aviation knowledge gaps

[Meacho]

During your training and time as local recreational pilots, what are some areas that are lacking knowledge?
If you could fix a few things in the recreational aviation industry, what would they be? (Be realistic and specific)

[Miles Magister]

I think one of the most significant causes of accidents is lack of knowledge about;

1. Landing technique
2. Effect of coming over the threshold high.
3. Effect of coming over the threshold faster than Vref.


That should be a good start to the thread

MM

[EMB170]

Aircraft performance !!!

but this, doesn't apply to recreational pilots only , in my opinion.

[His dudeness]

If your talking strictly recreational aviation industry...then I would change existing laws to minimum flight hours required per year.

I would require a very high number of hours AND landings for the first year or two. Getting a license and immediately dropping to minimum hours is a recipe for a bad pilot and one most likely never become a good one.

[340drvr]

I'm continually amazed at the lack of knowledge about density altitude and the effect it has on aircraft performance/operation. At my home base, it's a daily fact of life, but there are always pilots from the lower elevations that have no idea about flight at hot/high locations. And, every year, throughout the Rocky Mountain west of the U.S., there are fatal accidents directly attributable to this lack of knowledge. It's normally mentioned in most ground school materials along with performance calculations, but, I guess if you don't use it routinely, it's quickly forgotten.

[dirkdj]

My daughter is doing her PPL now. I am amazed how little is taught about proper piston engine leaning, how, why and where.

[Miles Magister]

There will be many areas of aviation which older experienced pilots are amazed that are not taught properly in modern schools.

This is generally because even the best instructors will only ever pass on around 75% of their knowledge and understanding of a subject. If you take a young chap or chapess who has only just completed their training and allow them to instruct they will only at best pass on 75% of very little.

I am sure there are many young instructors who will disagree with me, but I believe my words are true.

I enjoy training but am often frustrated that there is not enough time to teach everything I would like to. The skill is deciding what to pass on in the limited time available and motivate the guys to keep seeking information for themselves. Many of my students and co-pilots still contact me and it is a pleasure to try and help where possible.

Learning should be based on a solid foundation then developed for the rest of your career.

MM

[ksjc]

Item #1. Have respect for your limitations.
Item #2. Have respect for your aircraft's limitations.

Doesn't seem possible to introduce every aspect of aviation to a PPL cadet. I have been at this game since 1981, most of that professionally, and still learning things every day. We learn from experience...usually the bad one.

Things like density altitude and other real world performance issues are immensely important but to learn and RETAIN it all during initial training is not possible. How do we advance our knowledge then? Respect our personal limits and proceed with caution.

[winkwink]

I'd take the bilge which constitutes every part of the written exams in EASA licences, from private to ATPL, and replace it with clear video study of many the the things written above, like leaning, hot and high performance, runway perspective, and how to interpret weather radar. I'd abandon the ridiculous exam questions on pointless topics like the dry and wet adiabatic lapse rate, or the equation for lift, and focus on important aspects which pilots will see and experience during their flying.
I "hold the hand" of a pilot who, miraculously, passed his nine EASA written exams but understands next to nothing of what he learned. He tries to sound knowledgeable to friends by uttering important sounding garbage. Yet every time he lands his Arrow at an airfield with a bigger runway than he learned on (he learned at White Waltham....EGLM) he rounds out at about 10 feet above the runway and holds the aircraft off till it stalls and smacks down. Glasgow, Newquay, Roskilde, Visby....you name it, he's tried to dig a hole in it. Instead of the countless hours of groundschool which failed to teach him the knowledge he needed to pass pointless exams, he could have watched a few John/Martha King type videos and flown to do a few circuits at a bigger runway. Too damned sensible for the fools who run European aviation.