My student pilot wife had a landing go awry during one of her solo flights. From what we could put together, she was a bit hot on landing and bounced the Cessna 152. The airplane got into a series of bounces that she described as getting more and more violent. The last bounce caused the nose gear to collapse and the prop to strike the runway.
Thanks,
Tom
Greetings Tom,
I know a lady who was attacked by a mindless thug. She wasn't badly hurt but was traumatized by the experience, nevertheless. She enrolled in a self-defense class where she learned kung fu (and several other Chinese words). Soon she gained confidence, and her fears diminished. I think a similar parallel exists here.
In your wife's eyes, she was attacked by a problem that scared her. So, the first thing to do is understand the threat, then learn a little aviation kung fu to defend against it. It sounds like your wife experienced something known as a porpoise (the tuna-free kind). Porpoising can occur if a pilot attempts to force the airplane onto the runway at a higher-than-normal speed. This allows the nose gear to contact the runway slightly before the main gear does. It can also occur if a pilot lands hard on the main gear, causing the airplane to pitch forward onto the nose gear. The airplane responds by pitching up and becoming airborne. The pilot typically reacts by applying too much forward elevator pressure, resulting in the nose gear, once again, making hard contact with the runway. The cycle repeats, often with more devastating oscillations, sometimes resulting in damaged nose gear.
Of course it doesn't have to end this way. Pilots can learn to handle this problem by having an instructor simulate porpoising, then practicing the appropriate defense. Given a slightly high approach speed, the instructor can simulate the initial bounce by letting the main gear touch the runway (not the nose gear!), then pulling back on the yoke enough to raise the airplane two feet into the air. At this point, the student, who has followed through on the controls, should take over and practice recovering by continuing to flare instead of shoving the yoke forward, which caused the porpoise in the first place. This means that elevator back pressure must be applied so as to prevent a further climb or a rapid descent. The instructor should demonstrate how and when to use power to maintain sufficient speed during this maneuver. Finally, the student should be shown how to go around from the top of the porpoise when landing is no longer an option.
This is how a little aviation kung fu can prevent chop suey gear. The success of this solution, however, lies in how the problem is packaged. Make sure you identify the problem (the porpoise) as a specific event with a specific defense. This eliminates the mystery and provides your wife with a means of controlling her destiny in an airplane.
Ready To Solo Again
Rod,
I am a student pilot with 50 hours, but only 2.5 hours solo. I cannot seem to get the confidence to finish my solo requirements. I have been through many CFIs, and they have all signed me off for local and cross-country solos. I like the flight school I am flying out of now, but they rotate me between five different instructors, with a chief instructor overseeing my progress. They think I am ready for more solo flights, but I don't think so. Do you have any suggestions for overcoming my lack of confidence?
Regards,
John
Greetings John,
There may be a good reason to shuttle a primary student between five different instructors, but I'm at a loss to think of what it might be. I can see why you have little or no confidence.
Confidence is something you gain progressively through feedback about your performance. For instance, when you can do a touch and go without pulling the tires off their rims, you begin to feel more confident about your landings. This is just one form of feedback. Another important source of feedback comes from observing your instructor's appraisal of your behavior over time.
As a student pilot, your confidence is dependent on the verbal and nonverbal cues from your instructor. Whether or not you realize it, you're always assessing the way your instructor's praise and criticisms evolve over time. For instance, if your instructor stops offering suggestions after several hours of landing practice, you can reasonably interpret this to mean that you're doing better (assuming your landings don't hyperventilate him into unconsciousness). This subtle evaluation requires that you spend enough time with one person in order to read these signals. If you're always switching instructors, how can you possibly evaluate the tone, tempo, content, and other subtleties of an individual's praise and criticisms? You can't. You have no history of an instructor's evolving confidence in your ability. As a result, you are less likely to become confident in your own behavior.
The solution? Pick the best instructor for you from the lot and stick with him or her. No more switching. Finally, as a boost to your confidence, consider that five different instructors have told you that you're ready to fly alone. Perhaps they know something that you don't.
Time On The Ground
Dear Mr. Machado,
My instructor says I may have to spend as much as 40 hours of ground training in preparation for my CFI certificate. Doesn't this seem like a lot of ground time?
Sincerely,
Tom
Greetings Tom,
No, it doesn't. In fact, it doesn't sound like enough to me. Would you be surprised if I told you that some of the very best flight instructors spend 80 or more hours on ground training for their CFI applicants? It's true. The majority of this time is spent creating lesson plans, understanding the material they contain, and learning how to teach this material. It's not surprising that students with this much preparation have a near-perfect pass rate. On average, preparation for the CFI certificate takes a lot of time if it's done well. If you spend a lot of time learning how to teach, it's a sure bet that this will pay off later on.
Please e-mail your questions to "Since You Asked" at [email protected] . Only questions selected for publication will be answered.
Related Articles
