SMAC110 The Disappearing CFI and Why We Need Stall Training

Pre-Flight:

LarryTowPilotRick, Larry, Tom, Victoria, and Carl are all here for this episode! Russ will be joining in a bit later in the show.

Announcements: The Affordable Aircraft Expo (also knows as the Sebring US Sport Aviation Expo) is January 20-23 2016 and Carl is trying to make it there with SMAC. and Sun N Fun Radio. Tom is trying to get there, and some of Victoria’s colleagues will be there.

Cruise Flight:

Our first topic this evening is the disappearing CFI.

  • Carl says it can be difficult to find a CFI to do a flight review or checkout with because the CFI’s are being hired by the airlines and pulling them away. How can we achieve training without relying on a particular instructor?
  • Tom has seen the same thing at multiple schools, going through 3 different CFI’s while working on his private.
  • Larry has experienced this and has compensated by trying to use several different instructors so he usually has several different people he can go to that he has flown before.
  • Victoria experienced this same problem and was disappointed at first, however switching to a new CFI helped her to realize that her old CFI was not very interested in her progress and her new CFI helped her get moving much faster.
  • Rick had a good experience with this issue because he enjoyed learning from different people and he was very early in his training.
  • Carl suggested asking good questions when choosing a flight school such as if they use a syllabus, how you progress, and what happens when you loose an instructor.
  • Tom said it helped to be proactive in his training and using flight sim software at home.

Stall Training and Stall Recovery Training:

  • Russ R. joins for this topic.
  • Carl said this training has often been put off and not done, telling students to just not stall the plane, but it is important to know what to do in these situations.
  • Russ discussed how he teaches stall recovery with his students and said they are appreciative for it.
  • Victoria said it’s important for the instructor to teach the stalls but without surprising the student so much that it breaks trust.
  • The group also discussed stall training with sims, and whether or not they are helpful for this training.
  • Russ discussed the differences with the new commercial standards. He also said more emphasis is often placed on the set up of the stall then the recovery.

Smoke in the Cockpit:

  • Russ discussed a situation where one of his students had to deal with smoke in the cockpit doing touch and goes. The exhaust pipes had broken away, causing smoke and melting wiring.
  • Victoria described a similar situation where she and Bob did not have smoke in the cockpit, but their exhaust pipe broke away similar to Russ’s student.

After Flight Checklist:

~Picks of the Week~

Tom: 60th Anniversary of NORAD Santa, based on a mistake that happened in 1955.

Larry: Dan Johnson website, information on picking the right aircraft and has great videos for affordable aircraft.

Russ: The Thinking Pilots Flight Manual I & II

Victoria:  Map Shirts Etsy Store, which prints maps on shirts. You can pick from their selection or they do custom orders, so you could get your hometown on a shirt!

Carl: Article from FAA called Fly Safe, Prevent Accidents and Loss of Control.

Rick: Ferrite Recording Studio, for editing audio on iOS!

Pencast Lesson: How To Decode Runway Condition NOTAMS

Watch this short pencast lesson (recommend Full Screen mode) as I explain how to decode and read various runway condition NOTAMS as they pertain to winter flying operations.  When you’re done watching the video above, don’t forget to download a PDF copy of How To Decode Runway Condition NOTAMS, print it out, and place it in your kneeboard for reference while flying.

Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think of this teaching method and the material covered today.  I hope this information was helpful.

Clear Skies & Calm Winds,

Len @ ThePilotReport.com