Flight Instructor Interview

[GTF34]

By the way, I forgot to mention that you have a pretty nice presentation there. While people may suggest changes, everyone will teach things a little differently and it doesn't have to contain everything, as you can add to it as you are giving the presentation.

I'm pretty impressed that you took the time to make that for an interview, and also that you already have a handful of pilot certs at 19, hopefully they think so too.

[PrivatePilotDA40NG]

Thanks for the tips.
I will add an 'objectives' slide at the beginning of the powerpoint.

Tomorrow I will spend a day at my old flight school to get advice and
to practice in the sim.

[BEagle]

You're not really planning to teach a 3° approach in an SEP Class aeroplane, are you? 400-600 ft roll-out on final would put you at 1.3-2 nm from touchdown.

And 4 individual checklists in the visual circuit?

K.I.S.S!!

[Genghis the Engineer]

A thought or two reading your slides.

- Nice and clean
- Too much information if you're putting them up at once, *probably* okay if you are using reveal as you get to each point.
- 3 degrees in a single in the visual circuit. Don't be silly.
- No mentions of speed or power
- Decide if you're going to teach point-and-power or pitch-for-speed / power-for-angle
- What the hell is a descent checklist on downwind? Never heard such nonsense.
- Not convinced about after t/o or ldg either. Wayyyyy too many checks for a newbie (or most of the rest of us).
- Too many words to say simple things. For example "On base: 35%, flaps LDG and when speed is 80 KIAS, initiate descent ": why not "Base / flaps inter / 80 KIAS". 35% what anyhow?
- Higher approach speeds on finall for turbulence? Wash your mouth out with soap and go read some aerodynamics
- Don't take land flaps in an SE until you're certain you'll make the runway if the engine coughs. Land flaps downwind is also silly.
- "End of downwind call", where do you get this nonsense? Also not many airports require a base call either, and certainly most students struggle to get "downwind" and "final" in, don't ask more of them unless absolutely essential.
- Why are you not explaining the check mnemonic?, because you certainly don't want students taking a checklist out in the circuit.
- Surely early on in the learning process, things like wake separation are too much information - that needs introducing pre solo, but not just before the first circuits session.
- Your use of a 45 downwind join suggest USA training? I'm not aware of that being used anywhere in Europe.

- You have 17 slides. That's about what I use for a 1 hour lecture.


Like BEAGLE said - K.I.S.S ! Get rid of about half of what's in those slides, and restrict it to what a student really needs for an introduction to circuits.

Seriously, I know I sound very critical and I'm sure you're a good pilot and this is very important to you. But, I think that you've fallen into the classic inexperienced teacher's trap of trying to say much too much. Pare it right down to the minimum absolutely essential, then if questioned, bring extra stuff in verbally.

Also know what your time permitted is, and practice delivering it in exactly that time.

Personally I'd also use a whiteboard rather than PP, which is very inflexible (see next door thread!)


Best of luck - the effort you've put in clearly shows how important this is to you, and please take my criticisms as supportive to somebody I want to succeed.

G

[glendalegoon]

dear OP

I wouldn't worry too much about what genghis the engineer says about 3 degrees etc.

have fun, your head should always be moving to look for traffic.

[pineappledaz]

Genghis the Engineer's point about 3 deg is a very good point..not once during circuit training do you ever worry about 3 deg. How would you ever know and how would you expect someone learning a circuit to be able to cope with that.

KISS! is the number one rule..

Ask them what do they know about a circuit..you never know the student might be an electronic wizard of 30 years experience..a circuit to them will be completely different..this allows you to assess the initial ability of the student..then again they may know quite a bit about flying a circuits..

Could follow up with a why do we do circuits..Has the student seen a vfr chart or aerodrome chart/plate?

outline the objectives of the lesson..by the end of the day you will be able to do this ...blah blah.

break the lesson up into sections..writing stuff up on a whiteboard is good because it stays in the students view and they can absorb more information (They might be afraid or hesitant to ask questions)

Ask questions..reaffirms knowledge from previous lessons.

Intro
Objectives
Considerations/POF
Aircraft Management..flaps..power..speeds
Human Factors - stress..lookouts..fatigue..visual factors(runway perspectives)
Lessons breakdown - first i'm going to demonstrate to you a normal circuit..remember to keep your hands on the controls and follow me through..here's a high approach and here is a low approach..notice how I used the power differently.

you could introduce xwinds..extending downwind..orbiting..go arounds as a circuit consideration lesson..


Base turning final (about 500ft)
Turn final..assess the approach, select the aiming point (Use either point and power or pitch and power) get that centreline..assessing the xwind(Maybe)..
short final make a go-no go decision on the landing.

Assessing the profile is a biggy as it changes the power requirements so as Genghis the Engineer has said you need to decide on the approach method for power and speed. I like power and pitch but I have flown with others that like point and power.

Here's what we use

CAA Flight Instructor Guide ? Circuit Training: Circuit Introduction

good luck

[PrivatePilotDA40NG]

Thanks for taking the time to go over those points.

I had a talk today with my Chief flight instructor.
He said that I have to go into detail very much.. So that doesn't really conform with KISS.

You suggest me to not include every item to be performed....? Like landing and taxi light and approach checklist?

Anyway, I'll let go of some of the information and try to give the information verbally...

I was always teached to perform Descent checklist... It's more of a brief system overview and then state intentions as of what kind of circuit the next one will be... In my FTO I've never seen anything else...

And we always fly 3° on final, following the PAPI...

