Originally Posted by
Fostex
Swapping out students with a running engine, while safe if performed correctly (and depending on aircraft type), is not really the best practice when teaching students. It needs to be emphasised to anyone new to flying that being a pilot is not just about handling the aircraft in flight but rather all aspects of safety around the aircraft when airside. That includes the safe startup and shutdown of the engine as well as the use of mags, throttle, mixture and pitch to manage the prop. By simply turning up to a running aircraft and jumping in the student is missing a lot of the learning experience. Not a good idea in my opinion.
Exactly. That was my 'other' concern with the practice. You would loose out on all the essential stuff associated with preflighting, pre-start checks, comms with ground, shut down checks (do they also skip power checks?) and I worry that would change the way a student learns to take responsibility for the whole operation.