Cost Savings for PPL

Cory Papenfuss wrote:
Ten hours at a
non-towered field for solo sounds pretty reasonable for most people,
but some people might take 30 hours before they get the basics
required for solo flight learned.

The national average for time-to--solo is currently about 17 hours.
As the 'required items before solo' continue to increase, doing it
in 10 hours is not reasonable. If one is a 'true teacher', and by
that, I mean...demonstrate, teach, evaluate... each of those 15
required items, 13-14 hours is a more reasonable estimate.

For example, an instructor must decide for each day's lesson, what is
the one or two things that the student will go home with, having truly
'learned', not just demonstrated.

If a student is allowed to attempt a landing during the first lesson
as the OP was, he will go home remembering nothing else, as we can
see in the his post.

A new student shows up for his first flight lesson having just passed
the knowledge test....what do I want him to go home KNOWING how to do:

1. PREFLIGHT...In the preflight briefing, explain each item on the list.
At the airplane, point-out each item using the checklist. Then
require the student to conduct a preflight using the checklist. If
you can do this in less than 30 minutes, you are a better man than I.
2. ENGINE START...Demonstrate the Pre-Start Checklist...Or! Just let the
student go through the checklist himself and you correct his
mistakes... ****-poor instructing technique. Demonstrate...help the
student the second time and then require the student to do it
correctly the third time through. Right!!! 3 engine starts.
Now.....he knows how to start the engine!. Maybe 20 min.
3. TAXI...Left/Right turns, stopping in a straight line, locked
brake turns, getting on and staying on the centerline. All of this is
not as easy for a beginner as we think, they try to steer with the yoke
and stop with just the right rudder/brake pedal just as in an
automobile. Make them taxi with their hands on their legs to break the
automobile habits.
4. ENGINE RUN-UP....Use checklist in the briefing room during the preflight
briefing without the sound of the engine running. In the run-up area,
demonstrate a proper run-up and then assist the student to do one.
5. TAKEOFF RUN...After a thorough preflight discussion of engine, propellor
and wind effects on the takeoff run, conduct at least two runs down the
runway with no intention of becoming airborne. If a student is faced
with the anxiety of becoming airborne for the first time, he will not
retain anything about what his feet were doing the the takeoff run.
6. AND FINALLY....Just one trip around the pattern with the student being
talked through the takeoff and initial climb but then becoming just a
passenger for the remainder of the pattern and landing. Do not send
him home frustrated because he didn't make a good landing on his first
flight

It takes a very good student to fully grasp the first five items above and
feel good about himself.

From FAR 61:

(d) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a single-
engine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for a single-
engine airplane rating or privileges must receive and log flight training
for the following maneuvers and procedures:

(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and
preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;

(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;

(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;

(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;

(5) Climbs and climbing turns;

(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;

(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence
avoidance;

(8) Descents, with and without turns, using high and low drag
configurations;

(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;

(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations
with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery
from a full stall;

(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;

(12) Ground reference maneuvers;

(13) Approaches to a landing area with simulated engine malfunctions;

(14) Slips to a landing; and

(15) Go-arounds.


Bob Moore
CFIing for 35 years