"My student seemed very excited about the prospect of learning to fly. He even mentioned that he was considering a career in aviation. His first three lessons went well, and he quickly mastered straight-and-level, climbs, and turns. He purchased a student pilot kit, and I gave him a reading assignment prior to our ground school lesson. He canceled the first ground school lesson and showed up for the second without having read the assignment. After canceling the next flight, he failed to show for the rescheduled lesson. This isn't the first time I've seen this happen."
"On her third lesson, we headed for the practice area. She asked me if we could fly over the city rather than practice flight maneuvers. Then she suddenly started crying. She confessed that her husband was pressuring her to take flying lessons, and she really had no desire to learn. She apologized profusely. I tried to reassure her that flying isn't for everyone."
Most flight instructors can relate to these stories. Much has been written about how quality flight instruction requires a knowledgeable instructor with good interpersonal skills, a fleet of reliable aircraft, and a well-organized ground-school program. One ingredient that is often overlooked in the equation, however, is the qualities that the student brings to the learning process. Some students rapidly reach their flight instruction goals, while others follow an uneven course before quietly dropping out. In fact, fewer than half of all student pilots who begin flight instruction ever earn the private pilot certificate. A variety of factors may contribute to the low completion rate, but a student's ability and motivation are key to the outcome. What differences exist between successful and unsuccessful students?
Five Traits
- Good students have an intellectual curiosity about aviation. They are strongly motivated to develop their flying knowledge, skills, and abilities. They are avid readers of aviation publications, and they enjoy picking the minds of instructors and other pilots about flying topics. The learning they acquire about flying goes well beyond what they need to know to pass the FAA knowledge and practical tests. These students view learning to fly as an investment in their human capital and an integral part of their broader lifelong learning.
- Good students are conscientious, and they realize that learning is a two-way street. Psychologists have identified five key personality traits (conscientiousness, extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, and openness to new experiences) that seem to be especially critical to success in life. Research has shown that conscientiousness is especially critical to career success, and it also plays an important role in learning to fly. A good student realizes that the instructor is a valuable resource, but he or she also recognizes that the instructor cannot teach everything. Good students take responsibility for their learning, and they realize that mastering the reading assignments and written work are just as important as learning to control the aircraft. The ideal student sets goals, allocates blocks of time to the learning process, and comes to each lesson having completed the reading and written assignments. Afterwards, the diligent student asks questions about the lesson and begins to lay the foundation for the next session.
- Good students have the time and money to fly frequently. One paradox of flight instruction is that the students with adequate time often lack the financial wherewithal to fly more than once or twice a month. Conversely, those with adequate funds are often overworked professionals who find it difficult to schedule and keep appointments with the instructor. Without both blocks of time and blocks of money, flight instruction often becomes a hit-or-miss proposition.
- Good students have patience and tenacity. Learning to fly and developing advanced flying skills are characterized by a series of peaks, plateaus, and setbacks. Inclement weather, maintenance delays, lack of available flight instructors, scheduling conflicts, and learning slumps all serve to frustrate and derail the momentum of even the most dedicated student. Missing several weeks of flying because of uncontrollable factors may present an insurmountable obstacle for some students. The successful aviation student understands that setbacks are actually part of learning to fly. He uses the "down" time to study and learn and, most importantly, he refuses to allow delays to interfere with long-term goals.
- Good students possess the innate ability to fly safely. The FAA flight physical screens for vision, hearing, color perception, and other physiological attributes. But the flight physical does not deal with the fact that people vary significantly in terms of their intelligence, educational background, motivation, anxiety levels, impulsiveness, ability to deal with stress, and other psychological traits. All of these attributes affect the speed with which a student will be able to master flight maneuvers, grasp written material, and become a safe pilot. Students who stick with their flight training through the initial solo have demonstrated the fundamental ability to learn to fly. Whether they continue training and earn a pilot certificate depends more on their level of motivation (and often finances) than on their ability to maneuver an aircraft. There is also the little-recognized fact that student pilots put themselves through a self - selection process-those with the basic ability to learn the maneuvers and assimilate the written material are likely to continue their flight training, while those who do not will find other pursuits.
Cultivating Good Students
There are several things that flight instructors should consider - and students should be aware of - during the early stages of the student's instruction.
- Find out why the student really wants to become involved in aviation. Students bring a variety of motives to the airport, most of which involve a genuine desire to take on the challenge of learning to fly. Some students want to fly primarily for recreational reasons, and they may be content to end their "formal education" with the private pilot certificate. Others may review their primary instruction as a building block to a career in aviation. Flight instructors should nurture and encourage students who want to become part of the aviation community, whether as a weekend flier or a professional. There are students, however, whose parents, peers, or spouses pressure them to take up flying. These individuals usually lack the intrinsic motivation that comes from within. Flying is much too complex and difficult to learn when one is doing it simply to please others. There are also students who approach the first few lessons with enthusiasm but become discouraged once they learn how much bookwork is involved. Without a genuine inner drive and intellectual curiosity, a student's ability and desire to learn to fly will usually diminish.
- Provide a realistic assessment of the time and money needed to earn a pilot certificate. Learning to fly takes time, costs money, and often presents the single biggest challenge that a student has ever encountered. Research has shown that job applicants who are given a realistic view of what a prospective employment situation will be like - both the good and the bad aspects - experience fewer problems and are less likely to quit than applicants whose interviewers paint an unrealistically rosy picture. Flight instructors too should provide a realistic preview of the learning process. Students should understand that learning to fly is a rewarding experience and that only a fraction of 1 percent of the U.S. population are pilots. It is equally wise to tell students at the outset that they should plan to spend at least $5,000 to $6,000 and take the better part of a year to earn the private pilot certificate. Prospective students should understand that setbacks caused by learning slumps and cancellations are likely, but that such events should not be a source of discouragement. Cost estimates provided to prospective students by instructors and flight schools are frequently based on the somewhat unrealistic and archaic FAA minimum of 40 flight hours. Since the average student now requires 60 to 70 hours to earn a private pilot certificate, students may feel misled when they discover that actual costs exceed the flight instructor's initial optimistic estimate by more than 50 percent.
- Be aware of danger signals that indicate a loss of motivation. Students who show up late, cancel appointments, or make excuses for failing to complete assignments are often sending signals that their interest in flying is waning or they are becoming discouraged. The perceptive flight instructor should recognize these signs and attempt to find out why the student's motivation is lagging. In some instances, the flight instructor may be able to pump up the student's enthusiasm, especially if the student is becoming discouraged because of a lack of progress. In other instances, the student may have come to the realization that learning to fly is simply not his or her cup of tea.
- Be prepared to deal with the diligent student. Some students are so enamored of flying that they become fixtures around the flight school and immerse themselves in the aviation subculture. The extremely resourceful student may view the flight instructor as the single most important person in his or her life. Flight instructors who deal with such enthusiastic clients should be prepared to fly with them frequently, answer a multitude of questions, and provide extensive feedback. Instructors may regard such students at Type A personalities or "high maintenance." Nevertheless, while diligent students require a great deal of time and energy, they also provide some of the greatest rewards in flight instruction.
Terry L. Leap, Ph.D., is professor and chairman of the Department of Management, College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University and a certificated flight instructor-instrument. He has more than 1,200 hours of flight instruction experience. Janelle Hederman is a junior majoring in communications at Clemson University. She has nearly completed her instrument rating.
