The basic job of a flight instructor is to keep the student alive long enough for them to learn to fly. While instructors can and should attempt to help the learning process (through a technique called “teaching”), and even more critical that we don’t inhibit the learning process.
Consider a primary student learning to land with a crosswind. How many instructors try to “help” a little with some rudder and/or aileron? I suspect that we’ve all done it. But there’s a problem.
When you press on the left rudder pedal (for instance) the right one rises up against the student’s foot. While you may be saying something like “add a little left rudder”, what the student is feeling is “add a little right rudder”. Because physical sensations are processed faster than language, the student will learn to add right rudder.
This brings about the problem of “negative learning”. You accidentally taught the student the wrong thing. Unlearning that wrong thing becomes a prerequisite for learning the right thing, which makes the learning process longer.
What are you supposed to do if you can’t touch the flight controls? There are actually a number of good choices. Let’s stick with the example of a crosswind landing.
- Consider asking for a go-around. Then, when the workload permits, explain to the student why you asked for the go around.
- Consider taking the flight controls and demonstrating the maneuver. Resist the urge to have them “cover” the controls (this just results in more negative learning), and instead have them focus on the visual cues and other sensations associated with the maneuver.
- Consider sub-dividing the maneuver into smaller pieces. A low approach over the centerline with the goal of aligning the centerline of the airplane with the centerline of the runway will give you the ability to be a little more tolerant of mistakes while you coach the student. Once they have success with the low approach, you can return to landings.
Each of these requires that you intervene before safety is in doubt, but what happens when things progress a little too far? There will be times where you need to (for safety of flight) touch the flight controls. There are two things you can do to minimize the negative learning associated with the event.
- Use the controls firmly so the student can differentiate between your inputs and other external inputs on the flight controls (wind gusts, ground contact, etc.)
- Take the flight controls from the student as quickly as possible (using positive exchange), and execute an appropriate escape maneuver. Then explain why you intervened so the student understands (as well as possible) what just happened.
Hopefully a good building block approach to flight training will minimize the number of times you need to intervene and save the day. But we all occasionally need to touch the flight controls. Don’t hesitate to do so if safety of flight is at stake, but try to do so in a way that minimizes negative learning.
Sue Tholen