of so many flight students, any FAA rule changes would go over like a skunk on the dance floor at prom. Frankly, it would be too cumbersome and limiting in the training environment we have today.

CFI Responsibility 

There were also discussions about stressing the role of the CFI as a teacher and a coach.

Our job is to guide the learner in all facets of training air and ground. The learners don’t know what they don’t know, and no CFI or flight school should take advantage of their lack of experience.

There was a particularly painful story about a private pilot candidate who was at a school that provided both Part 141 and Part 61 training. The learner was flying under Part 61 and limited to flying just once a week, although they had the money and time to fly more frequently. 

According to the learner, as they compared flying lessons to music lessons, which are often just once a week, they didn’t know that flying more frequently would accelerate the learning process.

The CFIs—there were several—were fine with the once-a-week lesson, and according to the learner, never suggested an increase in lesson frequency. The learner allegedly spent thousands of dollars and several months “taking rides with multiple CFIs” but never soloed. 

If a CFI determines they cannot teach a particular client, the ethical thing to do is terminate the relationship. If you’re both frustrated, it’s in both of your best interests. It is far better if your CFI says, “I am not the right instructor for you,” than for them to keep showing up and taking your time and money. Often this breeds resentment.

Flight Training Is a Partnership

Sometimes CFIs encounter pilot applicants who have a participation trophy mindset when it comes to flight training.

Just showing up and going through the motions is not enough in aviation. We need to be clear that both the CFI and learner need to apply themselves and be accountable for their performance.

For learners who are successful in other aspects of their lives, this self-reflection can be painful at times. If you don’t meet performance standards as put forth in the ACS, it doesn’t make you a bad person. It just means you need more practice or a different approach to learning.

You won’t enjoy every part of your training— there will be days it seems tedious and difficult. There will be the dreaded learning plateaus that will make you question your life choices. There will also be those days with “aha!” moments, where the stars align, and the knowledge and skill come together.

You will get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that a relatively few in the human population achieve. This is particularly true when the designated pilot examiner (DPE) hands you your temporary certificate.

But to get there you need to work with your CFI—and they need to work with you.

The post Improving CFI Training Remains a Never-Ending Goal appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Although it is common for learners to imprint on their instructors, the fact of the matter is that the training connection is a business relationship. There needs to be communication about goals, how to achieve them, progress made, what has been accomplished, and what needs to be done. 

When you are a novice pilot, it can be a challenge to determine if progress is being made. When it becomes clear that it isn’t, it is time to make a change.

Flying Once a Week—Or Less

To make progress you need to fly on a consistent basis. This can be a challenge given limitations on instructor availability, airplane availability, learner availability, or finances.

There is no way anyone can make progress when you fly just once a week or a few times a month. You need a minimum of two lessons per week, three would be better, for learning to take place.

If you don’t have the money or time to fly at least twice a week, now may not be the time to pursue flight training. Save up the money and carve out the time to train. 

Flight Lessons Longer Than Two Hours

Just as flying too little hampers learning, so does flying too much.

Flying is fatiguing both mentally and physically. The cognitive demands, noise, and vibration of the aircraft can wear you out. Learning will not take place if you are tired.

It is not uncommon for pre-solo novice pilots to book five-hour lessons in the aircraft thinking they can knock out huge chunks of training in one lesson. This usually doesn’t work due to the fatigue factor.

You will need to build up endurance in the cockpit just like you do when learning to play a sport. For flights out to the practice area and back, two hours of flight time might be on the ragged edge.

While the FBOs gladly take your money and the CFIs will rack up the hours, you probably won’t get much out of it after about an hour in the air. Flying is too expensive to become self-loading ballast, so consider keeping the pre-solo flights to the practice area and in the pattern no longer than 1.3 hours. When your endurance increases, lengthen the lessons.

Too Early for Ground School?

It is never too early. Most of what you do in the airplane is best taught on the ground in a classroom than practiced in the air. The rules, regulations, and airspace are best taught on the ground as aircraft make terrible classrooms. 

If the CFI doesn’t recommend ground school, insists you self-study, and/or doesn’t make time to review what you have learned, ask why they are reluctant. If you’re not sure about a concept or an aircraft system or how to use a piece of equipment like ForeFlight or the E6-B, and your CFI can’t show you, find someone else to work with.

The CFI Doesn’t Use a Syllabus

A syllabus is the best way to keep a learner on track as it lists the tasks to be performed for certification and the order the tasks are to be learned.

Flight instructors train their clients as they were trained, and sadly many CFIs don’t use a syllabus because the person who trained them didn’t. “No one here uses one,” is a tepid excuse and unprofessional.

Minimal Preflight and Post-Flight Briefings 

“Did you check the weather?” and “See you next week,” are not pre- and post-flight briefings.

