What happens at a seminar? [Archive]

Der absolute Hammer

17th Mar 2009, 14:06

What I have been told is that:

It is a bit of a snooze.

What I would do-because I have to do one here in Johannesburg soon, is to....

Refresh brain as to the exercise sequences.
Refresh brain as to lay out structure for a long preflight brief on-say spinnning-ie: something difficult and aerodynamic.
Refresh brain from my patter notes for the sequences which I personnally found the hardest...for me, funny perhaps-all the further effects of controls were difficult to teach
In your case, have a flick through Lasors.

I do not think there is a test or exam at the end..I just would like to be seen to have prepaed a little for it.
Any more input? I know this has been on Pprune before.

excrab

18th Mar 2009, 10:33

Rapa Pilot,

I am also going to the Aopa seminar in Bristol next week, I last attended one about three years ago at the same venue.

Basically it is a box ticking exercise.

The two days will consists of some presentations on aspects that the panel examiners (or whatever they call themselves now) feel are being taught to a lower than required standard on instructor renewal tests - probably slow flight, forced landings and approaches. A lot of it will be based on the premise that in order to fly a light aircraft you must be stable on the approach at a 1000 feet as if you were flying a swept wing jet, and also a lot of the focus will be on how badly students are being prepared for the CPL and IR. the word "airmanship" is a dirty word, and don't ever suggest that students should learn check lists by memory - after all they don't do that in a Boeing 747 so why should they in a Cessna 152? They will have almost totally forgotten that some students learn to fly as a hobby and aren't interested in flying a C152 like an airliner, and if, like myself, you are interested in instructing PPL students in a flying club you will be in a distinct minority.

You can also expect a raging argument to develop at some time during the two days when someone mentions the possibility of instructors being paid who only hold a PPL, as it would obviously lower the standard of instructing to such a level that aircraft would be plumetting from the skies like a remake of "The Battle of Britain" - just like they used to in the 1980s before the BCPL was introduced.

There will also be some group exercises, and if you are one of the few people in the room under the age of sixty you will be picked on by the lecturers to answer questions and they will take great delight in picking on any mistakes you may make - or even not make. Last time one of them asked me for the spin recovery actions, and then told me I was wrong when I said that you should verify ailerons neutral. I wouldn't mind so much but I have been teaching aerobatics in Cessna aerobats for over 20 years and it is the first item in the spin recovery in the Cessna flight manual.

A few lucky people will also be called upon to give preflight briefings, either to the whole group or to smaller "workshops". This should be concentrated on those who are revalidating an instructor rating by seminar and experience, as you, like myself, are renewing a rating and have to fly with an FIE you will have to do the briefing and everything else before and after the flight test, which renders the seminar largely pointless but a neccessary and expensive evil. I imagine they will also be giving a presentation/asking questions about the new ATC services outside of controlled airspace in the UK, which will be useful if like me you can't understand a word of it.

The main thing is that you attend it, get the formed signed, and then prove to an FIE that you can actually do the job.

Der Absolute Hammer

Can't help with the South African one I'm afraid. Sorry.