Student Errors

[conky]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some input from instructors about common student errors with private pilot air exercises.

Eg. Normal landing - landing hard due to flaring to high

[niwre]

A high flare or round out is usually cuase by the student not looking where they should be when they are going to begin the round out and hold off. Most errors caused by VFR pilots are due to not flying with their eyes outside. If they fly by their gauges cover them up. Name any exercise and the first error is usually not picking up on the attitude change that caused the departure from the ideal. Thats where we should come in... we have to show them what the right attitude looks like and reference it.

[Dagwood]

Most common errors that I've noticed:
Ex. 5-18: not looking outside
Ex. 19: They don't make mistakes on this one. lol
Ex. 20: Not looking inside.
Ex. 21-23: Not looking outside.
Ex. 24: Failing to maintain a proper scan.
Ex. 30: Ending calls with "Conflicting traffic please advise!"

I think looking at the gauges gives a certain security to students that they are flying correctly. I like to tell them that all the instruments have a delay... aircraft nose pitches up, then the aircraft starts to climb as indicated on the altimeter. It's hard always playing catch-up with the airplane. Make life easier on yourself, look outside people!

Also, students who come prepared and take notes during the PGI tend to fly better than those who don't.

[Big Pistons Forever]

The number one problem with PPL's is not being able to accurately recognize the attitude of the airplane solely by what they see out the windshield. This is invariably casued by instructors failing to emphasize the importance of Ex 5 and then rushing through Ex 6-9. A & M is the most important lesson in flying training.

[200hr Wonder]

I really have to agree with BPF, most PPL errors are caused by a less than solid foundation set down during the early stages of training. Emphasis on attitudes and proper use of rudder. Looking outside is also a big one... at your attitude.

I have in the past taken over a weekend warrior student who had spent HOURS in the circuit pooching landings, short, long, etc. In two lessons I kicked him out solo, simply by re-enforcing attitudes through the entire circuit, look outside.

[Shiny Side Up]

I'd agree with what's been said already, there's only a bit I'd add. Eyes outside being the most common error through most of the flight excersises. The next most common, and not mentioned above would be not thinking ahead of the airplane. It starts to show up in Ex. 16-18 and really becomes problematic for the student in Ex 21-23. Notably absent from the above list that someone had was Ex 20 - illusions created by drift, which a good explanation of helps with, but is by no means the only cure for. Not thinking ahead is often a problem for Ex 30 as well. Students botch radio calls because they engage the mouth before putting the brain in gear. Staying focused on what's to come is often a problem as well - many students are easily distracted from the important tasks at hand, whether it be by other traffic, navaid gizmos or the scenery. An instructor needs to be a harsh taskmaster when it comes to the student flying the airplane first.

[conky]

Thanks for the responses everyone. This is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for.

[HAWK]

I would add 1 more if it's not too late
EX.9, there is usually a common error in not maintaining altitude in the turn, it starts out in the roll, it has to be co-ordinated!! If not, then aileron drag takes over, the nose yaws to where the student thinks that they pitched the reference point to the horizon, but then when the desired angle of bank is reached they then neutralize the ailerons, and you guessed it no more aileron drag, the nose yaws back to where it should be and vwalla your in the steep descending turn!!!.

When I teach ex.5 I have the student do a series of rolls around a landmark that they pick ahead of them, not in the middle of the airplane, left roll to about 15 degrees, then back to the right, this getts them to overcome the aileron drag that is what I find to be essential in ex.9
It's a combination of,
1. co-ordinating the roll
2. looking out side for the reference point



sorry for spelling errors, I fly airplanes!!

[200hr Wonder]

Great tip for Ex. 9 HAWK thanks, I will have to remember that if I ever go back to instructing. I also like to point out that at 45 degrees angle bank at 70ish knots that it is a 1.2G maneuver and the student *SHOULD* be feeling pressed into the seat!

[Hedley]

I can do a pre-flight test tuneup with most PPL candidates without looking at the PTR.

Following are the highlights:

First we sit down and do some paperwork. Calculate a W&B using real a/c numbers. Review aircraft docs - are we airworthy? Journey log - compass swing, elt and xponder check intervals? Remember this person is going to be flying privately-reg aircraft, which have annual inspections, not 50 hr insp.

4 airspeeds. Systems knowledge - vacuum and electric gyros. pitot/static errors. Carbon monoxide from the heater. etc. Carb icing as applicable.

Review the flight log and VNC for x/c dep proc. Common errors - statute vs nautical mph, true vs mag. POH chart knowledge.

Next, get out the VNC and drill the diversion procedure on the table. If you can't do it well on the ground, you can't do it in a bumpy airplane.

Into the airplane we go. If it's soft field takeoff, they will probably try to climb out of ground effect, nose high, before they gain a safe climb airspeed. Common error.

X/C dep. What freq to open the flight plan? 126.7 doesn't cut it any more. Most people don't lean the mixture - wrong.

