Aviation Ideas and Discussion! SAFE Blog

Safety Gifts From Technology!

If you have been flying for more than a few years, you were trained with the “see and avoid” technique of traffic avoidance. And if you are like me, you have also come to realize the limitations of this separation method. The new ADS-B capability to view traffic conflicts miles away enhances mere “Mark One Eyeballs” and has been a true technological blessing for safety. Training and testing in busy airspace is almost unthinkable without this new technology (and it has literally saved my life twice since its inception).

Of course, every improvement comes with weird complications. Now we constantly her friends conversing while airborne (and clogging up Unicom). Seeing a friend’s ADS-B target aloft seems to require conversation; “Hey Bobby, is that you over the reservoir?” Unfortunately, the same pilot often will not self-announce at a non-towered field. And it’s also easy to forget there are many aircraft still not participating and operating blind (my Champ). Check the accuracy of your unit (and the latency in the system) HERE.

Another amazing development I discovered this summer was the new Lightspeed “Delta Zulu” headsets with their enhanced audio quality and continuous monoxide monitoring. It is easy to forget that every piston plane has the potential to kill you in a very silent and stealthy way with a deadly monoxide leak. The very first time I tried these headsets on they detected a very bad leak in a plane I was teaching in. As a CFI and DPE, I had no past history with this plane and there was no odor. Ironically, many planes are equipped to the hilt with all kinds of expensive avionics designed to maximize safety only have a (useless) plastic CO detector. My headsets again went critical yesterday in a well-maintained Mooney I was teaching in. Get a pair of “Delta Zulus.” They are durable (and beautiful) and will save your life!

A nicely equipped legacy Mooney quietly poisoning its occupants!

Cloud Ahoy is an amazing innovator in the flight training world. Their clever tracking and grading system provides immediate feedback for every flight training experience. The first time I saw anything like this was at Flight Safety years ago. The learning advantage of a “playback and grading” system was immediately obvious but also exotic and expensive at the time. Now every CFI can have this immediately available on their iPad (and SAFE membership gets you 1/3 off the subscription 🙏). Cloud Ahoy also just released a FOQA software for flight departments to monitor the safety and stability of their operations. These systems have been standard in the 121/135 world for years but now they are available to every pilot to grade and improve their flight.

And of course, the leader in aviation technology is ForeFlight. Their continuously improving technology enhances flight planning and flying in more ways than I can mention. If you are not using ForeFlight (or a budget substitute) you really are not leveraging your in-flight safety. But mastering the basics of “packing” and “briefing” in any app. is a required skill necessary to enjoy the real safety advantages. Like every technology tool, there is a level of familiarity necessary to achieve comfort and fluid operation. See the ForeFlight library of training videos to bring your knowledge up to speed. It is a mistake to assume every youngster automatically uses this app wisely (not!). Every CFI should search through this archive for training videos to recommend. If they use an EFB on a check-ride, an applicant needs a fluid working level of competence. Fly safely out there (and often)!

Enjoy the new courses available to members on the new safe website. And please download and use the (free) SAFE Toolkit App. This contains all the references a working CFI needs plus provides continuously new safety content.

See you at Sun ‘N Fun 2023 at “Charlie Hangar” Booths #19/20. SAFE spnsors and members please join us at Sunset Cafe for a free SAFE breakfast Thursday (March 30th), 8am. (Get your free ticket here)

SAFE developed an insurance program just for CFIs! When you are an independent CFI, you are a business (and have legal exposure). This program is the most reasonable but also comprehensive insurance plan you can have (and every agent is a pilot!)

Sully on The Vital Importance of Safety First!

Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger is known for landing a US Airways plane on the Hudson River in 2009. He was most recently the U.S. ambassador and permanent representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, and is a safety expert, author and speaker on leadership and culture.
       Published today in the Chicago Tribune...

In backrooms and dark corners, airline lobbyists, particularly the Regional Airline Association, are scurrying all over Washington, still trying to undo all the hard work that has been done to make air travel the safest form of transportation in human history. They’re doing this for the usual reasons. They want to try to cheapen pilot training and levels of experience for their own financial gain and expedience. They’re trying to do what is easier and cheaper for them, not what is best for passengers or crews, or for their industry.

Once again, it is necessary that those of us who deeply understand that safety really must be the priority are having to refight the same battles that we have had to fight too many times before.

This time around, the lobbyists are trying to weaken pilot experience requirements by seeking super credits for certain training experiences and, in so doing, substantially lower the number of actual pilot flying hours required. This subterfuge is trotted out as a way of achieving their goal of cheapening and quickening flight training without appearing to lower the total 1,500 hours required. But with super credits, the total flight hours would be much less, as much as 50% less. If we were trying to provide more physicians to serve rural areas, would we suggest that the answer would be to cut medical school in half from four years to two years? No! We’d say that would be crazy — because it is crazy.

