new career step, need tips

[Ultralights]

in a few weeks, i embark on my Instructor rating and tail dragger endorsement,

 

i already have a few applications in at various traineeships with various airlines, but i am also continuing on the path of instructor and CPL, as they say, more than 1 iron in the fire...

 

as i am about to start on the instructor portion, is there any tips, or pointers, or general knowledge you would like to share that i can take on board to make me a better instructor? My training will be with Wally at Narranderra..

 

cheers

 

rob.

 

 

[Guest Macnoz]

Firstly granulations on your instructor rating.

 

Most of the discussion I see / hear around instruction / instructors revolves around the science of aeronautics rather than that of knowledge / skill transfer / communication etc.

 

There is a wealth of documented knowledge around driving instruction and very little of it (deservedly) is about the internal combustion engine or formulae showing the forces at work when negotiating a corner.

 

Having been a HGV instructors tester I suggest any of us interested in flying instruction could do worse than dip onto the wealth of knowledge in driving instruction.

 

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Hi Rob,

 

 

It is not practical mate to provide sensible advice in a few lines as there is so much to it. But I will give some general views.

 

 

The most critical issue with I/T is to firmly weld PMI with practical teaching and do so as part of a ‘big picture’ that the workface actually comprises. So here is some perspective.

 

 

Sadly a lot of I/T tends to devolve around practising being able to provide demonstrations and apply a timed, concise patter to the demonstration. So frequently several different exercises will be ‘sampled’ on a single flight. That is not the real world!

 

 

What you should be thinking about and doing is being exercised particularly around division of responsibility (who will be doing what and when) and constructing, then flying, an entire flight (that the current exercise is just a part of) just as if your Tutor Instructor was your student. That is ‘Real World’ and is the one that you will be going into, so your training should prepare you to be able to effectively start working straight away.

 

 

Personally (apart from an initial appraisal flight to see what the candidate flys like, cover local orientation etc) I will not then let a candidate near an aircraft until we have spent about 20 hours on PMI.

 

 

The sort of PMI that I cooked up is entirely focussed on practical application of syllabus and individual exercise management, how to plan the training, how to interlock exercises into a growing overall skill – rather then the ‘stepping stone’ in isolation techniques so often used in I/T.

 

 

The end result of that is that when we do go into the air then each flight will be a replication of what you do with a real student – the entire flight! I want a concise briefing on the flight objectives and the exercise, a clear orientation to how long we will be up, where we will be going, who will be doing what, when and why. We then go fly the flight. After the flight we have a round up of how things went and what comes next.

 

 

Some solid advice for you: It can be very difficult for the candidate instructor to take total command of the aircraft with a highly experienced Tutor sitting beside you! You MUST do this! Set the flight profile via the pre-flight briefing then force the Tutor (who should be acting as the student at the replicated stage of training) to do exactly what they have been briefed and what you prompt or tell them to do (within the expected capabilities of the student at that stage).

 

 

When I start I/T I tell candidates very clearly that I will NOT be doing anything strange or abnormal – BUT - I will only do what I have been briefed to do and am told or prompted to do, in the manner that level of student would be expected to do in real life.

 

 

That can have interesting outcomes. I had a candidate who had really slaved on preparation of a primary effects of controls exercise, set the flight up very well and then totally forgot that his ‘student’ would have been only on their second flight and, whilst allowed to taxi the aircraft under strict supervision to be more involved, had not actually been taught anything formal in this area yet so would only react to what they were told to do.

 

 

So I was allowed to taxi the aircraft into a ditch, which I cheerfully did because I knew no damage would result, but it totally stuffed the flight! My candidate went off his brain! I had wrecked his exercise! I had wasted all that time he had spent on preparation! I had totally put him off and he did not feel like doing it any more!

 

 

He came back to earth with a jolt when I reminded him I was only doing what I had been told to and he damn well better wake up to what command of an aircraft is all about with a student (or anybody) on board – because I had clearly given him command. We were in a ditch because he had allowed me (his student) to put us there!

