Since You Asked

Keeping Track Of Time

How do you know when a student is ready for a checkride or ready to solo? In the past, I've squeaked by just doing flight reviews and instrument proficiency checks, but now I have four students (two instrument and two primary) and the time is getting close for them to take their checkrides. I'm hesitant to recommend them without knowing if they're ready. I'm being really conservative. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Tom

Greetings Tom,

Knowing when a student is ready to solo or take a checkride means understanding the difference between acceptable and unacceptable flying behaviors. That's why, when teaching CFI applicants, I show them several variations of passable vs. failing flight performances. For instance, I'll demonstrate an acceptable ground reference maneuver, then demonstrate an unacceptable version of the same maneuver. Then I explain the difference. This should even be done with oral questions. After all, a CFI applicant needs to know how to evaluate his student's verbal performance, too. I recommend that you find an experienced CFI and have him or her show you the difference between passable and failing performances. You might also hire a designated examiner for an hour or two and have him or her show you these differences.

With regard to solo, I find that consistency is the most important factor in determining whether or not a student is ready. If students are consistent in their performance, then I can rule out luck as a factor in their flying ability. Even if students make safe but firm landings, all that matters is that the landings are consistent. Of course, the landings shouldn't be so firm that we end up looking like graduates of the Quasimodo posture school. Nevertheless, I'll solo a student who makes 10 firm - but safe - landings in a row, while refusing to solo one who makes nine greasers followed by a landing where I have to grab the controls to prevent damage to the airplane.

Finally, one of the best things you can do to identify when students are ready to solo is to ask them. Yep, this works - most of the time. Based on my experience, 15 percent of your students will say that they're not ready when they are, 10 percent will say that they're ready when they're not, and 75 percent will tell you when they're actually ready.

I remember hearing an instructor call the tower and say, "Tower, I've got a student who's ready to solo here." I could hear the student in the background saying, "Noooooo! I'm not ready yet." How do you weed out the 10 percent who aren't ready but think they are? I'll bet money that the majority of these students aren't consistent in their flying.

How Long 'Til Landings

Dear Rod,

What is the normal amount of hours that a student pilot should have before starting landing practice?

Thank you,
Roberta

Greetings Roberta,

Most instructors teach students to think about landings on their very first lesson. After all, landings are the reason we teach ground reference maneuvers, slow flight, stall recovery, and most other basic skills. Therefore, from day one, a student is learning to land. But I think you're looking for the number of hours where students stop airwork and begin drilling exclusively in the traffic pattern. This number depends on the student, the location of training, the type of airplane being flown, and other variables. Instructors often require that their students become proficient in general airwork (ground reference maneuvers, slow flight, basic stalls, etc.) before making landings the primary focus.

Under ideal conditions, students may begin working exclusively in the traffic pattern between the fifth and seventh lessons. Remember, I said ideal conditions. Many variables will play a role.

Age And The Multiengine