Uploaded byFAA Safety Team Central Florida
Instructing and Learning to Fly in High Performance Aircraft
This document contains information from flyplatinum.com about flight instruction and training in high performance aircraft. It discusses their history and safety record, completing instrument ratings quickly in Cirrus SR22 turboprops, developing innovative training syllabi that teach decision making, and the importance of experienced and knowledgeable instructors. The document emphasizes that they are not a traditional flight school.
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Instructing and Learning to Fly in High Performance Aircraft
- 1. Sales Service TrainingRentals Gear
- 2. www.flyplatinum.com Instructing and Learning to Flyin High Performance Aircraft
- 3. www.flyplatinum.com Kerry Hackney Vice President- Platinum Aviation Holdings ATP / CFII ASEL AMEL
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- 8. www.flyplatinum.com Zero Time to Instrument Rating ina Cirrus SR22 Turbo
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- 11. www.flyplatinum.com • What arewe doing right? • What are we doing differently? • How can someone know if his instructor is up to the task? • How can we can we keep these activities safe?
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- 18. www.flyplatinum.com New and Innovative FlightTraining Syllabus
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- 20. www.flyplatinum.com • Rote • Understanding •Application • Correlation
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- 25. www.flyplatinum.com How Can You Findthe Best Instructor ?
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Editor's Notes
- #5 With all of our companies I have quite an extensive background and knowledge of Cirrus AircraftObviously this presentation is skewed towards Cirrus Aircraft as this is what we do.But it is also true that most high performance instruction these days is done in Cirrus SR22 and variants.
- #6 Last years presentation here was inspired by an NTSB report that concluded that the promised increases in safety with the introduction of glass cockpits in light aircraft have not been realized.Platinum has an amazing safety record. What are we doing right.I looked deeply into why this report surmised that the promised We have taught more people fly fly Cirrus Aircraft than any other facility.
- #7 At this symposium I realized for the first time how few facilities teach zero time pilots in SR22’s and 22 Turbo’sAgain …. We must be doing it correctly. Look to our record.
- #8 It may help to understand how we got where we are.Platinum was originally just myself and Tina O’Borny, the 2004 Southern Region flight instructor of the year.When we got our first Cirrus, it was a 22.Like everyone else the insurance company controlled what we could do.Insurance underwriters really set the requirement in aviation, not the FAAOver the years, the underwriter came to realize that Tina and I were a. really good instructors and b. very careful and cautious.We understood that you CAN NOT UN-RING A BELLWe have been with the same insurance broker and the same underwriter since the beginning.Both I now consider as friendsThey know they can trust me and now we have absolutely no restrictions what so ever.
- #9 We do this all of the time.We make more pilots in the 22 than we do in the 20The SR22T does 214 knots at 25,000 feet and about 170 at 1000 feet.The Normally aspirated 22 is actually faster down low than the turbo. You must be at 30% power in level flight to get down to flap operating speed.Fail to get the power reduced in the pattern and you’ll be doing 160 kts abeam the numbers.
- #10 I have encountered a lot of people that think we are crazy for starting people out in a high performance aircraft.Zero time pilots don’t know what they don’t know.When I learned in a 152 30 years ago, I thought I was a fighter pilot with my hair on fire. I remember leaving the airport speeding because I was caught up with the speed.A new student doesn’t know the relative speeds. To them a 152 is screaming along. First put them in a 22 and it is screaming as well.Primary training in a fast airplane may seem odd.But….At this point we have trained more people to fly Cirrus aircraft than any other facility in the world.Many of them from zero timeSo……. the record speaks for itself.We must be doing something right and be onto something.
- #11 Certainly you have seen the big push by AOPA to curb the student pilot drop out rate.We simply do not have this problem.Why??By using high performance aircraft, we are teaching them something useful.These are traveling machines.Many of our clients come to us with the mission already known.We are selling hammers to people that have a nail to drive. Not people with a passion to be a pilot.
