US AAF TM 1-210: Elementary Flying - Preliminary Phase

27. General.--a. Purpose-The preliminary phase was added to the program of flying instruction in order to afford the student an opportunity to meet and become acquainted with his instructor, to become familiar with the care and use of his flying equipment, and to help him make the many adjustments necessary to insure a sound basis for his early flying training. It permits the instructor to explain more in detail and to expect better understanding of those essentials which the student must grasp in order to have a comprehensive idea of the fundamentals of flying.

b. Duration-The preliminary phase consists of a short period of ground work with the new class of students preparatory to the start of actual flying training. All details are conducted by the flying department, including assignment of students to instructors, hours for meetings, and the place of' meeting.

c. Value-The individual instructor is the key to the entire. phase. Other than the completion of a few administrative details, the success of' the phase depends the manner in which the Instructor conducts his training, during this period. When the time is properly utilized, it is impossible to overestimate the benefits that accrue.

28. Making student's acquaintance-a. Instructor, the key.--In the majority of cases, the new instructor has had little experience in handling a group of' men, especially in the role of a teacher. Obviously, the subject is far from academic and all authority must be used tactfully if' the best results are to be obtained. However, it is up to him to take the initiative and direct the course of procedure, He has the assurance that no matter how limited his personal knowledge of the subject may be, he knows infinitely more than the student.

b. Putting students at ease.--As soon as the instructor is assigned his class, he should take them to a place where they will not be disturbed, preferably to the vicinity of his personal dual airplane. Generally there will be a short period of tenseness when the group is first assembled. However, if the instructor will start his routine quickly, it will relieve the situation.

c. Learning names-It. is of first importance to learn the names of the individual students. This may be accomplished while checking their equipment, and the attention given to them will aid in "fixing" their names .

d. Observing characteristics.--While going through the routine, the instructor should observe the individual student, noting his attention, the manner in which he approaches and accomplishes that required of him, and all of the interesting things which individuals do when first undertaking anything new. All of these peculiarities in conduct and application will, no doubt, have a direct bearing upon the manner in which the student learns to fly, discounting of course his aptitude to acquire proficiency with practice. Where criticism is necessary, the instructor has an opportunity to judge how corrections are received and from the results should make a mental note as to his future course of action. To a certain extent, he will be able to obtain an estimate of the student's analytical ability, an idea of his poise, tenseness, or awkwardness.

a. Asking questions.--As soon as possible the instructor should begin questioning the student, but while so doing, his attitude should be such as to indicate interest rather than inquisitiveness. These questions should be designed to bring out such facts as schools attended, courses taken, previous profession or trade, previous flying experience, hobbies athletics, things of general interest etc. The information so obtained may help when explanations are required at a later date, as when making comparisons he will be able to refer to things or instances with which the student is familiar. In addition, the manner of answering may indicate the difficulties which will confront the instructor and, being forewarned, he will then be able to plan his method of instructing to fit the individual needs.

29. Checking equipment.--a. Goggles-Check lenses to insure, that both are alike. If lenses are not matched, require the student to have them exchanged so that both are alike, otherwise the condition is similar to wearing poorly fitted glasses. Use test for distortion. Central portion should not distort appearance of objects. Explain that only a small, central portion of the lens is "clear" and for this reason it is very important that the head be moved when observing objects to one side, rather than to roll the eyes, Check fit of nosepiece and make any necessary adjustments In certain instances (narrow bridged noses) a good fit of the nosepiece is impossible without moving the clear portion of the lens from the position where direct normal vision would pass through the center of it. Later, if goggles cause eye strain, have them fitted by a flight surgeon.

b. Helmets.--Check fit of helmet. If too small, especially if tight across the forehead, it will tend to produce headaches; if too loose, it will cause discomfort from the rush of air and engine noises. The efficiency of the speaking tube depends upon the tube being unbroken - that ear pieces fit over the opening to the ear and that the face pieces fit snugly to the face when the chin strap is drawn comfortably tight.

c. Parachute.--Adjust leg straps. If pack swings too low on the body, or chest straps are too tight or too loose, require the student to return (later) to the parachute department and be fitted properly. Demonstrate how the parachute should be picked up and carried; explain reason. Demonstrate how to swing pack on person and require the students to practice. Demonstrate how the parachute should be placed upon the ground--harness folded, pack up. Show them where to find the parachute serial number so that they will not confuse it with the part number of the assembly. Impress upon them that they must take care of their parachutes and return them to the proper locker or storeroom at the end of each flying period.