The preflight briefing consists of what the planned lesson is, how it will be conducted, and completion standards. The post-flight briefing consists of how you performed on the flight, ways to improve if required, and what will be done on the next flight.

Reluctance to Teach Basic Navigation

If your CFI is all about GPS, and says that no one uses the VORs, magnetic compass, pilotage or ded reckoning anymore, know that this is not accurate.

The basic method of navigation is using outside visual references. You also need to be able to determine time, speed and distance calculations using the E6-B—either analog or electronic—rather than relying on an app to do the work. 

For your check ride, you will need to know how to perform a divert in midair, and it is likely the examiner will disable the electronic devices to test your skills.

Reluctance to Use Paper Charts

While the electronic flight bag is a marvelous tool and reduces cockpit clutter, it can overheat, run out of power, or disappear from your flight bag or airplane.

Learn to use paper as backup. Also, you may find it more expedient to use paper for certain operations, such as looking up an airport tower frequency.

Instead of tapping on multiple tabs, a quick glance at paper gives you the information you seek.

No Introduction to the FAR/AIM

The Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual (FAR/AIM) spells out the knowledge and experience required for every certificate and rating. Your CFI should tell you about this book on day one of your training and demonstrate how to use it. 

The FAR/AIM is a tool to be used to “trust but verify.” There are far too many learners going on flights that are more for the benefit of the CFI building their hours.

How many times have you heard about a low-time, pre-solo private pilot candidate doing an IFR flight or night cross counties at the insistence of their instructor? 

Remember this is your training, and it’s supposed to benefit you. If you ever feel like that has not happened, you are well within your rights to make a change.

The post When Flight Training Stalls appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

They will drop out of flight training when they run out of money or when life gets in the way. It can also happen with ground school—they miss a class here or there or don’t have time to study. More often than not, it is more of a slow goodbye when they become overwhelmed. 

It is a learning plateau of sorts, and a good CFI will be watching for this and be ready to reel the learner back in.

Instructor Attitude Sets the Tone

It starts with attitude. If the instructor doesn’t want to be there, neither will the learners.

To the CFIs: Ground school shouldn’t be treated like a chore or a necessary evil. 

To the learners: Yes, it will help you pass the knowledge test, but it is also there to prepare you for your time in the air. Put some effort into it, and with the help of your instructor, do flight lessons that help you better understand the concepts you learn about in class.

To the flight schools: Find a CFI who excels at and enjoys teaching ground school. Nothing turns off a learner quicker than a lazy CFI who reads slides off a screen or passages out of a book and tries to call that teaching. They need to be engaged in the delivery—and that needs to be memorable for learning to take place.

Some flight schools pay their CFIs to create and teach a 10-week course with the caveat that the participants who miss a class can drop in on that particular class in the next 10-week course for free. Give the participants a six-month window to do these makeup classes.

This works best when the ground schools are run several times a year, provided they have enough learners to make it economically feasible for the flight school. I have taught classes with as few as five and as many as 12 learners.

The pace of the class should be to accommodate the slowest learner. It will take the CFI about two weeks to determine who that is.

To the CFI: Be ready to give that person extra assistance (privately) if needed, as there are fewer worse feelings than being left behind academically. Understand that talking is not teaching any more than throwing food at someone is getting them to eat.

Ask questions of the learners to see if the message delivered is the one received. If it isn’t, be ready to rephrase

Train the trainers 

It can be beneficial for CFI candidates to shadow the lead CFI, and open this opportunity to the inexperienced CFIs or even a commercial soon-to-be CFI candidate.

The CFI who is leading the course assigns the student-teacher a topic—for example, weight and balance or hazardous weather. The leading CFI is still in charge and will oversee the lesson to make sure all the elements are addressed, but it is a great opportunity for an up-and-comer to gain teaching experience.

Take the Initiative to Teach Ground

If your flight school does not have an established face-to-face ground school class, perhaps you can take the initiative and create one?

You don’t have to hold a CFI certificate to do this. You can become a ground instructor by passing the advanced ground instructor (AGI) knowledge test.

There is a basic ground instructor certificate, but if you want to pursue Gold Seal certification (the FAA’s way of saying you know your stuff), you will need to have an AGI, so why not get it now? The material on these tests is similar to that required of the private pilot and commercial pilot candidates. Once you pass the AGI exam, you can begin teaching ground school.

This nugget of knowledge comes from Greg Brown’s The Savvy Flight Instructor. Brown was flight instructor of the year in 2000 and inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 2021.

Brown became my mentor after I heard him speak at a convention. His book is required reading for all the CFI candidates I work with, because it provides guidance on how to achieve professionalism and to market and prepare yourself to be an aviation educator. If you are on the instructor track, read this book.

Initiative: Master Level

When you don’t have a CFI certificate or experience as a teacher, it can be difficult to find a location that will hire you as a ground instructor. Don’t let that stop you.

