AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 95

FLY ING SMART /
needs to fly over higher terrain (and turning
away isn't an option), then VX
airspeed will
Another empty
kitchen
Flying's surprises teach self-reliance
BY CATHERINE CAVAGNARO
A spur-of-themoment
GA
detour allowed
Jack and
Pete to meet
their favorite
astronaut, Capt.
James Lovell Jr.
provide maximal clearance.
It may seem reasonable that a pilot who
has achieved rote and understanding levels
can apply but that is, sadly, not the case.
The FAA correctly stresses that the key
to achieving the higher levels comes from
scenario-based training. Those scenarios can
be presented as thought exercises or the real
ones that occur when we just get out and fly.
PilotWorkshops is a group from
" A RE WE FOR A G I NG for food tonight,
Mama? " Pete looked concerned after he
tossed his book bag onto the back seat of the
car, slipped in beside me, and read the stress
on my face. I had raced from the airport and
barely made it in time to collect him from
school. When the boys were in elementary
school, they knew that, on a day like this,
making dinner would not complete my long
list of tasks. After all, there were always good
leftovers in the fridge and their job was to call
dibs and turn it into dinner for themselves.
This summer marks the twenty-fifth
anniversary of my first flight as a student
pilot. I only started after earning tenure at
the university, a job that I love. But it soon
became clear that aviation would become
a significant part of both my personal and
professional lives, so I compensated for my
late start by making up for lost time. When
an opportunity to fly presented itself, I
grabbed it even though doing so meant
long days rushing to meet my commitments.
Over the years, and especially on this
anniversary, I've reflected on how effective
I have been as a mother. It's the same type of
reflection in which flight instructors should
engage as they assess their role as mentor.
As a designated pilot examiner, I see
how flight instructors have guided their
students toward pilot certification. My
heart sinks when I review a candidate's
logbook and see that for all but just a few
of those flight hours, an instructor was on
board. I'm not knocking the value of flight
instruction, but I know that I have learned
some of my most valuable lessons when I
could rely only on myself.
Of all the topics in the FAA's
Fundamentals of Instruction, the levels of
learning-rote, understanding, application,
and correlation-resonates with me most
of all. With respect to VX
airspeed, for
example, a pilot who can rattle off that VX
for her airplane is 70 knots has achieved a
rote level. When she explains that VX
is the
airspeed that provides the maximum climb
angle, she demonstrates understanding. If
she plans to depart from a shorter runway
and pitches for VX
airspeed until she
achieves a safe margin above any obstacles,
she has successfully applied her knowledge.
I like to think of correlation as using what
we've learned in a new situation. So, if a pilot
Nashua, New Hampshire, that offers
monthly scenarios for both VFR and IFR
pilots. Each involves a pilot who finds
herself in a sticky situation and considers
various options toward a safe outcome.
Several professionals with varying areas of
expertise in aviation then discuss the merits
and pitfalls of each option. As an occasional
roundtable participant, I'm continually
impressed that there is rarely one strategy
favored by all and just how much I learn
from my colleagues there. Their scenarios
can be a wonderful complement to those
provided by flight instructors.
Some of the best learning experiences,
and clearly the most realistic scenarios,
are the ones that just happen. While I
am charged with providing challenging
situations for practical exam candidates,
occasionally life just dishes them up and I
just sit back and watch. Whether it's an oil
temperature gauge pegged high on startup,
a fuel gauge with a big red X over it on
the PFD, or an airplane with an expired
transponder inspection, the candidate needs
to figure out by herself whether it would be
legal and safe to conduct the flight. Using
her resources to figure out a reasonable
answer shows she's ready to operate safely
as a certificated pilot. Flight instructors
should provide ample scenarios to help
students learn to fend for themselves.
My own long list of experiences
includes a rudder that deflected hard
left in flight without warning, a carbon
monoxide card that turned dark, an
alternator failure from a broken belt,
landing gear that failed to extend and a
nervous student who bent my throttle
handle down, so we had only partial power
until landing. More extreme examples
were hitting a deer, a turkey vulture that
came through my windscreen, and having
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024

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