When pilots have only a few hundred hours of flight experience, it means they have experienced only one cycle of the seasons as a pilot: one spring of gusty crosswinds, one summer of thunderstorms, one fall of fog and frost, and one winter of ice and snow. And if their flight training was all conducted in Florida, they would not have experienced a real winter. If their training was in Arizona, they might not ever have flown in a cloud! The first time they encounter real weather should not be when they are flying paying passengers, unwitting and unwilling test subjects.

The way pilots develop the critically important judgment they must have is through effective experience in the real world of operational flying, with its challenges and ambiguities, not in the hand-holding of the sterile training environment and not just in simulated flight.

The lobbyists are also pulling an old debater’s trick, posing a false choice between quantity and quality of flight training and experience. They are trying to convince us that if the quality of training is good enough, then less of it should be required, when in reality, we can and we must have both.

[ Editorial: Don’t compromise safety to ease airline pilot shortage ]

On US Airways Flight 1549 on Jan. 15, 2009, First Officer Jeff Skiles, now a captain, had 20,000 hours of flight time like I did. He and I had only 208 seconds from losing thrust after being struck by a flock of birds to when we landed in the Hudson River. We did not have time to discuss what had happened and what to do about it. I had to rely on him immediately and intuitively knowing what he should do to help me. We had to be able to collaborate wordlessly. If he had been a lot less experienced, we could not have had as good an outcome or managed to save every life.

It is not only in extreme emergencies that airline flying requires two fully trained, qualified and experienced pilots in every cockpit. At the other end of the spectrum, those same aptitudes, traits and qualities must be present as well. In fact, one of the biggest challenges in airline flying is how often it is routine, and it is in those situations that each crew of pilots must have the professionalism and diligence to avoid complacency and ensure that best practices are adhered to on every hour of every flight, every day, every week, every month and every year, for decadeslong careers.

So, I am calling on everyone who flies to loudly and forthrightly tell the airline lobbyists that we’re on to them and their subterfuge, and we’re not having it. We are not going to allow them to turn back the clock to the days not that many years ago when there were dozens of airline crashes resulting in hundreds of deaths each year.

Our message is clear: Pilots must have the aptitude and the diligence to strive for excellence and become the best of the best. And we must arm them with the knowledge, skill, experience and judgment necessary to handle whatever challenges they will face.

High levels of pilot training and experience literally make the difference between success and failure, life and death. And in safety-critical domains like aviation, everyone involved must have a deep understanding that “just good enough” — isn’t.

20% of Accidents Involve Showing Off!

We have amazing freedom as pilots operating under part 91. This provides great flexibility but also permits a dramatically higher accident rate compared to every other sector of aviation. We need to better manage the “freedom, flexibility, and fun” afforded by Part 91 permissiveness. Safety is almost completely in the pilot’s hands. Safety depends almost entirely on the decisions we make before and during every flight. Consequently, teaching and managing risk is a central part of aviation training.

Safe pilot decisions often require saying *no* to “attractive opportunities” or “more efficient shortcuts” and taking the (sometimes) harder path. It also requires “controlling the inner child” when “fun” is calling. In short, safety requires awareness and discipline. The FAA does not really have the time or resources to be “sky cops” and police every pilot activity. They only resort to enforcement for the most egregious public stupidity (incidents and accidents). In essence, the FAA system depends on compliance; pilots doing the right thing: exercising personal discipline and good sense. This requires mutually embraced norms and SOPs with a robust safety culture for support.

High Rate of Pilots “Showing Off!”

A recent article in FAA Safety Briefing examined GA accidents that were not mechanically or weather related. The author was searching for errors in pilot decision making and the results were stunning:

Nearly 20% of the accidents I reviewed involved an element of showing off — either to people on the ground, or to people who were on board the aircraft. In fact, 10% of the accidents in my search involved improper aerobatic flight FAA Safety Briefing

Though historically, there have always been rogue pilots, the attitudes of these people are almost impossible to correct (and these people are not reading blogs on aviation safety). SAFE primarily focuses on accidents that were the result of unintentional oversights; decision problems or exceeding capabilities rather than willful reckless rulebreaking. We certainly can fix “showing off” with a little self-restraint; professionalism.

There is though a noticeable increase in wild flying stunts and anti-authoritarian attitudes -often powered by YouTube. The FAA’s regulatory freedom has become an opportunity to do just about anything with an airplane. Consequently, FAA enforcement of crazy video stunts is on the rise- the FAA watches those crazy videos too. These wild activities and anti-authoritarian activities are also increasingly documented in NASA reports. Instructors have known for years that a “bad attitude” is the hardest problem to fix in aviation. See Dr. Bill Rhodes Scary Pilots here and read the incident below for some “aviation horror.” Have you seen the YouTube online of a Cirrus doing a (poorly flown) barrel roll?Unfortunately, these rogue pilots are everywhere out there; stay vigilant and fly defensively. We can only “tend our own garden.” Fly safely out there (and often)!