Have some business cards made and market yourself as a tutor for those in pursuit of their flight review. The ground portion can often be very daunting if it has been a few years since they were involved in aviation.

This is how I started my instructor career. I began tutoring a friend in a Starbucks on Saturday mornings. I carried a small whiteboard, a sectional, an E6-B, etc. Another customer who recognized the tools of the trade asked if I would tutor him for his flight review.

This continued, and soon I had a small ground school going in the corner on Saturday mornings. I would tip the baristas in advance, and everyone would order coffee for the two hours we were together. It helped pay for my CFI flying lessons and develop my teaching skills.

The post The Art of Ground School appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Thank goodness you use paper,” he said, going on to tell me that he wanted to learn using paper sectionals and navlogs, and once he mastered those, he might move into using an electronic flight bag (EFB).

He said he wanted to learn to use analog tools because that’s how he processed information best. Also, he said he knew devices could fail or go missing, and if you don’t have an analog backup, the mission would be over. He worked in the tech industry (space flight), where equipment and technology failures are planned for.

I have no problem teaching with paper. With primary learners, I prefer it, as learning to flight plan the “old-school” way provides a good base on which technology can be added at a later date.

According to multiple CFIs and DPEs I know, many pilots who are solely training using EFBs and an app for their cross-country planning are often weak in the elements of a VFR flight plan because they never learned how to do it beyond putting information into a computer and letting the app do its magic. They often do not understand where the data comes from, which makes it difficult to know if it is corrupt or incorrect for the given situation.

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) note that the EFB is permitted, as the focus of that portion is that the applicant “demonstrate satisfactory knowledge of cross-country flight planning.” That includes route planning, airspace, selection of appropriate and available navigation/communication systems and facilities, altitude accounting for terrain, effects of wind, time to climb and descent rates, true course, distances, true heading, true airspeed and ground speed, estimated time of arrival, fuel requirements, and all other elements of a VFR flight plan.

It’s difficult to learn this past rote memory when the computer does all the planning for you. This is why many CFIs opt to teach both methods, and often begin with the basics, a paper sectional and looking out the window before adding in the use of the EFB. 

Analog Cross-Country Flight Planning

Flight planning begins with a paper sectional, navlog, plotter, and mechanical E6-B. I’m a fan of the E6-B because the wind side is very useful for determining crosswind components.

The instructions for the use of the device are printed on it. All the calculations are basically math story problems, and the instructions walk you through the process. The plotter also has instructions printed on it. The informational boxes on the paper navlog are labeled so you know where to put the information.

The lesson begins with reading the empty navlog. The CFI explains the terms true course, variation, magnetic heading, deviation, and compass heading. Now flip over the E6-B to the wind side, where the formulas for calculating this information are printed. Identify the directions for determining ground speed and wind-correction angle, noting that process is also printed on the device. 

• READ MORE: How To Use a E6B Flight Computer

Now it’s time to spread out the sectional and get to work, picking landmarks to use as check points for pilotage, determining the true course, finding the deviation, etc. The filling out of the navlog begins with the recording of the checkpoints and measuring distances between them. Put this information in the appropriate boxes. Always do this process in pencil and have an eraser handy.

Make sure the destination meets the definition of a cross-country flight for the certificate you seek. For private pilot airplane, it is 50 nm straight-line distance, and for sport pilots, 25 nm. Be sure you are using the correct scale on the plotter. 

I walk the learners through the first two lines of the navlog. This takes them from the departure airport to the top of climb, and then the first leg of the flight. Once the navlog is filled out, we go to the performance section of the POH to determine true airspeed (TAS), fuel burn, and time to climb. 

• READ MORE: Make Friends With the E6B

The wind side of the mechanical E6-B  is used to determine the wind correction angle. Pro tip: if you will be using more than one set of wind values for the flight, give them distinct symbols on the E6-B, such as an “X” for the winds at 3,000 feet and a “dot” for the winds at 6,000 feet.

Make sure to note the winds and the symbol on the navlog and do not erase the wind marks until after the completion of the flight. This is important, because if you need to divert (and you will have to demonstrate this on your check ride), you don’t want to lose time re-marking the wind dot on the E6-B.

Many learners find analog flight planning fun. There certainly is a sense of accomplishment after you’ve learned what makes a good checkpoint, how to measure the distances, determine aircraft performance and— the big kahuna— how to “spin the winds” on the mechanical E6-B to determine ground speed and time en route. Yes, those instructions are printed on the face of the device.

Applicants, please make sure you can navigate when technology—particularly the GPS—is taken away. By the way, DPEs are permitted to fail devices during the check ride. Fair warning: Don’t be the applicant who pulls out a second iPad or cell phone as backup because you’re missing the point. 

