Flight Training - August 2022 - 44

ADVANCED PILOT INSTRUCTOR REPORT
PUT A CORK IN IT
NO MORE YELLING FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS
BY JILL W. TALLMAN
YELLING-HOLLERING-
SCREAMING. NO MATTER
WHAT YOU CALL IT OR WHEN
IT OCCURS, IT HAS NO PLACE
IN FLIGHT TRAINING.
after the lesson. The flight instructor
has succeeded in tearing down this
pilot, but it doesn't seem possible
that he will build the pilot back up
to any semblance of proficiency. Not
when the pilot is literally shaking
in the cockpit and crying
after the lesson. Does this
sound like a formula for
long-term success?
Educators of children
understand that, while
yelling in the moment can
be satisfying, it only harms.
It harms the relationship
between the child and the
teacher, and it harms the
child's ability to learn in the
moment. What's more, a 2014 study
cited by The New York Times found that
YOU SOMETIMES HEAR ABOUT FLIGHT
instructors who yell. They yell during the
lesson; they yell after the lesson. They yell
if the student messes up; they yell if the
student doesn't meet expectations; they
yell if the student does something scary,
such as retracting the flaps too quickly
after a touch and go.
Yelling-hollering-screaming. No
matter what you call it or when it occurs,
it has no place in flight training.
Yelling has a long history in the military.
Who hasn't seen or perhaps personally
endured a drill instructor screaming
directly into the face of a recruit? To build
a proper soldier from the ground up, you
first have to tear him down with intimidation.
That was the thought process. Flight
instructors who came out of the military
may have retained that mindset as they
transitioned to civilian flying.
But here's the thing: Not even the
military supports screaming (or cursing
44 FLIGHT TRAINING AUGUST 2022
or shoving recruits into walls) anymore.
So if a flight instructor is excusing abusive
tactics as an honorable military tradition,
that's no longer valid. And it's harmful to
flight students of all levels.
Consider this student's comments on
a pilot message board. " My instructor
yells at me 80 percent of the time we fly.
I was fine with it at first...But now I am
feeling like I am really losing confidence.
I am getting really nervous before I go
fly with him. My knees are shaking. I
am crying almost every time on the way
back home....My performance is influenced
by this nervousness. I make a lot
of mistakes with ATC, fixated, my feet
on the rudder pedals start shaking. " And
it's worth noting that this is the experience
of a private pilot working on an
advanced rating.
So, after flying with the yelling
instructor, the pilot has lost confidence,
makes mistakes on the radio, and cries
yelling produces results similar to physical
punishment in children: increased levels of
anxiety, stress, and depression, along with
an increase in behavioral problems.
If a student makes a mistake in
the cockpit, correct it and say what
you're doing. Reteach the concept if
necessary. Wait until the debrief for
an extensive explanation of what went
wrong and additional instruction.
Don't forget to praise the student for
what he or she did well during the lesson.
Then, if you need to, go home and
scream into a pillow.
No need to take a public vow of " yellibacy. "
(Thanks, Psychology Today.) But
do remember before a lesson to run the
IMSAFE checklist on yourself: Check for
Illness, Medications, Stress, Alcohol use,
Fatigue, or Emotional issues. You can't
give your best if you're running on empty,
and yelling can be a direct indicator that
you are in danger of running out of fuel-
physically or mentally. FT
jill.tallman@aopa.org
JOHN HOLM
Flight Training - August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - August 2022