30. Correcting false impressions.--a. Dangers of mistaken ideas.--Students generally have preconceived ideas relative to piloting and the dangers incident to flying. Where they obtained these false impressions is of little consequence but the results of them are important. They may be the motivating impulses which guide the students during their training and, unwittingly, nullify the instructor's attempts to put over his own ideas. if the instructor will talk to his class, covering the entire field of these erroneous impressions he will find the time well spent and at the same time will be preparing the ground for proper reception of his later flying instructions. It is of the greatest importance that the instructor say nothing, especially toward the latter part of the course, that would induce apprehension of more advanced types of aircraft..

b. Examples-A few erroneous impressions, and appropriate remarks regarding them, are enumerated below:

(1) "That an airplane will fall into a spin at the slightest lapse of attention on the part of the pilot. "

As a matter of fact, if left to its own devices i.e., the hands and feet removed from the controls, the worst that could happen would be that. the airplane would fall into a dive or off on a wing. Either of these is easily corrected providing the pilot allows himself a reasonable amount of altitude in which to recover. Primary training type airplanes are designed and selected for the qualities which make them desirable and safe for initial training. With training, the pilot learns so many indices of the loss of speed which is preliminary to spinning, that accidents of this nature are very rare. Probably fewer accidents of this kind occur during primary training than in any other type of flying.

(2.)-"That the airplane is maintained in flight through brute strength and rapid movements of the controls."

Other than from reading flying stories in cheap periodicals, this impression is mainly due to the feeling that because the airplane appears so heavy, makes so much noise., and the element in which it operates is so intangible, it must be necessary to compensate by exaggerating strength and agility.

Actually, the airplane is maintained in the air due to its inherent stability and a dependable engine and these, in the long run, save more pilots than their own individual judgment and flying ability. The good Pilot guides the airplane and attempts to obtain the maximum performance from it with the least expenditure of physical effort and the minimum movement of the controls. This is done by intelligently timing and coordinating the controls, basing the efforts upon the results of experiments and experience. As a matter of fact, in addition to destroying his peace of mind, the more violently the pilot moves the controls, the less actual control he will have of the airplane.

(3) "That if he has natural ability, it will express itself without any effort on his part and if lacking in this quality, no efforts on his part will offset the lack."

This is a lazy man's wish. Anything worth having is worth working for. Time after time, students with only mediocre natural aptitude have become good pilots, mainly due to hard work, consistent plugging, and a strong desire to learn to fly. As a rule, the better a student is adapted to flying, the harder he will work, as seeing that he has so much to learn and having such a short time in which to learn it act as a spur to increase his efforts. The apt student will use his solo to good advantage as his curiosity prevents him from loafing. The lazy student will learn very little when solo as. he finds it easier to wait for the dual period so that the instructor can point out his difficulties or it is too much trouble to find out things for himself. Actually, he is cheating himself as the things which he learns upon his own initiative are more enduring than those which are told to him. The nervous or apprehensive student will waste his solo time in aimless straight and level flying, and lose time in trying to goad himself to attempt those maneuvers which he should be practicing.

(4) "That a pilot flies by 'feel', but this particular feel is some strange sense with which only a few are endowed."

Feel is a term which expresses the summation of all the senses used when flying. Flying is learned through the senses and guided by intelligence and reason. None of these senses are new and everyone has them. Success, however, depends upon correctly interpreting that which is seen, felt, heard, etc. Most of the information is obtained by observation, or visually, and the student will advance the fastest who is alert to impressions and most fully conscious of his surroundings. What he feels, sees, hears, etc., may not mean much to him but if he does experience these sensations and asks intelligent questions, then the instructor can interpret their meaning. However, in order to use these senses and correctly interpret their messages, it is necessary that the individual be tree from mental worries and apprehensiveness, otherwise the sensation is lost and any action must be based upon memory.

(5) "That the instructor will tell him everything and that success is merely a matter of compliance with that which he has been told."