Putting all your eggs in the tech basket isn’t going to help when the iPad overheats, there is a signal outage, or the device is otherwise rendered unusable. If you don’t have the ability to navigate by pilotage or the compass, are you really qualified to be in that cockpit?

Benefits of the EFB

The EFB is more environmentally friendly than paper charts and sectional because you don’t have to cut down trees to get the information. Updating the information is easier as it can be done with a keystroke rather than a purchase, and it creates a more organized cockpit as the tablet stores the information and it can be accessed with a swipe of a finger rather than doing an advanced yoga pose in flight to reach for your flight bag.

The tablets come in several sizes, and there are many options for mounting them, including yoke or kneeboard. I’m not a fan of the suction-cup-on-the-windscreen method as that blocks part of your view outside.

If you opt for a yoke-mounted unit, make sure it doesn’t interrupt the travel of the yoke or stick or put the aircraft in a permanent bank. There are some tablets that are just too large for the cockpit. If you opt for a kneeboard-mounted device, make sure your kneeboard holds it securely and the kneeboard stays in place.

• READ MORE: Who Wins the Battle of the Aviation Kneeboards?

As far as  data plans for navigation applications, you may find that the annual cost is competitive with that of replacing the paper sectionals and chart supplements.

The EFB is a wonderful tool, but like all tools it can be misused. It shouldn’t become a crutch for the pilot who has forgotten how to read a sectional because of disuse. Don’t be that pilot who becomes so reliant on technology for navigation that you forget to look out the window. 

The post The Wisdom in Not Putting All Your Eggs in the Tech Basket appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I looked off the extended centerline hoping to see the landing light of the twin. No joy. The skies were hazy due to forest fire smoke, and the light was flat because it was late afternoon and, frankly, it was difficult to see anything.

The C-172 pilot reduced engine power and configured the aircraft for a descent. Normal procedures called for losing 200 to 300 feet of altitude then turning base when the runway was at a 45-degree angle to the aircraft.

“Do you see the twin?” I asked, because I still didn’t have a visual. 

“Nope,” the pilot said, stopping the descent. “I’m not turning base until I see him. I’m not going to do a Watsonville.”  

• READ MORE: Avoiding Mid-Airs: Safety in the Practice Area

We continued on an extended downwind for another 10 seconds, then the pilot of the C-172 decided to break off the approach and depart to the west. He told me he planned to reenter on the 45. As he rolled wings level to the west, we finally saw the twin—on short final. 

Watsonville

“Watsonville” refers to an August 2022 midair collision between a Cessna 152 and a Cessna 340A at Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI) in California. Three people and a dog were killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the final report on the accident earlier this year. All accident reports present an opportunity to learn. What I learned from this one is that in aviation you can be doing everything right, but if someone else does something wrong, you can still get hurt. 

Deconstructing Watsonville

According to the NTSB, on August 18, 2022, around 3 p.m. PDT the pilot of the C-152 was in the pattern for Runway 20 as the pilot of the C-340A was attempting a straight in. It was a VFR day. Both pilots were communicating on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF).

The pilot of the C-152 was flying in the traffic pattern of the nontowered airport and making position reports on the airport’s CTAF. The pilot of the twin made an initial radio call 10 miles from the airport announcing his intentions to perform a straight approach for Runway 20. The pilot of the C-152 was flying the pattern for Runway 20. He made position reports as he turned on each leg of the pattern—as a well-trained pilot does. 

I listened to the  recordings of the CTAF on LiveATC.com after the event. The C-152 pilot’s radio calls were concise and informative.

Just after the pilot of the twin reported a 3-mile final, the pilot of the C-152 announced he was turning left base for Runway 20. Around 19 seconds later, the twin pilot reported that he was a mile from the airport. The last transmission of the C-152 pilot noted how quickly the larger airplane was coming up behind him and announced he was going around. 

The Cessna twin hit the C-152 from behind. The aircraft collided less than a mile from the runway at an altitude of approximately 150 feet above ground. There were several witnesses on the ground, and the collision was caught on security cameras near the airport.

The Aftermath

Investigators using ADS-B data determined the twin was at a ground speed of 180 knots, more than twice that of the C-152 on approach and considerably faster than the normal C-340A approach speed of 120 knots. 

The examination of the wreckage revealed the twin’s wing flaps and landing gear were both retracted at the time of the collision, which is consistent with the pilot’s failure to configure the airplane for landing. Normal flap extension speed for the C-340A is 160 knots, and the landing gear extension is 140 knots. Investigators noted that the faster speed reduced the pilot’s time to see the smaller aircraft. 

Witnesses on the ground reported the twin veered to the right at the last second, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the smaller, slower aircraft.

The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident to be “the failure of the pilot of the multiengine airplane to see and avoid the single-engine airplane while performing a straight-in approach for landing.”

