Don't know the answer

[shumway76]

As a flight instructor, as we are humans & not perfect, should a student ask a question (either during lecture or in flight / pre flight / post flight) that I don't have the answer to, what's the best way to reply the student?

[westhawk]

Turn it into a learning opportunity for the student. (and yourself)

Ya got me there! Let's find the answer together. Where would be a good place to start looking?

Trying to hide the fact that you don't know the answer hardly ever works anyway. Guiding the student(s) through the process of finding answers does them at least as much good as the answers themselves. If it's something you really should have known and included in the lesson, get them an answer as soon as you can and include it in your lesson next time.

[what next]

...what's the best way to reply the student?

"I don't know."

If it is important, look it up together before the flight (all students carry iPhones and/or iPads with permanent internet access with them novadays, so this should not be a problem). If it is not important, look it up together after the flight. But it is really important to clarify the open question together, because a) you will learn something too, b) you will show the student how and where to gather relevant information and c) it's an excercise in teamwork that is an essential basis for all kinds aviation.

Happy landings,
max

[foxmoth]

Depends on the question - always admit you do not know, then either as above, or "I do not know, but I will find out and tell you".:ok:

[Pilot DAR]

I remind myself that there is so much written about aviation, that you can always look it up somewhere. The key is to know where to look it up, as correctly mentioned, and to know when you should not have to. Certain things are very certainly memory items. If you don't know a memory item, it's important that when you do find the answer, it gets memorized. It does not matter what kind of pilot you are.

A good pilot character trait is an appropriate measure of self confidence. The ability to admit that you don't know, and will find out is a good indicator of self confidence

[18greens]

Aristotle famously said 'A fool can ask more questions than a wise man can answer'.

The question is, is the question relevant and worthy of the time taken to answer it. If it is which of the 20 or so possible answers will you give?


Sadly in my teaching career the questions were always either very predictable and covered in the syllabus (99%)or so left field it was hard to work out where the questioner was coming from( eg why not take off down wind because the wind will help you along?).

For the questions that lay in the middle I usually worked out the answer on the way home in the car and learned from it. I wish there were more of these.

Either way don't be one of the insecure bluffers who gloss over everything they don't know and make out they know it all. This is so transparent and easy to spot.

[Piltdown Man]

No one will ever know everything about everything. Our subject is just too broad and new knowledge regularly arrives, rule changes constantly occur and so forth. So, be honest and follow "what next"'s advice.

...why not take off down wind because the wind will help you along?

Well, why not? I do it. But only if...


PM

[Pull what]

It depends on the question with some questions on advanced aerodynamics I would say that is outside my knowledge and not really relevant to the syllabus but we can both find out for next time and I will discuss it with you.

The important thing is not to bull**** you way through it as I have see so many do. Bull**** may baffle brains but it will never replace them

By the way, and with the greatest of respect, that is such an elementary instructional question that should be dealt with on every FI course.