Flight Training - December 2014 - 39

ones that are in perfect working order. For example,
different years of the Piper PA-32 series had varying
designs of fuel tanks and selectors. The older models
have four fuel tanks to manage, while the newer versions have only two. If you were to hop in an older
model without understanding this particular nuance,
it could be a dangerous mistake.
EVERY COWBOY MUST RIDE ALONE SOONER OR
LATER. One reason pilots are sometimes slow in tak-

ing PIC authority is because they grow complacent
when ﬂying with a person who has more experience.
The student/instructor dynamic is an especially
complicated one because duties are gradually being
shifted to the student as he or she learns new skills.
If you ﬁnd that you are having trouble truly feeling
like master of the aircraft, it may be time to build
some solo hours. Sometimes, the greatest conﬁdence
booster is just plain old experience. When you ﬂy by
yourself and are forced to make PIC decisions without any assistance from a more experienced pilot, you
will gradually develop a comfort level in the airplane
that can only come with time.
HORSES CAN SENSE FEAR. When you get on a
horse and are tense, you can be sure that nervous
energy will make for a less-than-pleasant experience. Fear can be equally detrimental in the cockpit,
where it causes pilots to lose focus and make
mistakes with things that normally would be second
nature. Remember, most training aircraft are far
more stable than one might think, and are made
to withstand a variety of ﬂight conditions without
harm to either the occupants or the airframe. You
probably won't be the ﬁrst student to botch that
stall recovery, nor will you be the last. So don't let
the fear of a spin, for example, keep you from getting truly comfortable maneuvering at slow speeds
in your aircraft. If there is any maneuver you do
not feel completely capable of doing on your own,
voice your discomfort. That way your instructor can
continue to practice the maneuver with you until all
fear is gone.
CONSIDER WHY YOUR HORSE IS ACTING UP. Is
it hungry? Is there a problem with its shoes? If your
airplane is making strange noises or ﬂying differently,
stop to think about what the reasons could be before
you indiscriminately start ﬂipping switches. Part of
becoming PIC is understanding the systems of your
aircraft so that you are able to diagnose common
problems in the air and take the right action. Someone who is truly master of his airplane understands
that engine roughness could mean different things

depending on whether the engine is carbureted or fuel
injected, for example.
CHANGE YOUR RIDING STYLE TO SUIT THE HORSE.

You simply don't control a young stallion the same way
you would an older mare. If you ﬂy a high-wing Cessna,
a low-wing Piper, and a turbocharged multiengine airplane, you cannot use the same technique with all if you
hope to be successful. The lighter aircraft will require
more ﬁnesse, while the heavier multiengine needs
a ﬁrmer touch on the controls and a more proactive
approach to the trim in order to maintain acceptable
standards of altitude and airspeed. You also should alter
your landing technique in the heavier aircraft, as the
landing speed is higher and the landing roll likely much
longer. You simply cannot afford to ﬂoat a larger aircraft
onto the pavement and eat up valuable runway distance.
A COWBOY IS NOT AFRAID TO MAKE TOUGH CALLS,
AND HE NEVER PUSHES HIS HORSE PAST ITS LIMITS. As

a new pilot, you may be tempted to stretch the limitations a bit in order to get in the air. Weight and balance
is a particularly vulnerable area because it seems logical
that being overweight by just a few pounds couldn't
really affect the ﬂying characteristics of the aircraft. But
where do you draw the line? Ten pounds? Fifty pounds?
Remember that if you exceed the limitations by even
one pound-or one inch on the center of gravity-you
become a test pilot. You can no longer be certain of fuel
burn, climb rates, or stall recovery characteristics.
FINALLY, IF THE RIDE BECOMES DANGEROUS,
DON'T HESITATE TO DO AN EMERGENCY DISMOUNT. A

wise cowboy knows when he's riding too much horse
and will head back to the barn before he harms himself
or the animal he's responsible for. A good PIC exhibits
similar caution when choosing whether to ﬂy or keep
his feet on the ground. A low IFR day may seem like
a great way to get your feet wet in a new aircraft, but
remember, you never want to put yourself in a position where the ﬂight will demand more than you are
capable of handling. It may be more beneﬁcial to stay
in the hangar and review those systems, rather than
getting in over your head and having a bad experience
in the aircraft.
Good cowboys and PICs are not made overnight.
Eventually you will start to feel more comfortable, and
one day soon, you will look up and realize that no matter what happens in the airplane, you are fully capable
of handling it. That's the day you can truly call yourself
pilot in command.
Natalie Bingham Hoover, ATP/CFII/MEI, has given more than 3,000
hours of dual instruction. She lives in Germantown, Tennessee.
DECEMBER 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

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Flight Training - December 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - December 2014