1.F : Techniques of Flight Instruction

There are various obstacles to learning which must be watched for, and addressed by, the instructor. Some of the more common ones are enumerated here.

The demonstration-performance approach to delivering training has four clear phases. They are explanation, demonstration, student performance, and evaluation.

During the flight it is critical that, at every point in time, it is clear who is manipulating the controls. The recommended way to manage this is with a very standardized three-step exchange of controls. It starts with the "pilot flying" in the following exchange.

Only when this three-step exchange has occurred are the controls fully transferred to the other pilot.

A concept that started with the airlines, but can benefit all types of aircraft operations, is the concept of the sterile cockpit. The idea is to avoid all non-essential activities during critical phases of flight. For airlines this is all operations below 10,000 feet other than cruise, but for light aircraft might be all taxi, takeoffs, and landings.

Many accidents occur when the pilot is distracted, so the FAA encourages instructors to inject distractions to help the student learn to divide attention. The student must be able to take charge and, in the case of an individual creating the distraction, tell the individual they are being a distraction and to cease.

The concept of integrated flight instruction is one where the student performs maneuvers by both visual and instrument reference. This approach uses the principal of primacy to teach maneuvers right the first time and reinforce behavior. The idea is that students who monitor both the instrument and outside references will develop this habit, leading to superior performance over time. This will result in better coordination, better landings, better cross-country navigation, and overall better performance.

This will also result in better aircraft performance as a more consistent technique resulting in more precise climb performance, better heading and altitude control, overall greater efficiency. However, integrated flight instruction does not mean the student can handle IMC.

During integrated flight instruction the instructor should explain the control inputs, should reference them to both visual and instrument indications, and should be specific. This means talking about specific things such as control pressures versus control movement, when needed.

Finally, the student must not fixate on instruments and must always engage in see and avoid flight. Always perform clearing turns, and understand the right of way rules.

It is important to keep the student appraised of their progress. This is to provide guidance so as to continually raise performance. To facilitate this it a written record should be maintained of the student’s progress and should be shared with the student so they stay aware of where they stand. The assessment should be based on consistent standards of performance.

After every flight there should be a postflight evaluation (aka: debrief). This helps the student understand where their performance needs work, and does so while the performance is fresh in mind. Take the opportunity to listen, and ask the student what they feel they learned from the session. If acceptable to the student a postflight evaluation can be done with other observers, so everyone benefits (but only if the student is comfortable with doing so).

A component of performance assessment occurs in the plane. As students make mistakes don’t take the controls immediately, but (within the limits of safety) let the student handle the correction. Similarly students must be able to handle normal in-flight challenges.

It is also beneficial to engage in visualization exercises on the ground (aka: chair flying) to contemplate how to handle issues, problems, and emergencies. While on the ground present the student with a scenario, and walk thorough how to handle it. The Air Force uses a four-step process for handling emergencies.

All of these steps should be very specific, and go into as much detail as possible.

As student performance is assessed, it is recommended that full-stop landings be done rather than touch-and-goes. This teaches the proper steps (remember, primacy of learning!) and insures they understand how to maintain control throughout the entire landing process. It also allows them to exercise fully checklist usage.

Key steps in the assessment process are endorsement for solo, and endorsement for the FAA exams. Always be sure the student is fully prepared for each of these milestones.

The concept of Aeronautical Decision Making (aka: ADM) is centered around a systematic approach to the mental process used by aircraft pilots to consistently determine the best course of action. It is estimated that roughly 80% of all aviation accidents are human caused, so good ADM is critical! Therefore teaching pilots to make sound decisions is key to improving safety.

There is a well defined process for making good aviation decisions. The steps are as follows :

Similar to the approach to handling an emergency, continue to fly the plane, continue to analyze the situation, continue to react, and ultimately land as soon as is appropriate.

There are numerous factors that impact decision making. Often pilots will develop hazardous attitudes, and these must be recognized and addressed. Stress can also play a role, with "just enough" stress being beneficial, but too much stress being dangerous. There are three types of stress: physical, physiological, and psychological.

In the process of exercising ADM the pilot should use available resources. These can be internal resources (e.g. equipment, charts, knowledge, skill, or even other passengers). There are external resources (e.g. ATC and flight service specialists). And there is exercising workload management. The pilot needs to plan, prioritize, and sequence work to prevent overload. Recognizing high-workload situations and addressing them before overload occurs is important.