touchy-feely with students
I was watching a programme called Flying Soldiers a few days ago. It's about Class 354 learning to fly for the British Army, and they want to fly choppers but started on episode 1 in Chipmunks.
Apart from the nerves of sending someone on their first solo in a Chippy in 20G27kt winds, I noticed two things:
1. The instructors were all old. By old I mean not fresh out of school, wings course, Instructor course, go teach. I mean Wings course, go fly for a few years, then teach with authority. That seemed like a Good Idea to me, I wish it could happen more in civvy street.
But I really want to ask about point 2.
2. One of the students was having a bit of trouble with the stall recovery, and the panel-mounted camera showed the instructor reaching over from the back seat and patting him on the shoulders as the instructor reassured him that it would come, he could do it, just needed to be a bit more gentle etc.
This brought to mind a 'situation' I have faced before but was not prepared for which is when the student is genuinely getting close to tears, I could tell that much but didn't know what to do about it. After a talk with the boss (after the flight) he suggested holding their hand on the throttle and going through it together. This lets them know you are there so they feel more comfortable, and it also provides that immediacy of response where you can feel them tense up and get onto it staight away so it doesn't build up to a point where they can't think at all.
My questions are
1. How many of you actually use contact to reassure your students, and when did you start and why? I can think of two situations where I should have but didn't and subsequently lost students from flying, and one where I was told to, did, and it worked out well (she went solo three weeks later) and all I can think of was if I had known for those first two...
2. When training instructors, when do you let them know (if ever) that it is OK to touch their students, pat them on the back, hold their hand on the throttle etc.?
Thankyou from a soon-to-be-training-instructors Instructor!