On the Safe Side
Flying With a Purpose Can Increase Safety
by Jack Frost, Education Coordinator
Does your club hold a training night on a regular basis to help new club members learn to fly? What kind of training is accomplished during these sessions?
Many clubs hold training sessions at regular intervals during the flying season, and most training seems to consist of getting into the air and back on the ground with a flyable aircraft. I’ve seen takeoffs, circles, horizontal eights, loops, rolls, and landings practiced.
Is this really enough? I know that some clubs must do this, but I have never personally seen any club provide a ground school before a newbie was allowed to put his or her airplane in the air. I’ve seldom seen flight emergencies such as out-of-trim airplanes, failed servos, or even engine-out emergencies taught or practiced. I’ve seldom seen anyone practicing crosswind take-offs and landings, yet students are signed off as solo pilots without this training.
I have seen newly soloed pilots crash aircraft unnecessarily because of fairly routine problems. I have even seen airplanes crashed in low crosswind situations because the pilots were never trained to fly in the wind.
Some might say that it is too hard to learn all of these things; this hobby is supposed to be fun, not work. I can understand that, but I also feel that learning to be a proficient and safe pilot doesn’t have to be work. It can be fun.
I know that not everyone is into competition, but we can all still learn things from competitors. Watch the way a competitor practices. I don’t care if it is RC Pattern, or CL Stunt, they all have one thing in common: purposeful flight. They fly with specific goals in mind. They practice until they have mastered those goals. Should we be any less demanding of ourselves as instructors or students?
The next time you observe your club training night, ask yourself what is really being taught and what is really being learned. Are the students being trained to the best of your club’s ability? Are the students developing the skills necessary to become proficient and safe pilots? And when they get their solo sign-off, will they be assets or liabilities to the club and to themselves?
As always, if you have any questions, give me a call at (765) 287-1256, ext. 515.
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