- #12 A lot goes into doing this successfully and it is not all so obvious!
- #13 The engine …… what makes the plane high performance in the first placeIf you don’t teach proper engine care, you are not going to have a fleet for very long.Teaching in 172’s and the like, it is of minor importance. Lean until it runs rough and back in a couple of turns.Teach proper leaning procedures Rich of Peak and Lean of PeakTeach smooth application of powerTeach the importance of maintaining positive cylinder pressure.
- #14 We were reluctant to grow as we could not find capable flight instructorsFlight training for the most part is a see one do one teach one environmentThe general level of flight training is very lowMost train to the lowest common denominatorAlmost none teach pilots to think. Instead they teach memory aids and rote learningI am constantly amazed when I fly with instructor applicants, even high time CSIP’s
- #15 Describe the image of a “flight school”Even though we have probably created more pilots in Cirrus Aircraft than any other facility, we are not a flight school.Step one …. A more professional image from the start.
- #16 Describe the image of a “flight school”Step one …. A more professional image from the start.Sets the tone for the customer and the potential instructor.Professional atmosphere allows us to attract the best instructors. They want to work here.
- #17 68, 95, 99.7 rule or three sigmaMust have only the best instructor pilotsIf you compromise, you WILL have accidents.You CAN NOT un-ring the bell
- #18 What do I mean by this?The ability to say no to the customers.Instructors must be strong enough to be able to say no to these highly successful people.Tell the Bennet story.This idea also goes to finding new instructors ….. No rush.
- #19 Talk about how most schools just teach to get to the next ratingWe teach to single pilot IFR, real world proficiency.Train to proficiency NOT the PTSTalk about how the traditional syllabus is turned upside down.Talk about our syllabus and the four loose boxesTalk about how we almost never stay at the home airportCross country from the beginningTeach people how to fly the way they will when they leave us. Practical flight trainingNO old fashion E6BTalk about sending IFR applicant into his checkride with only an iPadTalk about the instrument syllabus. BAI hand flying, then autopilot procedures, then hand flown procedures, then failures, then real world.
- #20 Never tell someone to do anything without explaining the ….. WHYIf your instructor doesn’t explain WHY ….. Find a new instructor. They may not know themselves.Earlier I mentioned that people wanting to learn in high performance aircraft their needs to be a way to tell if their instructor is up to the task. This is how to do that.All people learning to fly think their instructor is the best. They have no point of reference.Most instructors simply teach what they were taught without ever stopping to think if it is correct.
- #21 Levels of learning.Instructors are tested on their fundamentals of instruction written test.Unfortunately, most don’t give this much thought after they get their CFIWhen teaching in High performance aircraft that are intended as traveling machines, it is imperative to teach to the highest level of learning, application.Pilots of these highly capable aircraft must have a complete and through understanding of all systems, system integration and avionicsMost importantly instructors need to learn how to teach people to think
- #22 Most importantRote procedures do not foster this.Describe the instructor I flew with that verbalized all kinds of memorized items so fast I didn’t even know what he sais or meant.
- #23 Becomes much more important when teaching people to fly that intend to use the aircraft as a real traveling machine – as most pilots of high-perf aircraft do.We are not teaching people that will wind up supervised by a captain at an airline.Again … we need to teach the pilots to THINK.FIKI – Flight into know icing aircraft take this to a whole new level.
- #24 This is where it get interesting and where I come to my opinion that the current state of flight instruction is rather poor.Talk about the 1500 hour 172 pilots that never learned to land properly.Things we see:Completely disregarding trim with no idea of what it is doing.Crazy use of rudderUnstabilized approachesRotate does not mean flyLack of systems understanding. Tell story of the guy I walked into saying the prop and gear use the same hydraulic fluid.Must train to proficiency….not to just a syllabus
- #25 This is where we are going next.Transition courses already in the development phase.Plans in place to put aircraft on our line at both FXE and OPFCan’t begin unless IFR skills are sound.Back to the insurance underwriters.