Originally Posted by
ShotOne
Is it just me or is there something in the instructor/trainer psyche which is geared to focus on the negative?
My job as an instructor is to identify areas that need improvement and then document them. There is no value in documenting things that you are already doing well at.
That being said I do think good trainers provide positive verbal feedback while training/testing as a way to reduce stress and provide a more positive teaching environment.
There is also a difference between "fun" flying like training for a PPL where you want to encourage people and Professional flying.
When flying with a PPL student I try to keep the mood light and provide lots of encouragement, although I will accurately reflect weak areas in the written pilot training record.
When flying with a flight instructor student it is a whole different atmosphere. This is the "show" and I expect perfection. I will be extremely demanding and expect them to work very hard to meet my skill and knowledge requirements. When they don't they will get immediate feedback as to why I am unhappy and what they need to do to improve.
If they need a lot of hand holding and feel good feedback then IMO they are not cut out to be instructors.
Best flight test I ever had was as an PF for a prof check in one of the larger T prop airliners. The examiner never said a word until we shut down at the end of the ride, when he said " Good Ride ". My flight test report had no comments on it negative or otherwise, just a high numerical score for each exercise. That is what you want to see