Applying Lessons at Home

That Watsonville accident was talked about for weeks at my home airport as there are a few light twins based there. These airplanes often do straight-in approaches, or fly the RNAV 35 in VFR conditions. It is legal for them to do so. 

One of the lessons I impart is for the learners to pay attention to the make of aircraft as well as their distance from the runway during position reports. “Cessna twin” tells me that it is faster and larger than the Cessna 100 series aircraft I normally fly. Conversely, if I hear “yellow Cub,” I know to keep looking for slower traffic.

Right of Way

Clearing the area before you turn is one of the first lessons a pilot learns. It is the aviation version of look before you cross the street.

One of my best learners, an Army helicopter pilot going for her fixed wing add-on, had this down cold. She was used to flying in a multicrewed environment so she would say, “Look left, clearing left, coming left,” then make the turn. If there was another aircraft, she’d announce, “Not clear to the left, not sure if he sees me,” then she would turn to avoid the other aircraft, often taking us in the opposite direction or changing altitude. This was even if we technically had the right of way, per FAR 91.113.

FAR 91.113 states: “When weather conditions permit, regardless of whether an operation is conducted under instrument flight rules or visual flight rules, vigilance shall be maintained by each person operating an aircraft so as to see and avoid other aircraft.” It is difficult to avoid the other aircraft if you don’t see them—and don’t count on ADS-B as a crutch, as some aircraft are not equipped with it. You still need to keep your eyes outside.

The details of FAR 91.113 state which aircraft have right-of-way over others. Basically, the least maneuverable, such as a glider (no engine for go-around) or airship (those things are slow), have the right of way over an airplane, unless the airplane is being towed, refueled, or is in distress. 

FAR 91.113 also states that the aircraft being overtaken has the right of way—as the C-152 did in Watsonville. But the rules don’t help if the pilot of the other aircraft doesn’t see you. 

Instead of potentially putting yourself in front of a faster, larger aircraft, take precautionary evasive action, even if you do technically have the right of way. There are a lot of rights worth dying for. Right of way is not one of them.

The post Remembering Right of Way and Steering Clear of a ‘Watsonville’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This time of year I find myself thinking about Josh Dierks, killed on July 10, 2006, while flying a Piper Navajo. We worked together as CFIs. He wanted a career at the airlines, so he took a job flying cargo to build his multiengine time. Dierks was flying from Spokane, Washington, to Seattle when, as he approached the Cascade Range, he informed ATC that he was experiencing an uncommanded loss of engine power in both engines.

Lacking the power to get over the Cascades, Dierks diverted to Easton State Airport (KESW), a turf runway measuring 2,640-by-100 feet at an elevation of 2,226 feet. The airport sits next to an interstate and is surrounded by trees. There are homes scattered around the airport, basically under the traffic pattern.

There were several witnesses to the accident. One said the engines didn’t sound right, the aircraft’s landing gear was down, and the aircraft was very low and fast on downwind and the winds were squirrelly—an estimated 20 knots from 270 then jumping to 18 knots from 090. He was attempting to land on Runway 27. Although eyewitness testimony is notoriously inaccurate, I hope the assertion that Dierks swerved at the last minute to miss the houses is correct. The aircraft’s wing struck a pine tree with a 10-inch trunk, then hit the ground inverted, exploding in flames. Joshua Alan Dierks died just two weeks before his 27th birthday.

Most of us at the flight school learned about the accident within an hour of the event, when the local NBC-TV affiliate showed still photographs of the aircraft burning out of control on the evening news. We had two former coworkers flying for that cargo outfit.

There is always a desire to get more information about what happened. It won’t bring the person back, but it’s part of the grieving process. As we were not family, we could not receive any information from the authorities. I swapped my CFI cap for my reporter hat and tracked down the person who took the photos for an interview. He’s the one who told me Dierks swerved to miss the houses.

The Aftermath

If there is an accident and it involves someone you know or your flight school, it may be difficult for you to get back into the aircraft—at least for a time. That’s OK. We’d rather have you standing down while you process what’s happened than be distracted in the air. Flight training is not the last chopper out of Saigon.

Many flight schools have protocols when there is an incident or accident. Don’t speculate, and don’t talk to reporters or other pilots about it. Some go so far as to lock the doors, ground the fleet, and not answer the phone.

If your flight school has rules like this, obey them.

It may be a few days before you venture back into the cockpit, and that is understandable. You will probably find yourself wondering how you would react if you had been in the pilot’s seat. That is normal, but don’t let it eat you up.

Your best course of action is to receive more training to improve your skills and proficiency. You may just want to fly as a passenger with a more experienced pilot at the controls just to get some air under your butt again.

Don’t Be a Troll

These days, the preponderance of social media and smartphones makes the time between accidents and public release of images and information quicker than it has ever been before.

