Efficient Flight Training
Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 3:13 pm
Most flight training is very inefficient and ends up taking a lot longer
and costing much, much more than it should.
Prospective students wonder what they can do about this. It's very
simple.
First, don't try to teach yourself before you show up. There is no point
in you memorizing FAA AC 43-13B to preflight an aircraft. Please don't
spend hours with flight simulator, teaching yourself the wrong things
which must be un-learned.
Just show up. On time. Maybe even a bit early. Be sober and motivated.
Pay attention. Do what you're told.
I can only hope and pray that your flight instructor is even moderately
competent, but ... before you go flying, he should tell you
WHAT you are going to do, and
HOW to do it
If those two things aren't crystal clear before you step in the airplane,
you know your instructor is weak or inexperienced or incompetent.
Try to look outside when you fly an airplane. He will try to make you
spend too much time with your head down reading a book, but that's
suicidal. You don't fly an airplane, ride a motorcycle or drive a car in
traffic with your head down, reading a "how-to" book. I understand I
am in a tiny minority of pilots that doesn't want to die in a mid-air
collisions.
Remember, it's not a steering wheel. Use the rudders like this:
1) below approach speed, use your feet for primary directional control, and
2) above approach speed, step on the ball (unless you want to sideslip)
No one will tell you that, because they are incompetent and can't fly very well themselves.
And for god's sake, let go of the control column at altitude when it all
goes to hell. At this point of your flight training, the aircraft flies better
without your inputs than with it. No one will mention that. Ever.
See Beggs-Mueller.
Now for the efficient flight training part. Your de-brief will likely be
sadly short. But, this is how you get better. Google closed loop control
via open loop. You WANT to go closed loop, ok?
You need to know what you did wrong, and how to correct it. Your instructor
should pick your major error, describe it in detail, and tell you precisely how
to do better next time, but he probably won't - he's late for his next lesson.
When you get home, write (or type) down, what you did today. How you were
supposed to do it. What you actually did. What your errors were, and how you
are going to fix them.
NOW go back and read the Flight Training Manual for the exercise you did today.
People tell you to read it ahead of time, and I learned over the decades that is a
complete waste of your time. Read it AFTER the flight, and it will make lots of
sense, and help you understand WHAT you just did, and HOW you are supposed
to do it.
If your instructor isn't an @sshole, email him your notes of today's flight and ask
him to review them. If he isn't an @sshole, he should reply with corrections which
you should review.
Note that if you following my receipe, you will "re-live" your flight FOUR times:
Once immediately after the flight (instructor debrief)
Twice when you write down what you did
Three times when you read the FTM
Four times when you get your instructor email feedback
This "re-living" of the flight will reinforce your learning immensely. It really
increases the efficiency of your flight training, which is why nobody does it.
Doesn't cost a fucking dime, and it prevents you from practicing your mistakes,
over and over again, which pretty well describes most flight training these days.
and costing much, much more than it should.
Prospective students wonder what they can do about this. It's very
simple.
First, don't try to teach yourself before you show up. There is no point
in you memorizing FAA AC 43-13B to preflight an aircraft. Please don't
spend hours with flight simulator, teaching yourself the wrong things
which must be un-learned.
Just show up. On time. Maybe even a bit early. Be sober and motivated.
Pay attention. Do what you're told.
I can only hope and pray that your flight instructor is even moderately
competent, but ... before you go flying, he should tell you
WHAT you are going to do, and
HOW to do it
If those two things aren't crystal clear before you step in the airplane,
you know your instructor is weak or inexperienced or incompetent.
Try to look outside when you fly an airplane. He will try to make you
spend too much time with your head down reading a book, but that's
suicidal. You don't fly an airplane, ride a motorcycle or drive a car in
traffic with your head down, reading a "how-to" book. I understand I
am in a tiny minority of pilots that doesn't want to die in a mid-air
collisions.
Remember, it's not a steering wheel. Use the rudders like this:
1) below approach speed, use your feet for primary directional control, and
2) above approach speed, step on the ball (unless you want to sideslip)
No one will tell you that, because they are incompetent and can't fly very well themselves.
And for god's sake, let go of the control column at altitude when it all
goes to hell. At this point of your flight training, the aircraft flies better
without your inputs than with it. No one will mention that. Ever.
See Beggs-Mueller.
Now for the efficient flight training part. Your de-brief will likely be
sadly short. But, this is how you get better. Google closed loop control
via open loop. You WANT to go closed loop, ok?
You need to know what you did wrong, and how to correct it. Your instructor
should pick your major error, describe it in detail, and tell you precisely how
to do better next time, but he probably won't - he's late for his next lesson.
When you get home, write (or type) down, what you did today. How you were
supposed to do it. What you actually did. What your errors were, and how you
are going to fix them.
NOW go back and read the Flight Training Manual for the exercise you did today.
People tell you to read it ahead of time, and I learned over the decades that is a
complete waste of your time. Read it AFTER the flight, and it will make lots of
sense, and help you understand WHAT you just did, and HOW you are supposed
to do it.
If your instructor isn't an @sshole, email him your notes of today's flight and ask
him to review them. If he isn't an @sshole, he should reply with corrections which
you should review.
Note that if you following my receipe, you will "re-live" your flight FOUR times:
Once immediately after the flight (instructor debrief)
Twice when you write down what you did
Three times when you read the FTM
Four times when you get your instructor email feedback
This "re-living" of the flight will reinforce your learning immensely. It really
increases the efficiency of your flight training, which is why nobody does it.
Doesn't cost a fucking dime, and it prevents you from practicing your mistakes,
over and over again, which pretty well describes most flight training these days.