Ever been to an exciting “display event” like Nascar, a demolition derby, or airshow and discovered in yourself an irresistible urge to replicate those exciting behaviors? This is a common human problem. Pilots often stand in awe at airshows (or even when witnessing “stupid pilot tricks” that succeed due to luck alone.) Read Dudley Henriques’ article that describes this “aerobatic euphoria” every pilot should be aware of (and cautious to avoid).

Fixing the “Flight Test Qualification Crisis”

In a previous blog we disclosed the dramatic “crisis of qualification” among applicants for practical tests. Senior DPEs at an OSH 22 meeting with the FAA estimated that 1/5th of test applicants fail to qualify to begin their practical tests due to insufficient (or poorly documented) flight experience and/or incorrect endorsements. This is a huge monetary and psychological blow to an eager applicant but is also a tragic waste of DPE availability. A 20% waste of DPE appointments severely damages the testing system stretched thin with record pilot training and testing. We need to optimize every available testing opportunity in this growing pilot environment. Training and recommending flight test applicants is a critical CFI skill that obviously needs improvement in the industry.

To help solve this problem, SAFE has created a series of “All-In-One” qualification templates available free to CFIs (and applicants). Each pdf contains all the required experience in a checklist format. Each pdf also includes the required CFI endorsements at the top of each sheet. This probably is not “foolproof” but if used properly, should come pretty close to eliminating this sad situation. These tools can eliminate unqualified applicants if CFIs apply this tool conscientiously.

These pdfs are available on the (free) SAFE Toolkit App and also on the SAFE Website. The SAFE Toolkit App also contains more extensive guidance on the practical tests in an area called “Checkride Ready!™”. This is currently available for private, instrument and commercial-level practical tests. The SAFE Toolkit was originally designed as a guide for all CFIs preparing applicants for tests. It has incrementally been expanded to provide advice for applicants as well as weekly information to pilots at all levels seeking to increase their professionalism. Here are simple instructions to print these from your phone using the SAFE Toolkit App

Touch/hold to see “open link” (in browser), then from the browser “open page options” and select “print.” Look for a local air printer or send this pdf to your laptop with a utility like airdrop, mail or message.

We just ordered 6″ all-weather vinyl stickers with the SAFE logo designed for use on aircraft. These will be available at Sun ‘N Fun at the SAFE booth stop by the Hangar C, #19/20 for a sticker (and lots of other bling). If you are a member, please attend our FREE member breakfast. Reserve a seat here (before they are all gone). Fly safely out there (and often).

Learning Well is an Acquired Skill!

Most people think “learning from experience” is easy, or natural, but neither is true in a high-consequence environment. It takes serious effort and a disciplined awareness to learn well when safety is a critical concern. Some “successes” may be accepted as valuable – but only after careful analysis. Many other “successes” should be rejected as only “luck;” or “one-off winners.” What succeeds as an expedient should never immediately become a daily SOP. But unfortunately, we humans are optimizers by nature. And any action that produces satisfactory results, is often immediately incorporated (untested) into our mental playbook of “acceptable actions.” This mental process often occurs subconsciously – danger! It happens automatically with the brain chemicals that reward “success.”

“Successes” are not automatically optimal and must be carefully examined; utility is often at odds with safety. When safety is a primary consideration – in aviation with the high cost of failure – “success” alone cannot validate procedures. Many unsafe actions and techniques do not immediately reveal themselves as dangerous! And these untested “actions that succeed” can easily get coded into our brains as “acceptable” by a process called “normalizing“ – incrementally becoming blind to the risk. These actions may be quite hazardous but have not yet reached the “tipping point” of catastrophic failure. Fortunately, luck occasionally protects us. But as the saying goes, “luck is not a reliable planning technique.” Honest reflection is an acquired piloting skill and essential to future piloting safety.

When we normalize (mentally accept) untested and harmful behavior without “scoring” its veracity, we are often “drifting into failure.” An unfortunate, and very public example, of “the smartest people on earth” drifting into failure was NASA and the Space Shuttle accidents. Empowered by the amazing success of their moon landing, NASA exhibited overconfidence and classic “normalizing” behavior by aggressively launching shuttles way beyond recommended risk parameters. Their luck ran out (twice) and the result was two dramatic and painful accidents. Viewed honestly, “success” (from luck) continually normalizes unacceptable risks. Success becomes an *impediment* to honest learning and reinforces behavior and techniques are dangerous to future safety. The current backcountry flying craze is following this same pattern. Risky flying that succeeds becomes “normalized” (and even celebrated on YouTube) and this continues to push the acceptable edge. Challenges taken too far inevitably “drift into failure.”

