Extra flying hours - sharp practice or what?

[Mordacai]

I don't have any problem with this practice provided the school uses a clearly defined set of standards which are made clear to the student at the start of the course, as well as a defined procedure for rectifying problems that may arise. All FTO'S should have, in their operations manual, a set procedure for dealing with such situations.

At my school for instance, our operations manual, which all students must read and sign, clearly states the standards which much be achieved for each lesson in the syllabus. The student is reminded of these standards, and advised of the reason for these standards before the flight is undertaken.

Here is a rough outline of our procedure.

If the main objective of a flight is not completed to standard, the lesson must be repeated before moving on to the next lesson. The student will be advised what was not to standard, why it was not to standard, and suggestions given as to how to fix it. The instructor must inform the CFI, and obtain his signature for the student records.

The day before the repeat flight the student will be thoroughly re-briefed, and given an opportunity to ask questions. On the day of the flight the instuctor will brief the student, and question the student to ensure an acceptable level of understanding exists. The student will be given an opporunity to ask questions. During the flight the instructor will re- demonstrate, and give the student the opportunity to ask questions.

If the student is still unable to complete the lesson to standard, the CFI will be informed. The student will be thoroughly de-briefed, and then re-briefed under the supervision of the CFI. If after a second repeat, the lesson is still not completed to standard, a further evaluation flight will take place with the CFI, head of training, or his appointed deputy. A review meeting will then take place to discuss the situation.

No student should have to undertake further training without understanding the reasons, and without a plan in place to rectify the situation.

Here is my CFI's favourite quote;

'My granny could tell you that was wrong - our job is to tell you why it was wrong, and how you can fix it'.

All students learn differently, and at a different pace. The best method of instruction is the 'building block' method, where each 'block' of skill or knowledge must be firmly in place before the next block is placed on top. It would be a breach of faith to you and the wider public as a whole to continue with a course of training when fundamentals cannot be demonstrated to standard.

As far as course prices are concerned, well I'm sorry to have to tell you the brutal truth, all prices are given based on the CAA minimums for licence issue. If the student is unable to complete the course in that time, guess what, it's going to cost more. Sorry.

M