Viewing page 16 of 206
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
12 U.S. CIVIL AERONAUTICS AUTHORITY On subsequent flights he should indicate that he is beginning to correct errors in the mechanical performance and overcome his personal ones. Tenseness should have practically disappeared both from his handling of the controls and his attitude. His turns should begin to indicate some retention of previous instruction and attempts to correct errors without having to be told to do so. He should also be aware of what is taking place about him as well as his efforts to fly the ship. As progress in his turning practice continues he should be given problems which require elementary practical application of turns, such as S turns across a road and elementary eights, until his coordination and ability to maintain altitude is good. He should then be taught normal climbs and glides and normal climbing and gliding turns. It should always be borne in mind by the instructor, and impressed on the student, that every time a maneuver is done to the left it should be followed by a repetition of it to the right. Equal proficiency must be attained in both directions. Before starting on landings and take-offs the student should be able to pick out a square field other than the airport and fly around it in a square, making accurate turns at each corner and should show his orientation and knowledge of traffic rules by carrying out other elementary missions that the instructor may select. Many students place unduly great importance on landing and take-offs, and it is necessary for the instructor to counteract this idea lest the student forget or lose sight of all that he has already learned. The student should be made to understand that each is merely another maneuver, neither more nor less important than any of the others. The properly trained student, like the competent pilot, is proficient in all maneuvers, for all are required to round out his capability and judgment. After each instruction period the instructor should discuss the flight with the student, answering fully all questions and explaining any principles or theories regarding the work attempted or errors committed. It is very important that the student not only have a clear picture of what is necessary but why it is necessary, or in the case of errors, why they are errors. The competent instructor will blend in a practical course on "Theory of Flight" during these discussions. Before the start of any period of instruction, the previous lesson should be reviewed for the benefit of both the student and the instructor. The work to be attempted during the flight to be made should be explained in detail and discussed. When solo flights follow dual periods, the student should be given a definite program to follow during the period and the instructor should require a report at their completion with the usual discussion and explanations. During these periods, the student should be allowed time and encouraged to learn things for himself. In this regard some students must be held down or they will take too much latitude and cause trouble for both themselves and the instructor. The notes, descriptions, and discussions which follow are intended to furnish the instructor with tools with which to accomplish his
