I had a flight student yesterday..

[Jake - A2A]

I had a flight student come in yesterday with about 3 flight lessons under his belt - I was filling in for his unavailable instructor. As it is important to get to know a new student, I sat down with him for about 30 minutes off the clock to discuss his past flight experience and motives for flight training. After finding out he is relatively active on VATSIM, I expressed my love for flight simulations as well and asked him who his favorite aircraft addon company was. He responded with: "Probably A2A as they seem to be the most thorough". At this point, I disclosed my big secret, and he was relieved to have answered the question correctly. I reassured him that I would have only made fun of him a little bit if he said PMDG .

During the Cessna 150 flight, his sim experience really seemed to shine through. Only having about 3 flight lessons, I was very comfortable and hands off in the plane with him primarily introducing traffic pattern procedures while coaching him on how to execute a proper C-GUMPS along with final approach throttle management. The past few students I've had the pleasure of instructing in this plane seem to do everything well except for flaring.. Having only maybe 5 hours or so now in this airplane, I was relatively surprised with how much more of a flare this tiny airplane likes versus a stereotypical 172. I never take the controls from the student unless I have to, but typically I find myself saying "Flare". If they are not responsive I will then let them continue flying the plane whilst adding a lot of back pressure on the yoke to successfully complete the flare. The goal is eventually they will combine me saying flare, the point I actually flare, and their position in the sky to develop the sense of when it is in fact time to begin the round-out (I am a HUGE fan of flying the plane down the entire runway in ground effect to develop the sight picture as well). This student is getting close to the point where I would flare, and as a CFI, I am watching both him and the trajectory of the airplane. He has a perfect approach and is making tiny corrections that would require him to have that in the pants skill you eventually develop when flying airplanes. I keep my hands off, he makes a good landing, and I come on the rudders right after touchdown to help him out a bit making center line. After stopping the airplane (I prefer stop & go's especially for students), I learn that was the first time he has actually done the entire landing process unassisted and in control of both the power and flight controls.

The second lap around we develop a slight crosswind (maybe 5kts or less), and I am impressed and confident in his flying skills. As he is about to round-out this time, we get a slight gust and it yaws the airplane slightly off. I did not brief him on crosswind operations, but I decided in that split second moment to see if he would realize it or at least it would be a great learning experience about side-loading the gear. I keep my limbs off the controls and he makes what was expected to be a rather less than perfect landing. On the taxi back, he exclaimed how surprised and grateful he was that I didn't take the controls from him. After flying with a lot of instructors, I personally have learned the most from making supervised mistakes with instructors than those who take the controls when any conditions are less than perfect. There was nothing unsafe about the landing I predicted him to make and no harm to the rugged gear that these Cessna type aircraft have. After shutting down the engine, I then went ahead and made the entire experience part of my debrief / brief on the different ways we can execute crosswind landings. I was extremely pleased with his performance with so little time, and just like me, it is another example of how helpful it is to get into flight simulators at a relatively young age. Spending $300 on hardware and software can safe you multiple expensive flight instructor hours in the long run. I suggested before our flight lessons in the future he should go through the FSX Private Pilot Curriculum as it is honestly a great tool to use for becoming familiar with all it entails.

Just wanted to share with all of you a great experience I have had so far as a new CFI, and I can't wait to go out there and have even more!

Best Regards,
Capt. Jake

[AviationAtWar]

Jake,

Congratulations on your accomplishments, especially at such as young age. I look forward to reading more of your stories!

[CAPFlyer]

Congrats Jake! Glad to see that you found someone with a flightsim love to get to instruct, even if for just a flight or two filling in, and you are enjoying the experience of instructing!

[Jacques]

Great story, Jake! There is nothing better than developing a career that not only satisfies your passion but also feeds your soul! It certainly sounds like, for the moment, you are exactly where you want to be!

[DHenriques_]

Sounds good to me Jake. Glad to see you settling into the instructor role so naturally.
D

[pjc747]

The 172 has a mind of its own, and you're not always to blame for the bad ones...or the good ones!

[Lewis - A2A]

Still surreal to think of you as anything but the fun young kid I know lol

[MkIV Hvd]

Well done Jake! I believe that having the judgment to know when to stay hands off and when to take control is a thing that usually only comes with extensive experience. You appear to be ahead of the game already!

[Scott - A2A]

"Probably A2A as they seem to be the most thorough"

Probably A2A? Seem to be the most thorough?

[MkIV Hvd]

"Probably A2A as they seem to be the most thorough"

Probably A2A? Seem to be the most thorough?

