Commercial-level pilot maneuvers provide a wonderful fresh challenge for every pilot seeking to improve. These are fun and teach correct rudder usage when flown properly. Many pilots at the private level do not understand or apply correct rudder inputs. “Rudder deficit” is a primary reason for LOC-I. Search out a qualified instructor and take your … Continue reading “Commercial Flight Maneuvers for Everyone!”
Misuse of the rudder while flying – usually too little or none at all – is a sure sign that some aviation educator failed their student during initial training. This sloppy “flat foot flying” or “driving an aircraft” is sometimes a symptom of a burned out CFI who has just “given up” and does not … Continue reading “Teaching Accurate Rudder Usage!”
In a stalled condition, the nose of every conventional aircraft falls toward mother earth. This is physics and happens every time. And the natural human reaction is to pull back away from the ground making the control situation worse. Only high-quality flight training, both initial and recurrent, can overcome this deep human reaction of “panic … Continue reading ““Negative” Stall Training (Bad Habits!)”
We had 45 professional aviation educators at the “You Can Fly Center” for our SAFE CFI-PRO™ workshop this week. These dedicated professionals (half with more than 20 years teaching) really inspired me to present some deeper flight fundamentals. Proper rudder usage – yaw canceling – is often skipped in early flight training but is critical … Continue reading “Fancy Footwork; Yaw Canceling (for Safety)!”
In early childhood development, there are surprising “windows of opportunity” where languages can be learned rapidly and perfectly in a manner that is forever lost to adults. This “opportunity lost” is a result of sensory striatum deprivation. A cat will remain forever blind if kept in the dark during the first months of life even … Continue reading “Opportunity Knocking – Learn Rudder!”
We all start out “clueless” in a new environment. In a social situation, this deficit is commonly described as an inability to “read the room.” We all have different levels of situational awareness (SA) depending on our needs, aptitude, and environment. But unfortunately, in the high-consequence world of aviation “clueless is dangerous” so every pilot … Continue reading ““Clueless” is Dangerous; Teach Situational Awareness!”
A commercial chandelle is just a more extreme version of a normal climbing turn, with specific parameters. If an applicant can’t explain the forces at work and required control pressures during an “FAA oral” they will never get to the airplane. The major problem for pilots trying to fly chandelles is first, understanding the forces … Continue reading “The Secret of Chandelles (and Safety): “Cross-Coordination!””
We discussed the turning stall in the last SAFEblog and revealed the (often surprising) fact that in coordinated flight, with lift equal on both wings, a stall simply falls away from the lift vector and is very benign. There is only a burble and a drop of the nose, but no rolling or sudden departure … Continue reading “Is “Cross-Controlled” Dangerous?”
When I get into a plane to perform a flight test and I look at the applicant in the other seat, I sometimes see their sightline is significantly lower than mine. From this simple cue, I am almost sure of two things immediately. First, they were not blessed with an experienced flight instructor and second, … Continue reading “CFI-PRO: “Perfect Picture” from Lesson One!”
Rudder use in climbing turns is critical to safety in the pattern!