Steep turns. People don't realize that until they are past 30 deg, it ain't steep. So only after 30 deg, add power and pull. If you don't feel the pull, you're doing it wrong - check the ball. Be sure the reduce power and push to avoid climbing when exiting the steep turn.

Forced approach is a big problem for many candidates. Usually because they don't practice it enough. The overhead 360 is a great technique if you can apply it. Note that when the examiner pulls the power, I immediately crank the aircraft right and look down - generally examiners smugly pull the power, looking at a nice field on their side of the aircraft. Continue the turn around - there may be a nice field behind you! Don't just look at your quadrant (front/left) for fields!

Diversion we already practiced on the ground. They should do ok if they follow the procedure I taught them.

Back to the airport, short or soft. I am looking for good airspeed control, on the glide path, on the runway centerline, nothing too dramatic on the pavement, no hands ablur in the cockpit. I really hate it when people lock up the tires and flat spot them during short field landings. Soft field landings are sooo simple - just keep bringing the elevator back to keep the nose tire in the air.

Oh yeah, incredibly, some people struggle with precautionary, which is the easiest thing on the test. Generally they haven't been taught a simple procedure to follow.

One last thing - amazingly, most pilots don't know how to level off an aircraft after climbing. 99% of the pilots I fly with cut the power immediately after reaching altitude, at a slow airspeed, then spend the next 5 minutes struggling with trim and altitude and power as the aircraft slowly accelerates to the target airspeed and RPM.

Don't do that.

After reaching your desired altitude, leave your power at climb setting and accelerate to your desired airspeed THEN reduce power. While this is going on, you will have to steadily lower the nose to decrease the AOA to avoid climbing in the level-off (99% of people do that). Once you are at your desired altitude, airspeed and power setting then set the trim. Done in 10 seconds.

No one does this, and I don't know why. It's really not very hard to do it right.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Everything Hed says plus I will add what I think seems to be a near universail trait. Students usually do not spend enough time trimming and in the case of the level off that Hedley described, trim before the aircraft has stabilized at cruise speed which means the aircraft has been trimmed for a lower than normal cruise speed . Therefore at the first lack of attention the aircraft will seek to regain its (lower) trimmed airspeed by pitching up. This is why if the student is not maintaining hsi/her assigned cruise atltiude they will usually be above it, rather than below.

Another frequent problem is a result of the needlessly complicated FTU checklist which causes too much head down time and can lead to loss of situational awareness or a inadequate or unsafe lookout. The Forced Approach is a good example of this. I teach all the checks as a flow with the completed actions "checked" with the checklist after the aircraft is establihed and is well positioned for the approach. If the student is reading and doing the checks while trying to fly the forced approach they are IMO doing it wrong.

Finally when you as the instructor are flying do everything half as fast as you would if you where alone. Being smooth and deliberate not only makes it easier to nail every part of your flight but it provides a powerfull lesson to the student on how much easier flying is if you ease up over from climb to cruise and ease over to the banked attitude etc etc etc, instead of fighting the airplane with constant large control movements.

[flyingdiaper]

I spend Ex5 probably double the time that of standard. Like somebody said, solid foundation makes later exercise lot easier.
When telling student to lookout side, not just tell'em to lookout side but emphasize to relate the cowling/dash and horizon.
Don't get bothered to repeat this, student tend to forget this principal quite easily.
Noticing the attitude difference along with proper trimming, you can avoid staring at ASI when, say, you on the approach.

Yaw, anticipate what's gonna happen when making a power change.
Slow flight is the perfect time to teach this. Looking through the side of cowling, you can easily notice if aircraft is yawing or not.
With Power on Stall, you can demonstrate what's gonna happen if you don't control yaw.

[flyingdiaper]

One more thing to add, feed back from recent flight tests,
On Diversion, don't forget to reset HI before getting to head setting point.
Typically by the time when you get to Diversion exercise, HI is way off for sure.

[Luscombe]

I'm really surprised that no one has said that the most common error student pilots make is believing the crap the FTU's are telling them about the impending "pilot shortage", how there's scads of jobs out there, and upon completion of the CPL that they will be sitting in a jet making a zillion dollars.

In all honesty though, I suppose the biggest error is not looking where you're going. For anyone who has flown at a busy FTU knows this and keeps his eyes peeled for the low-timer or not-so-current guy in the circuit.

[SuperchargedRS]

I have a teaching error, teach the student how to go trough the log books for a plane, what should the compression look like, what are some signs that the AC might not be healthy, trends etc.

Your student is not likely to buy a brand new plane after they get their ticket! They will be flying rentals and eventually someone else plane, they need to know how to spot a potential problems before they have to worry about things like "emergency procedures"

[RFlyer]

Another one I think should be on the list is setting up the a/c for a go-around; I think it's a common mistake to raise the flaps before setting full power.

[hew44]

Those are all really good points. As much as teaching the first few exercises SUCKS it is important. The most common error i notice is not doing crosswind imputs! drives me nuts, especially with a specialty take-off.