BWAHAHAHAHA!!

[ClipperLuna]

Thanks for sharing, Jake, and well done! I especially appreciated your comment "I personally have learned the most from making supervised mistakes with instructors". I'm in education myself, and I've found leaning from a mistake can be one of the best teaching tools (however unfortunate it may seem to the student at the time).

[AKar]

What I actually recall the most annoying thing was the instructor having his feet heavy on the pedals. In gliders (where I learned to fly), you do this almost constant, tiny slow dance with your toes to keep the thing pointing at the right direction. I don't remember if it was only when I soloed when I learned to my delight how alive my feet were without the weight of extra pair of boots.

It is also important, or at least I feel it is, that the instructor lets you to try to correct your own mistakes, and only intervenes when appropriate or necessary. For my maybe something like five to ten first flights from the beginning of the course, I had some serious trouble keeping the position during the aerotow (I think I first tried on the second flight). It was like the most difficult thing I had ever done. I found myself cross-controlled, out of the position, yanking the rope etc. But the instructor did great job of mostly not intervening (except slightly in few occasions). Instead, in just few simple commands, he attempted to talk me into right inputs. And then, at some point, something happened. I simply got it. My control inputs were reduced into one tenth over one night, and I felt like I could move my glider around almost at will. From the hardest thing in my life, it went into something I hardly needed concentrate into literally over one night.

Great instructors let you to get things right by yourself.

-Esa

[DHenriques_]

What I actually recall the most annoying thing was the instructor having his feet heavy on the pedals. In gliders (where I learned to fly), you do this almost constant, tiny slow dance with your toes to keep the thing pointing at the right direction. I don't remember if it was only when I soloed when I learned to my delight how alive my feet were without the weight of extra pair of boots.

It is also important, or at least I feel it is, that the instructor lets you to try to correct your own mistakes, and only intervenes when appropriate or necessary. For my maybe something like five to ten first flights from the beginning of the course, I had some serious trouble keeping the position during the aerotow (I think I first tried on the second flight). It was like the most difficult thing I had ever done. I found myself cross-controlled, out of the position, yanking the rope etc. But the instructor did great job of mostly not intervening (except slightly in few occasions). Instead, in just few simple commands, he attempted to talk me into right inputs. And then, at some point, something happened. I simply got it. My control inputs were reduced into one tenth over one night, and I felt like I could move my glider around almost at will. From the hardest thing in my life, it went into something I hardly needed concentrate into literally over one night.

Great instructors let you to get things right by yourself.

-Esa

Amen ! There is a great misconception about giving flight instruction that I have addressed for years in seminars I have given to instructors. That misconception is that an instructor NEEDS to be on the controls to assert PIC authority while in the aircraft. GOOD instructors, and I'm speaking here from the student's FIRST HOUR OF DUAL, allow the student full command of the aircraft with as little CFI interface with the aircraft as possible. This means the student DOES EVERYTHING needed to operate the aircraft guided by VERBAL instruction from the instructor.
If the instructor isn't competent enough to teach in this manner the instructor is actually extending the learning curve for the student.
The real learning when learning to fly isn't done when the student is physically flying the airplane. That's the rote part of the learning equation. The student does as instructed with the controls and sees and feels the aircraft's response. The REAL learning comes BETWEEN LESSONS as the student is relaxed, feeling no pressure, and capable of coupling what was done by rote in the airplane with thought and comprehension. The result of this never ending process is that the student enters the NEXT dual session armed with expanded knowledge that can now be carried on as dual continues.
I could go on with this for a long time as this is just where it begins for a good instructor................ ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Dudley Henriques

[AKar]

What's actually is funny is that when I've done an "instructed aerotow" in, say, last several months (I'm not current with GPL), trying something like an aerial refueling in the DCS feels intuitive and easy for some time. You simply pick up the basket with the probe. Just like you would draw an X into a box. (I'm not saying it would be that easy in reality, but in the sim it is!) Because the concept is so strongly similar to aerotowing, and it applies to sims as well. That's why I like 'getting something right' - you can apply it over and over again even out of the context.

In the gym they tell me if you don't feel the pump afterwards, you're not doing it right. I think that if after the flight you're not going through it in your mind while twitching your fingers and toes, you're not quite getting it yet.

It's kind of like if you play the concepts in your mind, you'll get the picture. (Of course, if wrong concepts, then wrong picture, but let that be for another day! )

-Esa

[Buffy Foster]

That sounds like such a great experience!