BTW the company I'm applying to is CAE for a position in Phoenix, AZ

[Genghis the Engineer]

I've flown out of Phoenix a few times - nice spot with some amazing flying scenery.

The airport RT coming and going was a bit of a handful, and it would be worth taking some time to read up on them. Ditto American ATC procedures in general, if you're not familiar with those.

Sorry, I didn't keep my notes, otherwise you'd be welcome to them.

I'd also read up on the meteorology of dust devils, which seemed a constant feature out there. Oh yes, and density altitude effects.

G

[glendalegoon]

dear OP

again, don't listen to the anti 3 degree crowd, and yes 45 degree entry is the thing to do (esp in USA).

You can be detailed and keep it simple. simple does not always mean short and forget something.

Working the radio is part of modern flying and being into the radio useage (esp after safe good flying skills are established) is important. Phoenix ain't some little flying field in scotland with a pub.

And where the weather is good much of the time, you get TRAFFIC and having landing light on is good for enhancing see and avoid. ALWAYS clear especially on base to final or you could find traffic on the wrong PATTERN side. NO CIRCUITS in the usa except in the radio. Always clear below too!

[Genghis the Engineer]

I quite like the 45 degree downwind join, but I've never seen it used anywhere but the USA. Does any other country use it?

Good point Pattern in the USA, Circuit in Europe.

Why on earth would anybody fly a 3 degree visual approach in a single?

G

[pineappledaz]

What happens when you land at a strip where there isn't any PAPI?

We always aim for about 300fpm descent..I guess at around 70kts given a headwind that will equate to about a 3deg descent but it isn't a point that is even mentioned until IFR training. Under VFR training it is a meaningless point.

Just a point though what happens when ATC tells you to do a quick and short approach to squeeze you in between traffic?

[glendalegoon]

if ATC tells you to do something and you don't want to do it, you just say: UNABLE.

end of discussion.

[pineappledaz]

riiiiight..ok then...sorry sir unable, I can't figure out how to reduce the power or set my speed because I'm not on a 3deg descent.

[PrivatePilotDA40NG]

I have to do a briefing on stalls too maybe..
But how far do I go into detail?

I'll get the lift curve and explain what happens to the airflow but do I have to bring up the formulas...?

[RVR800]

360 degree appraisal

>I think the training, which woulf start in 2 weeks, is self funded..

So apart from the shower, clean shoes and cologne and addressing everyone as Sir maybe you should enquire about the cost of the training course that you will be paying for and get to find out EXACTLY what you will be getting as a customer.

[PrivatePilotDA40NG]

I already figured out that I don't have to pay anything

[Sleeve Wing]

PP.DA40NG.

You are obviously very keen to do well and I would be the last person to try and dampen your enthusiasm. Your attention to detail in all you do is commendable.

BUT try not to forget that your student will initially know next to nothing about how to operate an aeroplane. If you don't keep things SIMPLE at the beginning, he will just become confused and subsequently underperform for you.

You of course should make sure that your own knowledge is substantial and clear.
Once you have got started, encourage your student to ask questions during the flight and the debrief. Slowly this will build up to what you are trying to achieve - to learn the basics of how to fly the aircraft well within its envelope with safety and confidence.

All the difficult stuff can come later when Bloggs is beginning to understand what he is doing up there and that what you have taught him actually works and allows him to manoeuvre the aeroplane where HE wants it to go.

Listen to the wise advice of Genghis and a couple of the others.
EASE your student into the alien world of flying an aeroplane.
Keep the checklists FEW, SHORT and SIMPLE. Other stuff will come with experience and questions.
Keep the patterns flexible and appropriate to the traffic needs of the airfield without the requirement to fly HUGE ungainly ones. This may require adjusting speeds within safe boundaries but DON'T keep prompting him if it's not EXACTLY the way you would have done it. He's learning, remember ?

Lastly, we used to teach the exercises using a LONG brief (so that he has time to absorb it), followed later by the SHORT preflight briefing to SIMPLY explain what he will be practising during the next imminent flight.

Make it FUN. Then he'll be relaxed and much more receptive.

Have a ball and, oh, good Luck.

[mad_jock]

instructors always have to pay something.

Blood, sweat, grey hairs, sore guts from holding a poo in until you get a 10 min break.

Nothing in aviation is free.

[chrisbl]

There is a lot of sound advice here about keeping it simple.


All students are different and your approach to them has to take this into account. One place to pick this up is their approach to briefings.


The biggest failing of most instructors is that they talk too much, both during the briefing and in the air.


The result of this is that students inadvertently cop out of the learning process if all the are doing is flying the running commentary from the instructor.


The starting point for this usually occurs in the briefing with an assault of information showing how much the instructor knows but of little help for the student especially if there is no time for the student to sort out in their mind what they have to do. They go to the aircraft with "oh well I am not sure about that bit but he will tell me as we go along."


Genghis's comments on checklists is valid. I am not a fan of doing stuff in the initial part of circuit training that gets in the by of keeping control of the aircraft.
I picked up a student recently who was great on the radio, did all the checklists including lights on of final totally oblivious to the fact that he was not in control of the aircraft. He was disappointed to be told that not being in control of the aircraft outweighed the procedural expertise.


It did not take long to sort out both the student and the instructor.


As to the stalling keep it simple and make sure you don't pass on the incorrect theory of airflow over the aerofoil. There is another thread on the forum which busts the incorrect teaching of this.

[GgW]

The biggest failing of most instructors is that they talk too much, both during the briefing and in the air.

I could not agree with you more!!