Confessions of a new CFI

Princesspilot206

Princesspilot206

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Princesspilot
Hello All!

Wanted to post a little update on my flying career so far. Last December is was bestowed the honor of being a flight instructor. Something that I genuinely enjoy as I love teaching and talking to people about airplanes. After moving around the country getting all of my ratings done *long story* I am finally settled into my place of employment as a CFI.

My first student is a Private Pilot candidate. He is an older gentleman, an engineer, who now has the time afforded to him to pursue his lifelong dream of flight after postponing it due to starting a family. When I say this guy is a brainiac, he really is. In fact I think he overthinks some of the material. I feel like I have to break out the (Di = CDi12ρV^2S =2L2ρSπAe1V^2) formula on explaining induced drag. He is a left handed person, and I can clearly see they think about flying from a completely scientific perspective. Right now I have him reading the FAA JO Order 7110, since he has already studied everything he can at this point. He is literally reading it without distraction as we speak.

I am looking forward to taking on many more students and get to ATP mins by this time next year!
 
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Princesspilot206 said:
In fact I think he overthinks some of the material. I feel like I have to break out the (Di = CDi12ρV^2S =2L2ρSπAe1V^2) formula on explaining induced drag. He is a left handed person, and I can clearly see they think about flying from a completely scientific perspective.
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Those types can be a tough (but fun) nut to crack. You need to completely rewire their brains to rely on reflex and instinct instead of the high-level real-time flight analysis.
 
What part of the ACS requires understanding the math of reading FAA JOs?

Your job is to teach the ACS to a level of proficiency to pass the check ride and get the Private pilot certification.

BTW the proper answer to 'what is induced drag' is the drag resulting from creating lift. More lift creates more induced drag, less lift reduces drag.

See, flying is so easy even I can do it.
 
pfarber said:
What part of the ACS requires understanding the math of reading FAA JOs?

Your job is to teach the ACS to a level of proficiency to pass the check ride and get the Private pilot certification.

BTW the proper answer to 'what is induced drag' is the drag resulting from creating lift. More lift creates more induced drag, less lift reduces drag.

See, flying is so easy even I can do it.
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I’m of two minds about your post.

One mind: the ACS represents a minimum. What’s wrong with broadening ones knowledge base? Is understanding the ATC system a bad thing for a private pilot candidate?

Other mind: there is plenty in the ACS to master from both a knowledge and skill standpoint. There can be negative learning from a tendency in some to focus too much on minutiae.

There needs to be an individualized balance. Guiding that is a big part of instruction.
 
I'm an engineer and left handed. Got my CFI and CFII and it took me forever because I liked to get bogged down in the technical/scientific details.
Focus on the flying and give him specific homework to study for each lesson. For all the other stuff, he can study on his own time. There are good resources on lift and drag and icing online that he will probably enjoy. Make sure to have him do several mock check rides with other experienced CFIs to tighten up his answers so that he doesn't bog down on too many details.
 
bbchien said:
The hardest time I had with the engineers was, at a moment needing inputs, they would sit there and go "this shouldn't be happening...."

B
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I cycled the prop and it wasn't acting properly. Checked the oil pressure. It was at 0. I troubleshot for a good 20 seconds before realizing I needed to shut the engine down, NOW!

The left hand thing is a cop out. Most lefties I know are more on the artistic side, and way less analytical than me - an ambi.
 
bbchien said:
The hardest time I had with the engineers was, at a moment needing inputs, they would sit there and go "this shouldn't be happening...."

B
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Had a career nearly retired operating room nurse… she’d analyze, say it looks like we’re slow and gonna stall, I should add power… is it ok if I add power?

Y e s

OP: Good for you catering to the way of the student. I think that’s the fun, what will it take for THIS person’s light to come on?
 