Some pages have rules about posting information and images or releasing names of those involved, especially when it involves a fatality. How would you like to learn via social media that someone you cared about was killed? Or have your loved ones learn about you that way? You may have already had this experience. I have. You can look up a tail number and find the aircraft owner—and then someone posts their name online. I appreciate the moderators who remove these posts.

On YouTube, sometimes both experienced and not-so-experienced pilots will dissect accidents and offer their opinion on what happened. Unless they were there to witness the event and on board the aircraft, what they are saying is speculative entertainment and often polarizing. The more clicks they get, the more revenue they acquire. Don’t feed the beast.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated Dierks’ accident for the better part of two years but was unable to determine the cause of the loss of engine power. Other accident investigations are more definitive, and the agency makes recommendations to the FAA designed to make aviation safer.

Use the NTSB reports as a learning tool. The analysis offered in the preliminary and final report can be instructional, as accidents are usually caused by a chain of events when the “holes in the Swiss cheese” line up.

Hindsight being 20/20, you can see the choices the pilot made and think about what actions you might have taken were you in the same situation.

The post What to Do When There’s an Accident appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Do we need the landing light for this flight?” I asked. 

It was 2 p.m. We would be in the air for approximately an hour, and sunset was 7:44 p.m. “Is it required?” This was a test, and I was overjoyed when the six-hour learner stated the landing light was not required for daytime VFR flight. He then pulled out the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR)/Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) and went right to 91.205 to verify and demonstrate that he knew where to look it up.

• READ MORE: Not Every Flight Student Wants to Become an Airline Pilot

This was an important conversation as a week or so earlier there had been a spirited discussion (over the radio, no less) when a CFI from a competing flight school lectured one of my coworkers for having an inoperative rotating beacon on the Cessna 172 he was flying. Captain Lecture was in another airplane. They were both in the run-up area. The rest of us were in the FBO gathered around the radio like you see in those TV shows set in the 1930s, listening to Captain Lecture go off.

The whole thing was inappropriate. This wasn’t a simple “your rotating beacon is inop.” It was a full-on lecture about the regulations, the importance of squawking and placarding the unit if inop, how the FAA would shut down the flight school, etc., if this wasn’t done properly. It blocked the frequency at the nontowered airport for several minutes. 

The coworker replied that he was ferrying the aircraft to another airport to have the anti-collision beacon replaced, adding, “It’s a 2000 model.” That was a shorthand way of referencing—per 91.205—where it reads, “For small civil airplanes certificated after March 11, 1996, in accordance with Part 23 of this chapter, an approved aviation red or aviation white anti-collision light system. In the event of failure of any light of the anti-collision light system, operation of the aircraft may continue to a location where repairs or replacement can be made.” 

• READ MORE: Who Checks the Localizer/ILS at an Airport?

Therefore, the flight was legal.

Captain Lecture insisted the aircraft was not airworthy and therefore the flight was illegal and he would be talking to “a buddy of his who worked at the FAA.” 

Someone else jumped on the frequency with “Narc!” ending the conversation. 

Should You Say Something?

I appreciate it when other pilots note an issue with the airplane that I can’t see from the cockpit, such as the front tire that decided to go flat between the ramp and the runway. And I have been the person to warn another pilot about an issue, like a seat belt that was hanging out of the passenger’s door. There’s no reason to be a jerk about it.

As far as squawks go, as long as the items aren’t required per FAR 91.205 or 91.207, the flight could, in theory and legally, happen. But ask yourself, does the missing or inoperative item get in the way of the mission? Is it a realistic distraction? For example, for daytime VFR flight, an attitude indicator is not required, but it is nice to have when teaching steep turns. A good CFI will have an alternate lesson planned, just in case.

If the missing or inoperative instrument is a distraction, there should be a way to mitigate it. I teach my learners to carry something they can use to cover up failed instruments at all times because of this. Partial panel is taught to instrument candidates, but not so much to VFR pilots— but it sure comes in handy.

I learned this when my attitude indicator failed in VFR conditions. Although I had the horizon out the windscreen to look at, it was difficult to ignore the attitude indicator showing the aircraft in a climbing turn to the right when we were in straight and level. Because of my experience I now teach partial panel to all my clients, VFR as well as IFR. 

• READ MORE: Pilot Proficiency Center Sets Focus for Oshkosh 2024 Training

The learners can get creative to cover up the offending instruments. One of my pre-solo candidates used a dollar bill and a piece of chewed gum to cover up a failed attitude indicator during a VFR lesson. This wasn’t a simulation—it was the real deal. The instrument worked normally for the first part of the flight, then during steep turns, it rolled over like a turtle—and stayed there. As he affixed the dollar bill to the face of the instrument, he said, “I’m covering up the heading indicator too because it’s part of the vacuum system as well and probably isn’t  reliable.” Learning had taken place.