Judging any action by its results alone is a bad strategy (but this is how we commonly proceed when guided by emotional satisfaction). An example the Stanford Strategic Decision-Making Group presents in training makes this clear:

At a party, you have a few too many drinks and wisely decide to call an Uber to get home instead of driving; good or bad decision? Unfortunately, your car gets T-boned on the way home resulting in multiple injuries. If we test this decision by results, it is obviously rated “bad.” Conversely, suppose you decide to drive home instead and successfully make it without damage, is this a vindication of this behavior?

In most cases Murphy’s Law allows us succeed even with pretty bad judgment; we get away with it. And without careful reflection, bad decisions can easily become SOPs; we see this every day. Our brain rewards “success” and reinforces these behaviors.

Even smart, well-educated people can struggle to learn from experience. We all know someone who’s been at the office for 20 years and claims to have 20 years of experience, but they really have one year repeated 20 times. Double Loop Learning

To enable honest learning from experience, we need to reflect on every serious action or procedure and score its validity and value; this takes time, effort, and honesty. We need to honestly grade each new technique to verify that it conforms to acceptable industry norms. Also, does it reliably and repeatedly create the predicted and desirable outcome? Are the costs greater than the received value (every action has some risks)? Serious reflection and analysis are the required tools for learning from experience, and it does not happen “naturally!” Reflective analysis is a skill every pilot must learn and practice for safety. The military version of this same process is an after-action report (learning opportunity)!

Real progress and improvement (learning and not just problem-solving) occurs at a higher level and involves tweaking the mental models and preventing the error in the first place. This requires time to reflect critically on our own behavior and failings, solving deeper thinking/scripting problems. Level two or “double loop” learning freely admits to errors and fixes our inner OS that is usually the root cause.

Fly safely (and often) and see you at SAFE booth C-19/20 during Sun N Fun (across from the food court). We have a free breakfast for members on Thursday (register for a ticket), and a sweepstakes with great prizes. We need your help at the booth (so I can escape and present at the forums)!

Teaching IFR (and better VFR): “Change/Check!”

As CFIs (and DPEs) we get to see a lot of “imprecise” flying. Some of this is new learners gaining skills, but unfortunately, it often also occurs with experienced pilots who never discovered the secret of precise control. The magic comes from where you are looking when you are moving the yoke (or stick). Proper visual reference must be taught in the very first flight lessons to defeat the negative transfer of “driving” (we all do this more than flying). This important instruction is often missed in early instruction with the “this is so easy” sales pitch (Cessna “drive in the sky” ads). Once a pilot discovers this control secret, the results are dramatic and immediate; it is the magic key to precise control.

It is absolutely critical to have your eyes on the proper attitude reference (continuously) when you pitch or roll an aircraft (either VFR or IFR). New pilots are not used to turning with their feet and people do not sense yaw well. VFR control input requires your eyes to be outside and directly over the nose (until you stop moving the stick). Only when the control input is complete should you “check” your desired quantitative reference (scan).

The same strategy is essential for accurate IFR flying, though the control inputs are more subtle. Proper IFR control requires fixation on the attitude reference whenever the yoke is moving – yes stare, not scan! Only when the control input is complete should the pilot “check” the quantitative or trend instruments. The last step is optimizing and trimming off the pressure – and again this requires eyes on attitude. For VFR, 80% of your time must be outside for accurate control. Similarly, for IFR 80% of “scan time” should be fixated on the attitude reference. These skills are not as different as most pilots believe.

So why is this critical, and what makes this so hard?

Unfortunately, incomplete instruction is the root cause of these problems. Instrument instructors tell new students to “scan,” but never explain how to do this successfully (I just completed a few CFI-I add-on ratings). Secondarily though, humans are predisposed to watch what is moving, so we naturally refer to inappropriate references unless we discipline our scan. A third problem is an urge for immediate perfection, but perfect altitude with lousy heading is not a winning strategy. So first we must get all the darts on the dartboard, and only then move them closer to the center.

One very compelling IFR demonstration involves covering everything except the attitude indicator while your pilot flies a full five minutes. Issue “no-gyro turns” right and left (and please do this imitating ATC precisely to build your learner’s radio aptitude). When uncovering everything, your learner will be within +/- 20 feet of the starting altitude without ever having a VSI or altimeter reference! Instrument instructors must use this to “prove” this point to the learner and gain “buy in;” it is magic! And ironically, as soon as a new IFR student has all the instruments back, they actually fly less accurately. This is very non-intuitive, but when someone simply instructs you to “scan” your eyes are everywhere except where they should be for precise control. A good CFI-I must discipline the proper scan right from the beginning (just like a new VFR student). For both environments, “change” (stabilize) then “check” (and optimize) is the magic key. Using a glass panel, a couple of post-it notes on the A/S and Alt provide the same scan discipline.

