Centaurus:
I tend to agree with your general sentiment that you cannot teach by numbers, but must take exception to your round condemnation of these 'gimmicks' (which is indeed what they are) which we can use to help a student visualise what he/she needs to in the early stages.
Assuming you do not use '3 fingers equals straight and level' or whatever process, how would you explain to someone how to select a nose attitude?
- Horizon 3 inches above the coaming? People's perception of inches is different (especially women and men!!
)
- Pick a convenient dead bug and put that on the horizon? Next time the bug might not be there or the aircraft might be different?
- Use the AH or other instruments? Not a good idea in visual flying.
Don't forget, the teaching is a gradual process, ideally ending with the student able to make all their own assessments and decisions which is what we call piloting. If we can start them on the way and give them confidence by using these gimmicks and then refine the techniques as we go, then that surely has to be good.
To drum into a student at the first stage that the straight and level nose attitude is 4.5 degrees nose up or whatever and the cruising IAS is exactly 95 kts with precisely 2350 RPM set might be correct but could drive their appreciation and confidence down, actually slowing the learning process.
I, too, am strongly against the dumbing down of training and the present trend towards learning to pass exams rather than understand a subject, but I think we should be prepared as instructors to use ALL the tools in the bag to achieve that understanding. It didn't do me any harm to use the method I described originally to get airborne from that grass airfield, an of course I moved on to a deeper understanding of what I was doing.