 

 

So think about that Rob. It is the hardest part of I/T and it does demand that the Tutor plays an accurate part but also that the candidate plays their part and does exercise control. It is a most important part of your instructor training! It enables you to see clearly what your effect is like and also enables your Tutor to provide meaningful critique that will firm you up.

 

 

Certainly the Tutor may take command back from time to time and that then must be given – but this should be no more than say pressing the pause button on a VCR while watching a movie, discuss a point and then press play and move on.

 

 

However there is much that you can do for yourself and this MUST be done prior to the course.

 

 

A lot of time on I/T is totally wasted just teaching candidates to fly properly and particularly on the type to be used.

 

 

Make sure you have some hours in on the type you will be trained in so you do not have to divide your attention. In real life you will NEVER teach on a strange type until you are very experienced so do not make life hard for yourself before you even begin – make it easier.

 

 

Get time in the right hand seat (or back seat) so you are totally comfortable there and can fly accurately and effectively with the required hand distribution.

 

 

Ensure that you are able to give clear demonstrations of the following control inputs – primary effect of rudder, elevator and ailerons. Aileron Drag. Further effects of elevator and rudder. These are foundation skill exercises that everything else is built upon.

 

 

Once you can be convincing with these then get stuck into patter. Patter skills can consume a great deal of I/T time that could be better employed.

 

 

Even if alone in the aircraft, speak out loud and clearly on what is happening with each of the above exercises AS IT HAPPENS. This is not some funny mumbo jumbo that you have to learn! All you are doing is describing what is happening, when it is happening and what the student should be taking note of. Eg. “Look over the nose to ensure we do not change nose attitude. Notice when I move the stick to the left, the left wing goes down and continues going down until I centralise the stick. Then the wing stays there. Now to get back to level flight we move the stick in the opposite direction etc etc etcâ€

 

 

Nothing very complicated about that is there?

 

 

Get that out of the way before your course and you will give your tutor more time to probe into the finer points of instructing and you will come out much further ahead than average.

 

 

Some final points. The above is only my own methodology (or at least a little some of it). You say you will be trained by Wally. I trained Wally and took him through to CFI so he should be talking the same language as myself. He has my own I/T training syllabus so that is probably what you will be put through.

 

 

Wally is very firm and also very friendly – you will be in excellent hands. Remember that the important part is to not just get your rating but come out the other end having enjoyed getting it.

 

 

Aye

 

 

Tony

 

 

[Ultralights]

Thank you for that Tony, exactly what i was looking for! i have printed it out and will re-read it again to let it all sink in,

 

now all i have to do now is find someone in YSBK who can do the PMI section in the following few weeks till i am off to see Wally.

 

Thanks again Tony. its Very much appreciated.

 

Rob.

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Hmmm! Rob, if you have not already done so then have a chat with Wally before you do any PMI.

 

RAAus have NO set syllabus for either practical I/T or PMI. The PMI needs to be a living part of, and compliment to, the practical. Wally may well want to shape you via PMI before flying you.

 

For example: A central issue on my PMI is a very simple ten step process that gives the instructor total control of an individual exercise, block of exercises and also controls progress in the entire syllabus. Most people have never heard of it - but it was what I taught Wally and he will certainly be using it.

 

So as I said - have a chat to Wally so you are (a) not at crossed purposes or (b) had your head stuffed with what is effectively junk that you cannot practically use!

 

Aye

 

Tony

 

 

[Ultralights]

good morning, i have jusr rung Wally, and he has recommended going to Temora and speaking to karen about my PMI, so its off to Temora i go! i am assuming Wally knows exactly what will be taught by Karen, so ill take his advice.

 

Thanks again..

 

 

[Lindsay]

Ultralights,

 

It's Carol Richards who runs the PMI at Temora. Make sure you come and meet us at the Aero Club. I have just started working on my own instructor rating.

 

Regards

 

Lindsay

 

 

[Ultralights]

ahh Carol, thats sounds familiar, it was hard to distinguish over a dodgy mobile phone line. will you be doing work with Carol soon in regards to the PMI?

 

 

[Lindsay]

Ultralights, I have driver training background so I do not have to do the PMI.

 

Lindsay