Have you seen how a (historic) Air Force T-38 panel is arranged? The size is in order of priority. The A/I is centered and HUGE! This is necessary to precise flying in all attitudes (even upside down). You had better be flying attitude (with proper trim). The new glass cockpits have a huge attitude reference also, but many pilots fixate on very small (quantitative) indications and miss the bigger (attitude) picture when applying control pressure.

The correct mantra for the CFI-I (and the pilot who wishes to be accurate) is “change” (with eyes on the attitude reference), then “stabilize” (stop moving the yoke) and only then “check” to the most relevant information source to see if the result is working. That final step “optimizing” is the fine-tuning that yields precision.

In VFR flying, you will notice pilots looking over the wing as they roll into a turn This is a natural transfer from driving, and needs to be corrected immediately. Watching the wing is the primary cause of poor rudder coordination. With that reference, a pilot never sees the adverse yaw occurring (though the CFI/DPE does continuously). By contrast, is looking directly over the nose while rolling (in any aircraft) they will immediately discern the correct amount of rudder required to coordinate the turn. (Yes, clearing is essential but watch the nose for the roll). Improvement in coordination is immediate, but it takes quite a while to establish this visual habit. Be your learner has thvery careful also to keep your back against the seat while rolling. Many pilots lean left and right while turning- their body is correcting (inappropriately) for yaw that they sense.

When rolling out of the turn, it is again necessary to direct the visual reference over the nose (or on the attitude indicator for IFR). You will be amazed at how dramatically your flying improves (immediately)! Embedding this new habit takes time (everyone drives). And experienced pilots with the same problem take even longer to build the habit; but the new precision makes it worth the effort. You really will become a smoother, more efficient pilot almost immediately (your back seat passengers will love you). Fly safely out there (and often)!

Enjoy the new courses available to members in the new safe website. And please download and use the (free) SAFE Toolkit App. This contains all the references a working CFI needs plus provides continuously new safety content.

Are We Just Creating “Co-Pilots?”

With the current rush to provide pilots for airline jobs, modern flight training facilities often miss essential piloting skills. Most academy-style flight training programs are not creating pilots, they are making “co-pilots” for the airlines. The current partial preparation reminds me of the Multi-Crew Pilot License (MPL) of years back (2006), when pilots were partially trained to just occupy the right seat (with no eventual upgrade to captain). This effort produced very mixed results. These “partial pilots,” with minimal skills, were trained specifically to fill the right seat in a two-person crew. The theory was that the airlines, and other future employers would provide continuing “Competency-Based Training” and regulatory support to fill the gaps and make safe two-person crews. In this case the pilots were never expected (or allowed) to upgrade to captains. The current FAA academy push is creating fully credentialed pilots (sometimes without the requisite skills) and turning them loose in the NAS. A future GA pilot with that same academy-style training is certainly unprepared for the more challenging flight environment they will encounter while solo. With new PDPIC regulations, most new CFI (even with added IFR and multi-engine privileges) only have 5 hours of real solo.

Being a solo pilot in any operation creates a 7x safety penalty. And the GA flight environment offers the added safety challenges of flying diverse terrain and equipment without regulatory restraint or system support (where is my dispatcher dude?) GA flying demands greater personal skill and responsibility without providing any additional training and support personnel. Newly-graduated GA pilots have only their personal sense of caution to keep them safe; it is a largely unregulated system. If most recent academy graduates had to fly VFR solo and find an airport (especially without a GPS and pink line) they would probably need aerial refueling and a new seat cushion.

One primary reason the GA accident rate is so much higher than the airlines is probably because GA allows much greater flexibility, freedom and fun. Airline and corporate flying are designed to be intensely standardized, highly regulated and essentially boring; that is how we create safety (no surprises please!) But consider all the endless possibilities of GA flying and the lack of systemic support. GA pilots are largely on their own to create the plan and master the challenges. The most critical safety failure is managing the freedom; being able to say “no” and park it. The brief VFR training delivered by most academy programs with limited solo does not prepare a GA pilot for these challenges (though the ACS risk management is a huge step forward). It is not uncommon on pilot applications to see only 5 hours even at the CFI level (the private pilot time under 141). Consequently, most modern pilots have a serious lack of VFR skills and PIC confidence.