Document and Report

The proper way to document and report squawks also needs to be taught. You’ve probably seen the internet joke about the military squawks: “something loose in the cockpit,” with the response: “something tightened in the cockpit.” Strive to be more precise. 

You are better off to write down the issue and include the date, time, condition of flight, and, if appropriate, which instructor you were flying with when the issue happened or was noticed. This level of detail was requested by a certain mechanic at a busy flight school who noted what might seem insignificant to a pilot can be very helpful to the folks turning the wrenches. 

• READ MORE: The Importance of Embracing Proficiency Culture

The day of the dollar and the gum, the squawk detail read, “June 10, approx. 3:40 p.m. 4,300 feet, 2,300 rpm, steep turns, 24 minutes into flight attitude indicator tumbled, did not right itself after 10 minutes of straight and level. Flying with Meg.”

The chief mechanic later thanked the learner, saying that there had been previous reports that the attitude indicator was “wonky,” but the mechanic could not duplicate the issue on the ground.

As to the rotating beacon issue, the beacon was replaced and the FAA did not shut down the flight school, although we did get a visit from a safety inspector who asked about the incident. The boss showed proof that the beacon was properly squawked and placarded inop when the CFI ferried the airplane to an airport 23 nm away for repairs. The safety inspector assured he had not made a special trip for us—he was allegedly there to inspect an aircraft. 

He seemed more concerned about Captain Lecture taking over the radio and blocking the frequency, saying, “As a CFI he should know better.” 

The post Understanding Squawks and How to Best Handle Them appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Neither do I,” I replied, making him smile. Not everyone who shows up at a flight school wants a career at the airlines. There are some pilots who learn to fly for recreation, as a bucket list item, or to allow them to have more transportation options. They may even plan to get their own airplane to facilitate trips.

This particular client had been to three different flight schools and was discouraged because all the schools were geared toward pilots aiming for the airlines and didn’t have time for a hobbyist aviator. The waiting list, he said, was several months long for a “class date.”

• READ MORE: Father’s Day Flights and How to Make the Most of Them

Sadly, this is a common story. It can be difficult for the hobbyist to find a training opportunity that meets their training pace and expectations. They want to go to the airport a few days a week, scheduling around their other responsibilities and activities, not enroll in a five-day-a-week, hurry-up-and-get-done-with-it program. 

While there definitely is an advantage to an accelerated program for some people, it doesn’t work for everyone. And once you earn your certificate, you may have difficulty renting an airplane for fun, as many schools limit rentals to clients who are enrolled in their programs and actively working on building experience toward a certificate or rating.

These days, with so many aspiring airline pilots taking training at accelerated programs, it is likely that the CFI who trains you will be a graduate of an accelerated program and working as a CFI to build their hours. CFIs may push their clients to train more than three days a week and often twice a day. This may not work for the client who has limited time or other commitments that take their energy.

Look for a Club

An option to the pilot pipeline schools are aviation clubs that are geared toward fun flying, and as such have limited memberships so that the members can more easily access airplanes. Make sure to ask how many CFIs the club has, and if they are career instructors or experience/time builders trying to get to the airlines. You will likely find a mix of both.

• READ MORE: What Private Pilots Need to Know About FAA’s New ACS

When I hear the phrase, “I don’t want to fly with a time builder,” it is a red flag, as it tells me this person has had a bad experience. The smart thing to do is for the replacement CFI to learn what the issue was with the previous school/instructor and what steps the learner took to change the situation. Did they request a different instructor? Sadly, many learners are reluctant to do this or request a refund of the money they placed on account. 

You can ask for both, however, the answer may be no, especially when it comes to asking for your money back. Depending on the amount, you may be able to take the owner of the school to small claims court. On the latter, always get the return policy in writing, and don’t be surprised if they drag their feet, telling you the check is in the mail, that there is a “handling fee,” or they need to run it past someone who is on vacation, etc. Never put more money on account than you can afford to lose.

• READ MORE: Flight Sims for the Win: It’s All About Repetition and Drill

Sometimes it is the CFI who terminates the learner. If the instructional relationship isn’t working, or the learner demonstrates one of the five hazardous attitudes, is dishonest, or becomes argumentative, it can be in both their best interests to end the training partnership. It can also be a much more benign reason, such as the CFI doesn’t have enough time in their schedule to meet the learner’s training expectations.

Discuss Expectations

The first meeting between the learner and the CFI should begin with a discussion about the learner’s wants and expectations, starting with what inspired them to fly, how many days a week they are available to train, what their educational background is, and what they do for a living. I find these last two very helpful, as it can help the CFI draw corollaries between experiences the learner may have had and what they are learning. 

