Originally Posted by
Staffypilot
That reminds me of an incident I investigated where a dual instructional flight ran off the side of the runway. The investigation basically highlighted that the instructor kept making vague comments like “what are you doing?” and “where are you going?” instead of giving clear corrective instruction. Not once did they actually say something simple and actionable like “right rudder” or “go around. That’s a really poor instructional standard. She didn't even try to take over In a developing situation, especially with a student, the instructor’s job is not to critique but it’s to intervene early, clearly, and decisively. Hesitation or passive commentary can turn a recoverable deviation into an accident.
I saw a video recently of an instructor talking a student female asian student through a take-off at Moorabbin and honestly the patter was some of the worst I’ve heard that was overly wordy, no substance in the patter -- full of slang, unclear and no real command presence. If I’d pattered like that back in my instructing days I doubt I would’ve passed. It genuinely makes me wonder how some people are getting signed off for instructor ratings these days. CASA has really lost the plot IMO It does feel like standards have slipped a lot, especially with the number of GA accidents in Australia lately, probably compounded by rapid hour building, fewer genuinely passionate instructors, and training turning into a box-ticking exercise instead of producing confident, decisive pilots. The VET-fee pipeline hasn’t helped either. The social media influence is another issue, I’ve seen female instructors posting about students like it’s content or personal branding, the whole “ohh look at me" "I'm a Grade 1 instructor" "look at my journey to the airlines” thing. Old school or not, instructing carries real responsibility; it’s about being a role model not building an image or advertising a pathway to the airlines.
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In a similar vein I recall taking over a new Cessna 152 student at a Victorian country flying school. The student had already flown ten hours of dual. His normal instructor was away on holiday.
We arrived at our Cessna 152 and got seated. He then apologised and said he had left his checklist in his car. I said no problem just do a left to right checks . He had never heard of that as he had been taught to read and do everyhing from a written checklist.
After starting the engine he did not know what to do next without his written checklist. We finally got airborne for circuits and he rattled off the BUMPF mnemonics during the downwind leg including confirming the wheels were down and locked and the magnetos were on BOTH. . I said the C152 had fixed landing gear and the gear check did not apply. Similarly if the magnetos were not ON there would be no engine power. His landing were safe but I was reluctant to send him solo because of his total reliance on a written checklist.
We finished the session and taxied to the parking area but he was embarrassed when I asked him to shut down the engine. He said he had never shut down ithe engine without reading from his checklist in all his previous flights with his grade 3 instructor. I had to talk him through the shut down checks. It seemed to me that the instructor's CFI clearly was unaware of the deficiences in the grade 3 instructor's teaching technique.