This is again an example of the damage done by pursuing absolute minimums in flight training. A CFI-PRO™ solves this deficiency by adding some “real solo” strategically into a flight training course at various points and covering the essential skills not in the ACS. This builds the necessary skills and confidence to create a more complete pilot in command ready for the GA challenge. Injecting some VFR in the middle of IFR training is also a great change-up and provides a psychological break to motivate your learner. (IFR test candidates are often miserable at landing due to their lack of pattern practice).

Ironically, even for airline candidates, these extra hours will be required later for their magic 1500 hours anyway. Spending a few more hours before beginning instrument training to reinforce the VFR skills is also a worthwhile investment for any pilot in training. It is amazing in a two-person corporate crew, how many new pilots have no idea (or confidence) to fly VFR (or hand fly) even for small segments even where safety might be *enhanced.* Solo flight time, hand flying and VFR skills are an essential parts of the pilot toolkit. All airline programs are reporting excessive IOE times preparing candidates to actually hand fly in command at a professional leve. Learn these skills early and keep them sharp. Fly safely out there (and often)!

Join SAFE to support our safety mission of generating aviation excellence in teaching and flying. Our amazing member benefits pay back your contribution (like 1/3 off your annual ForeFlight subscription)! Our FREE SAFE Toolkit App puts required pilot endorsements and experience requirements right on your smartphone and facilitates CFI+DPE teamwork. Our CFI insurance was developed specifically for CFI professionals (and is the best value in the business).

The Best Educators are “Lifelong Learners!”

Our culture promotes the pervasive myth that teaching and learning are natural human activities we are born with. This theory further asserts that very little improvement in these skills is necessary or even possible; that teaching and learning (parenting) are innate or good enough.

While the idea of “natural skills” might be true regarding basic human survival-level behaviors, it is a harmful exaggeration given our huge brains and the amount of cultural/technical knowledge humans must assimilate to survive (and flourish) in the modern world. Amazingly, college professors not taught how to teach and most students are not taught how to learn efficiently. We need to be better on both sides of this equation. Continually building educational skills is a mandate of every CFI and we all need to be passionate learners in our constantly changing world.

Humans Are “Learners!”

The DNA package we are born with only supplies about 750MB of hard-coded information, inherited from millions of years of evolution. This “thumb drive” only supplies the basic construction and survival instructions for a human body. The human brain can store about 100TB. Unlike most animals, humans are born fairly helpless but full of possibility and geared for growth. Watch an African Wildebeast go from birth to running and feeding in less than two minutes to see how hopeless we are by comparison.

Humans are helpless at birth with only a survival level of behavioral coding. Our mandate is to continually learn and adapt. This is why early childhood education is so critical. There is a short window of opportunity in the early years as the initial learning prunes away possibilities. In many cases, this short period of possibility is squandered since good parenting is also a “learned skill” we mistakenly regard as “natural.” Every new individual must master their environment and appropriate behaviors to be successful in life. And most of this world is of our own making. We do not live in caves anymore and flying skills were not part of that original thumb drive.

Great Educators are “Learners” First!

lifelong learn[ing] plays an important role in the educational process. It helps educators incorporate new tools and strategies into the learning process to boost their students’ learning development. EWU

Some people have an greater aptitude for teaching or learning, but no one is a “natural.” We all gain better strategies as we grow and adapt (if we work at it). To be a great educator, you first have to be a great learner; that is how you acquire (and improve) these educator skills. The best aviation educators become “lifetime learners” and pass on their excitement and curiosity to their learners. Great aviation educators also instill a desire for mastery in their future pilots. For aviation educators, the basic FAA “Fundamentals of Instruction” (FOI) is definitely only the starter kit. There is a wonderful world of advanced learning to help improve every aviation educator for life.

Since every pilot was once a student, we’ve all experienced some wonderful educators and a few that did more harm than good. What is the defining difference? Certainly, an empathetic, compassionate educator is going to be much more successful in any field. But transferring knowledge in aviation has its own unique challenges and strategies, especially in the initially scary environment where we operate. In our SAFE CFI-PRO™ curriculum, we constantly emphasize the important difference between the pilot and the educator role. Each role has a separate FAA certificate and utilizes a different set of skills. Have you ever watched an untrained master pilot try to convey information? That is a frustrating and often painful experience – “what don’t you understand here?!” Talented pilots, are often pretty bad in the role of “educator.”

We should focus on the greatest source of variance that can make the difference – the teacher. We need to ensure that this greatest influence is optimized to have powerful and sensationally positive effects on the learner. Excellence in teaching is the single most powerful influence on achievement. Dr. John Hattie

No FAA CFI Improvement: SAFE CFI-PRO™!