It is impossible for the instructor to detail the mass of information which the student must acquire. Even if it were possible, the student would have nothing but a mass of information from which he would be compelled to select the appropriate item. With nothing but memory upon which to base the selection, the odds are very much against choosing the proper one. Obviously, in most instances, the time element involved would preclude use of such a method. The instructor can teach him the basic fundamentals and principles, can point out his errors and the method to correct them, can demonstrate by example, but essentially the student must learn for himself. This does not mean that the student should waste his solo period in aimless experiments, but should practice the maneuvers specified in a manner that permits obtaining the maximum benefit.

31. Explanation of controls.--a. Relaxed seat.--In turn, each student should be placed in the cockpit and shown how to sit, adjust the seat, grip the stick, and Use the rudder. There are no set rules for this procedure except that the sitting position should be such as to allow the body to relax and no attempt made to relieve any of the weight in the seat by tensing body or leg muscles. He should be cautioned not to resist the movements of the airplane when in the air.

b. Stick-The grip on the stick should be a natural one that gives the feeling that all effort or any degree of effort can be freely exerted. One finger and two finger grips defeat their purpose as it is not the number of fingers which do the gripping that is important but the intensity with which the stick is gripped. In general, the grip should be such as to give the student a feeling of' security and at the same time enable him to feel and weigh the resistance of his efforts.

c. Rudder.--When using the rudder the heels should be on the slide provided for them, all weight upon the heels, and the toes on the rudder pedal in such a manner as to permit feeling the resistance met and weighing the efforts exerted. (Rudder length adjustment should be explained and demonstrated.) The use of brakes should be discussed at this time. From the first the student should be cautioned against excessive and continuous use of the brakes.

d. Visibility.--While going through the above routine, it should be noted whether the student is too short in the body to obtain good vision over the crash pad. When in a normal sitting position, his line of vision should clear the crash pad or otherwise he will be forced to hold his head back in order to see to the front. This condition will promote tenseness. If cushions are necessary, the instructor should arrange that the student obtains them and that he brings them with him when he reports for flying.

32. Communication systems-a. Speaking tube-Each dual airplane should have some means of communication installed so that the instructor may talk to the student while in the air. For primary type airplanes, the Gosport system, which has a mouth piece in the instructor's cockpit and tubes to the ear pieces on the student's helmet, works very satisfactorily.

b. Hand signals.--ln addition, a system of hand signals should be used as this will suffice for normal corrections and does not divert the student's attention from his flying. Some of the common hand signals used are as follows:

(1) To nose down--pat on the cowl, palm down.

(2) To climb--motion up with the hand, palm up.

(3) To turn--point in the direction it is desired to turn.

(4) To increase bank--rapid movement of the hand, palm down, on the side it is desired to increase the bank.

(5) To decrease bank--rapid movement of the hand, palm up, on the side of the banking or, palm down, on the opposite side.

(6) To correct for skidding or slipping--pat cheek on the side it is desired that rudder be used.

(7) To relax--rapidly open and close the fist.

33. Starting and stopping engine.--The instructor should explain in detail the procedure of starting and stopping the engine and the dangerous area near the propeller whether it be turning or not. The instructor should have each student start and stop the engine a number of times. This practice acquaints the student to a certain extent with the noises and vibrations that he may expect during flight,

34. Conclusion-a. All through the preliminary phase, the instructor should encourage the students to ask questions. Questions should be kept to the subject matter until all of the salient points have been covered. From the tenor of these questions, the instructor may judge how well he has put over his subject. In this respect it is impossible to exercise too much care as it is important that there are no misunderstandings or the class will start its training with misconceptions which at a later date may be difficult to overcome.

b. The common tendency of a percentage of students is to be too easily satisfied. The school has a. minimum standard of performance which is high but high as it is, the student's personal standard should be much higher. He should make his personal standard higher than he can ever hope to meet and then in his struggles to satisfy himself it is improbable that he will retrogress. The common lament of a student after a lengthy critique is that he has had no trouble when solo. If this is so, there can be only two assumptions--either that he did not attempt anything or that he was very easily satisfied.

c. Few students will compare flying with anything that they have ever attempted in the past. As a result, everything is strange and foreign to them. Flying may be compared to driving an automobile, riding a horse, various athletic games, etc. Frequently, after they are well along in their flying training and have a fair background of experience, if anything new is undertaken, some of them cannot see where any of their previous flying will help them in the new maneuver. This, in effect, nullifies all their past experience and doubles the difficulty encountered with the new maneuver.