I dunno, guys…have you ever noticed the percentage of lefties that do their first steep turn to the right compared to the percentage of righties that start to the right?
 
billsgs126 said:
That's silly. Everyone knows tendencies are determined by a hair color / eye color matrix.
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We once had a couple of redhead pilots in a MH-60 squadron. They definitely didn't do anything to disprove the "fiery redhead" trope and didn't like each other at all. General opinion was that when they flew together, they should report zero souls on board.

MauleSkinner said:
I dunno, guys…have you ever noticed the percentage of lefties that do their first steep turn to the right compared to the percentage of righties that start to the right?
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Hemispheric dominance is somewhat muddier than the "left brain analytical, right brain artistic". Certainly everyone has traits which vary their inclinations to be analytical vs perceptual (perhaps an interesting thing to explore within the context of flying "by the numbers" vs flying by feel/integration). I join those applauding the OP for taking the time to tailor the teaching to the student. I just don't think that looking at whether someone is left-handed vs. right-handed is likely to yield any useful data in that regard, and certainly less than a single flight with them would reveal.
 
Jim Carpenter said:
Your student may have already seen these, but he could try "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators", and "Stick and Rudder".
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This may be aviation heresy, but I didn't find Langewiesche transformative. FWIW, I'm also a B.S. in mechanical/aerospace engineering, though not nearly the voracious reader OP's student seems to be (nor left-handed). Maybe he and I are distant cousins in that regard.
 
I'm a left brained Engineer but a right brained pilot and skier (very occasionally to my detriment).

My learning skills for both flying and skiing are of the Watch then Do type while the OP's student seems to be the Read and Do type. Learning how students prefer to learn and adjusting to that style is the key to successful instruction. No harm in letting them Read and then Do but with a very high dose of Watch, Feel and then Do.
 
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MauleSkinner said:
I dunno, guys…have you ever noticed the percentage of lefties that do their first steep turn to the right compared to the percentage of righties that start to the right?
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Since righties and lefties both manipulate the yoke (in a "standard" airplane configuration" with their left hand, I'm not sure I've noticed a difference.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Since righties and lefties both manipulate the yoke (in a "standard" airplane configuration" with their left hand, I'm not sure I've noticed a difference.
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In my brain it’s just weird to go to the right first, so when I see someone doing steep turns and think. “That’s weird,” I ask. The majority are lefties. No idea why.
 
pfarber said:
No, it represents the STANDARD.

A student, CFI, PPL and ATP all fly under the same basic rules. Cubs and 777's are still just airplanes.
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I guess we disagree. It's a standard, but it's a base minimum standard. It's a bit less obvious for sport and private than, say, for the instrument rating these days, but there's a reason certificates and ratings are called "license to learn."
 
MauleSkinner said:
In my brain it’s just weird to go to the right first, so when I see someone doing steep turns and think. “That’s weird,” I ask. The majority are lefties. No idea why.
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Now I'm curious as to the handedness of people who ride "goofy" on snowboards or hold their hockey sticks left vs. right.

The brain is a truly fascinating thing. I wish more people had one.
 
AvNavCom said:
Now I'm curious as to the handedness of people who ride "goofy" on snowboards or hold their hockey sticks left vs. right.

The brain is a truly fascinating thing. I wish more people had one.
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I wondered about the hockey thing, and @Dave Theisen can chime in on the veracity of it, but was told that most/all? hockey players shoot "wrong handed." When not controlling the puck, you control it with your dominant hand, so a righty (thrower/writer) would shoot lefty (if comparing the shot to a baseball or golf swing).
 
DJTorrente said:
This may be aviation heresy, but I didn't find Langewiesche transformative. FWIW, I'm also a B.S. in mechanical/aerospace engineering, though not nearly the voracious reader OP's student seems to be (nor left-handed). Maybe he and I are distant cousins in that regard.
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I'm also in the "S&R is a nice read at the beach but not mind-boggling" camp. I'm a software engineer and despise the fact that I had to install a GPS in the cherokee. I took up flying to get away from computers and technology, but it keeps following me everywhere. On the other hand, I was the only one in my aerodynamics class (at the university) that had their own printed copy of Aerodynamics.The other students couldn't understand why, when I'm not an aviation student, why on earth was I taking the class? They just didn't understand that it's fun!