The FAA has no curriculum for CFI improvement or continuous education. They issue your CFI temporary and send you into the cruel world of “life experience” which supplies all future learning with “on-the-job training.” In our modern aviation culture, most historic mentoring opportunities are mostly gone (See SAFE Mentoring). Many new CFIs are thrown into a mosh pit of newbies all equally confused. This is why SAFE developed the SAFE CFI-PRO™ program. The best CFIs continue to be passionate learners; curious and motivated. After years of growing and sharing techniques, these master educators have developed great tools and techniques that turbocharge new CFIs eager to learn. SAFE CFI-PRO™ supplies the “missing manual” between “good and great,” with tools from DPEs and master instructors.

Master Instructor Program: 25 Years!

All the resources below are wonderful portals into this world of master-level aviation education. If you are a veteran educator, please access the continuing education from the Master Instructor Program. JoAnn and Sandy Hill created our Master Instructor Program 25 years ago, to motivate continual learning and improvement among CFIs (give it a try HERE). Every other worthy profession requires “Continuing Education Units” (CEUs) to maintain certification and motivate continuous improvement. With no FAA help, this entirely voluntary program inspires professionalism in aviation education (The FAA used to count an MCFI as a renewal and Sporty’s paid its instructors $10K for acquiring this honor).

Continual learning and challenge keep professional practitioners current and motivated. The MCFI program awards credits for new certificates and ratings as well as education. (Sample qualifying activities) There is an awful lot of useful information for the professional educator beyond the basic FOI required to acquire the initial CFI certificate. Challenge yourself and try some of the resources below and see if they don’t spark your interest and curiosity.

Tools for Every Educator

Fly safely out there (and often)!

“Full Control Maneuvering” for Safety!

Our current pilot training process provides very little serious flight maneuvering. Most pilots never achieve an adequate level of maneuvering skill or aerodynamic understanding to be truly safe outside their “comfort zone.” The minimal amount of training provided and tested at the private level never solidifies with the rush into IFR training. Many new pilots jump into 40+ hours of level flight and standard rate turns (often on autopilot) before they get good at VFR. This is the end of any VFR flying and maneuvering for many pilots. If a pilot pursues a career path, the new commercial – “Private Pilot 2.0” – is often flown with a CFI on board and adds little skill or confidence. Progressing further in the current flight training system, a new CFI often has only 5 hours of solo, and very limited experience. In the professional airline and corporate world, almost everything is IFR and 97% autopilot. So it is no wonder that the #1 cause of pilot fatalities is “Loss of Control-Inflight” (LOC-I) when the aircraft departs the “comfort zone?”

The “sales pitch” for an earlier instrument rating is “greater safety.” Insurance companies incentivize IFR training with reduced premiums but accident data does not support this formula. The #1 killer, LOC-I, is most often low and slow while maneuvering. The FAA has addressed this lack of maneuvering experience in the airline industry with CFR 121.423, requiring “Envelope Extension Training.” Though this training is minimal, many experienced captains have mentioned the value of this regular exposure (but more is necessary).

GA Flying Requires More Skill/Flexibility!

GA flying actually requires more skill and flexibility than professional flying. There are lots more challenges and risks here but unfortunately less maneuvering and risk-management training. Recreational flying is almost all single pilot (by itself 7X more dangerous). And GA flying is carried out in much more diverse environments (at 5000+ airports vs <100 for the airlines on everything from grass, to skis, to floats) with no support and greater challenges. As a result, it is much more likely for a GA pilot to end up “out of the comfort zone” (and the accident statistics reflect this). More maneuvering training for skill and confidence is the required “safety inoculation” for every serious GA pilot.

CFR 121.423 (b) Extended envelope training must include the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Manually controlled slow flight;
(2) Manually controlled loss of reliable airspeed;
(3) Manually controlled instrument departure and arrival;
(4) Upset recovery maneuvers; and
(5) Recovery from bounced landing.
(c) Extended envelope training must include instructor-guided hands on experience of recovery from full stall and stick pusher activation, if equipped. SAFE has much more for GA

“Yank and Bank” for Greater Skill and Confidence!

While managing a 141 flight school for 25 years, I developed a specialized syllabus for pilots beginning their commercial training. This “yank and bank” course took private and commercial maneuvers a step further and eased timid pilots into the edges of the flight envelope, challenging pilots to develop (or rediscover) their visual flying and maneuvering skills. A few 60-degree bank turns reversed every 90 degrees require some outside attention and coordination. These are not aerobatic maneuvers and use standard normal category aircraft, but require full and aggressive control usage. This syllabus evolved into the SAFE Extended Envelope Training (EET). After 40+ hours of “eyes on the gauges,” standard-rate flying most pilots needed this “wake up call” to master commercial-level maneuvering. After instrument training, they were hesitant to use the controls assertively and their eyes were (not surprisingly) glued to the gauges.

