Flying grading

[Guru]

I'm through to the third round of the selection for the cadet programme, can someone give me some pointers as to how I can do well in the grading? Thanks!

[Mr Nice guy]

I'll probably be joining you soon Guru!!!!!

[Thrust]

Best way to impress in flying grading is to do a few hours of basic instruction (good quality) first.

The grading takes the form of about ten one hour flights. You will NOT be required to take off or land the small "grob" aircraft. The flight grader (a senior instructor) will fly you out to the training area and then demonstrate a manoeuvre and ask you to fly the same. It starts off with the easy stuff eg straight and level and works up to more complicated stuff eg steep turns etc.

Just relax and enjoy the flight. Do try your best and if you stuff up one exercise try to do better on the next. What they really want to see is someone that can learn.

Best of luck.

[Guru]

Thanks Thrust, what do you mean by basic instruction and where do I get those beforehand?

[geh065]

Actually, the flight now consists of 7 grob flights. The old way used to be 10, with 3 Cap10 flights on the end, but cost cutting now means 7 only.

It all culminates with the student doing circuits, so takeoffs and landings are required.

Checklists and radiocalls not required by the student.

[Kubota]

Just a word or three of caution to those new to this...

By "practicing" beforehand and getting some time on the aircraft (like the Grob) before the assessment, you are raising the bar for yourselves. What the assessment officer tries to establish is how "trainable" you are.

By being familiar with the aircraft and procedures, you raise the level that you have to improve on. If you are familiar with flying training, you would know that the largest improvements are most often shown at the beginning of flying training (exponential) and then the curve (rather rapidly) levels off.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, just advising you that you may be trying to be TOO smart...

[Guru]

So the best thing I can do is to take everything as it comes and hope that my natural abilities are good enough?

[Kubota]

Give the man a cigar.

[Thrust]

Sorry I'm a bit out of date! I wouldn't have told anyone I had done some flying beforehand so wouldn't have raised the bar for myself. Quite right though, just relax and let it happen. Don't get too stressed about it. It WILL be FUN, if not, you might be in the wrong career.