But then, I also found orbital mechanics fun, not to mention music technology, cognitive psychology and Shakespeare classes fun.
 
murphey said:
But then, I also found orbital mechanics fun, not to mention music technology, cognitive psychology and Shakespeare classes fun.
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I played some piano (my son is far more into his music -- mallet percussion -- than I ever was). You can keep your CogPsy. I (currently >25 yrs. post-BS) downloaded a copy of Hoerner's Drag last year. Some things don't change. I've had assignments that tickled my aero education, but never did get to ply the aero material in earnest. Maybe that's why I want to build an experimental.
 
billsgs126 said:
That's silly. Everyone knows tendencies are determined by a hair color / eye color matrix.
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Is this the setup for a blonde joke? :D

I'm an engineer (aero by education, mechanical by trade), right handed, and definitely not a by-the-numbers pilot... which is reflected by the kind of planes I fly. But my entire engineering career was design work, I'm not the number crunching analytical type. To me flying is a very intuitive kind of thing. Partly, perhaps, because I learned to fly R/C first, where there's no instruments at all. But I do think my engineering knowledge of aerodynamics has helped me to be a better pilot.
 
I was an engineer in my late 40’s when I started lessons. I quit after ten or so hours. I had an ex military Instructor. He was a successful instructor but we were unable to communicate. He was by the book. Hammering Vspeeds, stall recovery, power on/off stalls, etc. As soon as I demonstrated a passable maneuver we went on to the next. I never really developed a feel for the plane or flying. Understanding how the air mass moved and the affect it had on altitude, attitude and airspeed didn’t sink in. I gave up. A friend convinced me to try again. My second CFI was a tail wheel (what he called “real” pilot). He took me flying. Showed me the sights. Talked about what a beautiful day to fly it was. I sort of accidentally learned.

Just my uneducated opinion. Engineers are inherently curious. Some have a difficult time being “taught”. Show them a maneuver or an oddity and that will drive them to figure it out.

I learned in steam gauges. It drove me looney the the increments on the dials for airspeed, VSI and altitude were different. 5 mph, 100 FPM, 20’. Instead of glancing at a dial and knowing what the indication was, I’d take a moment to count the ticks between the numbers. Looking back if Vrotate is 67 mph applying a little back pressure on the yoke at anything over 60 isn’t catastrophic.
 
2-Bit Speed said:
Yes. The Standardized Minimum.
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You’re playing word games. The performance of maneuvers is pass/fail. You can’t do steep turns more better (get an A+ ) that negates a Deficiency in say turns around a point.

Aka you’re either pregnant or you are not.
 
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pfarber said:
You’re playing word games. The performance of maneuvers is pass/fail. You can’t do steep turns more better (get an A+ ) that negates a Deficiency in say turns around a point.

Aka you’re either pregnant or you are not.
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So must you fly +100 feet, -100 feet, or alternate between them? (Oh, you can’t alternate between them, because at some point you would be on your altitude, and that’s not the standard.)
 
Why not strive to fly maneuvers as precisely as possible and master them beyond the ACS standards? I can think of 2 reasons one might want to. First, fun, curiosity and personal satisfaction. The second is more pragmatic. During a checkride you shouldn't depend on your best performance, but only your average. A pilot who can barely fly them to ACS standards is risking a failure. If you can get your steep turns or lazy 8s to +/- 50 feet or even better, you give yourself a margin. You're got the skills to meet the standard even on a bad day, not just on your best or average day.
 
AvNavCom said:
General opinion was that when they flew together, they should report zero souls on board.
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That...... is both harsh and hilarious at the same time! Writing that one down.
 
I’m left eye dominant and shoot right eye.
Where’s that put me in Aviation scheme of things?
 
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