YOur “Comfort Zone” can become the “Danger Zone!”

Training out of the “comfort zone” is also valuable for GA pilots who have only flown trips and truncated flight reviews for years. For many diligent pilots, aware of their deficiencies, aerobatics or upset training is often the sought-after solution to rebuild skills and confidence. But training at this level (in an exotic high-performance tailwheel at an exotic location) is often a “bridge to far” for these pilots. I took this route after private training, enrolling in the CAP 10 “French Connection Course” when it was at KPOU. For many pilots, this ends up being expensive and not transferable to their daily flying. What most pilots need first is “full control maneuvering” to build their confidence in a GA plane. They get this confidence and control from the SAFE EET course designed to build confidence and skills in the edges of the flight envelope. This training can be performed at your local airport in a standard GA aircraft (with an experienced CFI) and can be a stepping stone to real aerobatic and upset training (you will be more prepared and get more from the course). Fly safely out there (and often)!

Join SAFE to support our safety mission of generating aviation excellence in teaching and flying. Our amazing member benefits pay back your contribution (like 1/3 off your annual ForeFlight subscription)! Our FREE SAFE Toolkit App puts required pilot endorsements and experience requirements right on your smartphone and facilitates CFI+DPE teamwork. Our CFI insurance was developed specifically for CFI professionals (and is the best value in the business).

Motivate With “Incremental Mastery!”

Most new CFIs, with all good intentions, try to help too much. They consequently micromanage and monopolize the flight experience, eliminating most “learning opportunities” for their students. The greatest gift an educator can provide after presenting a lesson outline is allowing a safe place for their learner to independently make and correct their small errors; “flub it up and fix it.” This creates the critical “learning opportunity” essential to building confidence and proficiency. For the new CFI, this sloppy flying can be excruciating since every pilot wants perfection. But humans learn by doing, trying, and experimenting.

This “experimentation” obviously needs to be guided carefully, but the savvy CFI carefully avoids helping too much once the learner has achieved a level of basic competence. The ultimate goal in flight training is to get out of the plane. The CFI is there to coach and assist; guiding the learning situation with a velvet glove.

A striving for perfection is built into good pilots, and new CFIs can easily fall into the micro-management habit. It takes conscious effort and commitment to overcome this tendency and allow space for errors. The new and scared CFIs most commonly exhibit “over-control” and never release the yoke (or the mic) for this “experimentation.” They can create an oppressive environment and also never stop talking long enough for a learner to process and assemble information. The end result of micromanaging is a pathetically nervous and dependent pilot with no “command authority” or true skills – a “mouse in a maze.”

Instead, I personally advocate putting training pilots “in charge” as early as confidence and proficiency allow. A major part of aviation safety is assuming responsibility (rare in modern society). I call the building process “incremental mastery,” and the reward for every student is a “half solo” as soon as a learner is in command of the basics. This challenge is carefully briefed and designed to be fun and diagnostic – for both parties involved. The lesson allows a new pilot to handle *everything* all the way out to the practice area (pre-flight, taxi, run-up, radio, etc) with no assistance from the CFI (arms folded, mouth shut). This experience validates the training and immensely empowers the student. If the CFI is a micro-manager they squirm and suffer in the right seat but often discover some new personal strengths also – trust takes time.

Rod Machado’s archive of “Bad CFI” stories

By 3-5 hours in the air, most eager learners can accomplish this “half solo” with no problem. Briefing and accomplishing this “half solo” is amazingly empowering and educational for the learner. They immediately see the result of their time, money and effort. Encourage them to debrief their own performance after the flight – you will be surprised! This debrief also builds the essential safety habit of “after flight assessment” that every pilot should perform.Your learner is then ready (and confident) for experiencing slow flight stalls and emergencies.

This process of “incremental mastery” should continue right up until the check ride. Every time your learner exhibits competence in a maneuver or area of flight, they “own it” and command the process from that time forward – e.g. “show me your stall series.” Of course, polish and correction can be added to tighten accuracy and enhance understanding all the way through training. But it is vital to allow your learner to fly “in command” as early as feasible.

By the time a pilot in training departs the nest, fully alone for real “solo,” they are more confident, skilled, and safer. They already know they can climb, turn, and descend accurately because they have continuously demonstrated this component of the flight. Full “solo landing” is just another incremental challenge in the full continuum of becoming a pilot in command. And for confident, empowered flight applicants, the FAA checkride is much less intimidating and they generally excel. By contrast, evaluating a cosseted candidate attempting true control is painful on so many levels. This is made worse by the realization that the CFI who recommended this person actually created these problems rather than solved them.

More ideas and techniques for flight instructor excellence are part of our SAFE CFI-PRO™ Workshops now offered all over the country (call us). Fly safely (and often)!

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