On Jun 1, 8:04*pm, T wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:15*pm, "noel.wade" wrote:









On Jun 1, 9:34*am, Bill D wrote:

I have a number of ratings. *I approached training for each them the
same way. *I got my glider ratings in an extremely informal club
environment and my airplane ratings at small Part 61 flight schools.

To summarize, students need to take charge of their training - it's
their butt on the line. *No one else has as much at stake.

Bill -

This is a great attitude and I (as well as many other glider pilots)
have gone down this same route. *In our club we try to get all
students to be self-motivated and take control of their own destiny.

But it is important to note that guys like you and me (who will drive
hard for a goal, even in a non-structured environment) are the
exceptions rather than the rule. *But I think that students who don't
work this way are not "lazy", nor are they "dumb", nor are they unfit
to be pilots.

People learn in different ways, at different speeds, and with
different methods. *Some people need more guidance and structure.
Being motivated is one thing; but what I see in my areas is students
who aren't given a defined path. *They have a GFH book and perhaps a
Syllabus (that may or may not be used in order), and that's it. *I
think that many students in club environments (which are less-
structured than commercial operations in the US) are not given a clear
path or an idea of what items to focus on at various stages of their
flying. *I see a need for the Instructor (or a third party) to step in
as a "mentor" and tell the student after each lesson what areas to
concentrate on, what they should learn next, etc. I've seen at least a
few operations where that doesn't happen - the instructor gives a
brief critique of the pilot's flight, signs their logbook, and then
lets the student wander away without further guidance.

Also, I think that culturally a lot of people are taught from an early
age to listen to instructors/teachers and not question them, or press
them. *I believe that students need to know that its OK to question
your flight instructor, ask questions, push for details, etc. *They
shouldn't just be passive and expect the instructor to remember (or
cover) everything.

--Noel
(who's perception of how instruction works is perhaps merely warped by
what he's seen locally)

My primary students, we have a syllabus and a plan, they know what to
expect for the next session.
If they come to fly not having read the material, they get to read it
while I fly with a student that is prepared.

We get a lot of young teens, it's fun to watch them mature as they
gain experience and develop judgement. They are either motivated to
fly, or they are not, it's something the parents thought they might
like. The motivated ones will learn it is their responsibility to be
prepared for the lesson, they were given "homework" and if it's not
done, it's a wasted lesson.

That's part of learning responsibility for yourself and becoming a
mature adult. We've had more than a few parents comment on how their
teen has changed as they became more confident in themselves. They are
happier parents and confident young adults.

The student learns quickly to be prepared after being set aside to
read the material while another student flies in his spot that was
prepared.

Once they have solo'd, they are still supervised, prepped for the
written exam. But we end up waiting on birthdays to be eligible for
the check ride.

T

There is always a lot of discussion about "Learning Styles" implying
instruction methods and syllabi have to adapt to the student. While
this is true to a degree, there are limits.

I flew with a licensed pilot on a Flight Review who told me his
learning style is to "learn from doing" - nothing else, he said, works
for him. Hummm, OK - but the checkride didn't go well.

It appears this pilot was telling the truth. He simply ignores verbal
instruction and ground school. If he hasn't successfully performed a
maneuver hands-on, he doesn't feel he should know anything about it.
After a unacceptable aero tow where I had to take the controls, I
asked him to rock the wings while holding a constant heading ("Dutch
roll") and he used full rudder in the wrong direction. He ignored
advice from the back seat and continued to mangle the maneuver.

His "learning style" doesn't work. My assessment: He can't fly. I
intend to go back to the basic syllabus. He'll either relearn the
material the standard way or my pen stays in my pocket. There's just
so much an instructor can yield to a student.

It's the nature of flying that pilots will encounter situations they
haven't practiced. Some of these situations are too dangerous to
practice in advance. Academic knowledge is essential as is the
ability to imagine how to handle situations not practiced. Learning
from books and other pilots is a large part of becoming a good pilot.