About Stall Psychology and Pilots

That's true. After the war a lot of highly qualified pilots hit the
streets as new GA instructors. They brought with them the military
approach to flying that was based on maximum result in minimum time,
which was the natural process of the military scenario.
Many of these pilots were great sticks, but few of them possessed any
teaching skills at all as we define those skills in a GA market place.
The result of this influx was a no nonsense teaching environment that
actually clashed with the changes that were occurring in GA at that time.
Gradually, these military pilots became a liability in the new
marketplace and many were "replaced" as FBO's began to realize that new
students like "Mrs. Duffy" the housewife, was coming back in from her
hour of dual looking a bit pale and concerned :-)

What happened is what we have now; a few holdovers from the "old school"
and a whole lot of the "new breed" of instructor.

The ultimate answer to getting the quality level up in the GA pilot
community will in my opinion require a whole new look at the way flight
instruction is conducted.

I know from my own personal experience that it is possible to take an
average newbie with the average apprehensive feeling about flying and
take that newbie through a learning process that replaces the
apprehension with confidence. These newbies can be trained by GOOD
instructors to function not only well, but VERY well in the flying
environment with comfort zones well beyond their initial level of
apprehension found at the initiation of training.

Barring the influx of CFI's who are capable of teaching students in this
manner, I would project no meaningful changes in the present GA environment.

Dudley Henriques





wrote:
On Feb 15, 3:36 pm, Dudley Henriques wrote:

Let's explore this a bit more and take a look at some history.

Aviation is a business. To make it in business, you need to sell
product, services, or both. Aviation involves both. No sales, no aviation.
Now if one looks at a prospective pilot base as well as a prospective
aircraft sales base, it doesn't take very long to discover that for General
Aviation, if you want to make money and get the public in the air to
make that money, you have to SELL aviation as a safe, non-threatening-
and most of all, non- FRIGHTENING endeavor.

Now, if you look back to the fifties, you will find a concentrated and
skillful marketing program generally involving Fixed Base Operators, Flight
Schools, Airplane Manufactures, and indeed lobbyists in Washington; all
involved in structuring general aviation to be as safe as a walk in
the park.

Dudley Henriques

A very interesting and trenchant analysis.

I think some other relevant historical data points are that in the
late 60's and early 70's many of the WW2 era military-trained pilots
started retiring, quitting, or dying. At the same time there was a
change in educational philosophy that stressed the learner over the
content.

We saw a related change in the Army in the 80s -- from "Do it cuz I
said so, maggot" to "Here's the task, here's how, (and sometimes,
'here's why') -- now move out smartly."

As in most social movements, as the pendulum swings the baby and the
bathwater get tossed.

The GA Flying industry has to push utility and fun. They have to --
the opposite -- the innate fear that is resident in most normal humans
with the brain capacity and means to pursue GA flying -- counters the
"utility and fun" with loads of "That's scary."

But unless a person is ignorantly unaware of the inherent danger or
suicidal, I assume most pilots with more than 15 hours continue to
think, "Gee, this is dangerous -- I'd better do things the right way,
and avoid the things that can kill me."

So maybe the sell for spins and other advanced maneuvers is not, "Do
it cause it's in the PTS, maggot!", or "Do it cuz I did it" but
rather, "Here's a way to save your life and the life of your
passengers."

Oh, so spin recovery is part of that learning? Good. Sign me up.

You're right, I fly in mountains and should know how to perform a
maximum performance 180 at the edge of stall. Great, show me how.

This presumes a relationship with a trusted instructor who knows his
audience, knows what is needed, and then persuades him/her to act.

Too much of the current system is geared towards producing ratings,
and CFIs are cogs in that machine.

Those CFIs who've "been there" and yet still "hang around the airport"
are sorely needed.

Dan







--
Dudley Henriques