Do This One Weird Trick To Speed Up Your Flight Training

[Colonel]

I've mentioned this before, but ...

No one much bothers with post-flight debriefing in civilian flight
training, and that's a pity.  A real waste.

When I was still legally allowed to instruct, I would tell students
after a flight, to sit down that evening, when the flight was still
fresh in their mind, and send me an email, describing the flight
exercise, how it was supposed to be done, and what they actually
did.

Students would at first balk, but then they would get typing and
send me a wall of text.

Great.  Despite being a Pussyâ„¢, I read very, very quickly and for
absolutely free, when they were typing the flight report in, they
got to relive the experience.

I would correct and re-organize their email, and send it back to
them for review, so that they would be able to clearly know what
their errors were, and how to correct them for next time.

That's the second freebie, when they read my emailed response -
they relived the experience again, for free, [u]with corrections[/u].

When it came time for them to do the flight exercise again, I
would have them re-read the email before the flight, which would
get them up to speed and they would inevitably perform the exercise
much better and with much less time wasted, re-learning what they
forgot from last time.  Third freebie.

This is a really good technique when there are considerable time
intervals between flights - very common in civilian flight training.

Anyways, despite the fact that I am qualified but not eligible to hold
a flight instructor rating in Canada, the above may help you do a much
better job of flight training.

Doesn't cost a dime.  Just a couple of emails, is all.

[Blakey]

Andrew,

    I usually just read your posts with amusement and continue lurking. This thread however, has struck a cord with me as it confirms a fact I was given many years ago.

    I had occasion to visit with an old pilot friend of mine and, over cigars and scotch, I mentioned your name as I knew he had worked with you.  I asked him what you were so mad about and why you always ran around looking for fights? I never knew any farmer who set up more strawmen just so he could attack them!

    I'll always remember what he told me. He said that you had some faults but that you REALLY cared. It mattered to you that the student learned the right way, the safe way, the best way. The student ALWAYS got your best and the lessons and briefings were always longer than what it said on the bill. He told me that you were the best instructor he ever saw. In my opinion, this is the highest praise that you will ever receive and I try to emulate the same values when I teach.

    I'm sure you recall Bob Burns very well, he certainly remembered you.

Blakey

P.S. Not quite that many years ago, I attended a fly-in  at the Arnprior airport. As luck would have it, there was a formation of L-39s there that day. They stream landed and made it look easy. Arnprior's longest runway is 3927' long.

   

[digits]

[quote author=Blakey link=topic=9519.msg27001#msg27001 date=1551710619]


    I'll always remember what he told me. He said that you had some faults but that you REALLY cared. It mattered to you that the student learned the right way, the safe way, the best way. The student ALWAYS got your best and the lessons and briefings were always longer than what it said on the bill. He told me that you were the best instructor he ever saw. In my opinion, this is the highest praise that you will ever receive and I try to emulate the same values when I teach.


 
[/quote]

Nice post!

[Colonel]

Yes.  Thank you very much.  And the next time you see Bob, tell him I say "hi".

[Blakey]

[quote author=Colonel Sanders link=topic=9519.msg27040#msg27040 date=1551842539]
Yes.  Thank you very much.  And the next time you see Bob, tell him I say "hi".
[/quote]

I'm afraid that I will not have the chance to do so for a bit.  Bob left us a few years back.  No doubt his ubiquitous cigar helped that along.