Partnership Sets the Pace

The CFI and learner need to work together to establish the pace of training. Use a syllabus to keep track of progress. Bring a notebook with you to lessons to take notes. Expect that there will be some discussion before and after the flight so you know what you will be doing.

In addition to flying, you must be prepared to commit to ground study. The latter is the most important. A CFI could teach a chimpanzee to fly, but they can’t teach them to be an aviator.

Flying needs to fit in with the rest of your life, but if possible, it is best to fly at least two days a week, or three days a week for optimum progress. You will need the time between lessons to absorb the material.

Remember, flying is a choice and supposed to be fun. If it gets to be too much, or you have to drop it for a time to take care of other things, that is OK. We’ll leave the runway lights on for you.

The post Not Every Flight Student Wants to Become an Airline Pilot appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Sometimes, if dad likes it enough and has the resources and time, it can lead to earning a certificate. Dad may not enroll in flight school immediately, but he may return to it later in life when the kids are grown and no longer his financial responsibility. I’ve had many learners who come in for lessons years after the intro flight. That’s how much of an impression that flight can leave on a person.

• READ MORE: Best 2024 Father’s Day Gifts for Pilots and Aviation Enthusiasts

If you’re a pilot, a flight with your father may be on tap. I highly recommend this, as one of my most cherished memories is the one and only time I was able to take my dad flying. I was a private pilot, with a whopping 210 hours and Dad was a freshly retired aerospace engineer. We lived in different states so visits were once a year at best. Dad had always dreamed of being a pilot, but Uncle Sam needed him to build things to put into space, so he didn’t get the chance. He lived vicariously through me.

We were flying in the Cessna 152 I took my check ride in. I had been warned by more experienced pilots that I had to assert control right off the bat when flying with a parent because (and this came from a parent) they tend to still see their adult children as children. You may feel confident in the cockpit but in the back of their mind they remember the time when you were 16 and you confused the clutch for the brake as you pulled into the garage and took out Dad’s new 10-speed bicycle.

To guard against this I began the passenger briefing with “Dad, I am pilot in command [PIC] on this flight. I am not your daughter. I am not 15 years old, and you are not teaching me how to drive.” 

Dad was a military man (think Captain von Trapp from Sound of Music the movie and turn it up five notches). and he was amused by the confidence I portrayed. 

Pick Your Day and Time Carefully

Smoothest air is generally best when you take a nonpilot up in a small airplane. I prefer early morning flights because the cooler air means less bumps, and usually there isn’t a lot of air traffic to compete with. 

You may want to be conservative with your weather minimums as well. While you may be able to handle a direct crosswind of up to 15 knots, it might frighten your passenger when you put the airplane into a slip during the approach to landing. 

• READ MORE: How to Build Confidence Along With Hours

Real-world tip: Tell your passenger what you are doing as you do it: “This is called a slip. It’s a way to descend and keep the longitudinal access of the airplane lined up on the runway…”

You may find it useful to have the passenger wait inside the terminal while you do the preflight inspection of the aircraft. They will likely ask questions, and that can be distracting. If you are interrupted during the inspection, pause and back up three items on the checklist. 

Don’t skimp on the safety briefing. Remind them you are PIC and that they need to keep their feet away from the rudder pedals and not touch the controls. Show them how to adjust and lock in their seat, then shimmy around to make sure it is locked in.

Demonstrate how to put on and take off the seat belts and how to adjust them, and how to latch and unlatch the door. Advise how to use the analog clock pattern to call out traffic.

Advise that when there is a radio transmission, all talking in the cockpit must cease and that you will hold up your hand to indicate that they must be quiet.

When briefing rapid egress of the aircraft, I use “unscheduled off-airport landing” as in “In the event of an unscheduled off-airport landing…” Let them know after egress to meet you behind the aircraft. If the aircraft has a fire extinguisher, point to it and make a reference to using it in the unlikely event we encounter hostile spiders in the aircraft. Never say “crash” or “fire” because that’s all they will hear.

• READ MORE: Flying in the Time of Cicadas

Try to pick a route that will interest your passenger. Show them the route on the sectional or TAC you are using. I flew us over the military bases in the area—specifically Bremerton Naval Shipyard, where, at the time, the USS Missouri was berthed. We then went over Bangor Submarine Base. This was well before the 9/11-inspired prohibited area was created, and we were able to get a good look at the submarines, including one that was on the surface heading into the sound. As we flew along the coastline of the sound, Dad pointed out the locations of the old Nike missile sites he helped build during the Cold War.

Pro tip: If possible, fly the route ahead of time with a different passenger. This helps you fine-tune the flight so you know what altitudes are best, what radio calls you will need to listen for or make, whether flight following is a possibility, etc. 

Do not be in a hurry. Savor this time with your family. And take lots of photographs. You’ll be glad you did.

The post Father’s Day Flights and How to Make the Most of Them appeared first on FLYING Magazine.