Flying has few absolutes. Gravity, critical angle of attack, runway lengths, and fuel burn rate are a few that come to mind. Our world may seem like one of strict guidelines and unforgiving limits, but there’s more to the story. Behind the limitations, placards, “musts,” and “shalls” are myriad different ways to perform this or that, or get from here to there.
There will come an “aha” moment in your flying, maybe during training, maybe after, when you will realize there are multiple ways to approach what you do in the airplane. Nowhere is that more clear than the one document one would expect to be free from any whims—the practical test standards. The PTS may appear to make it clear there is no room for creativity. But the standards are just that—testing standards one must meet to earn a pilot certificate, not the steps to do so.
Steep turns are a good example. The private pilot PTS says the applicant must stay within 100 feet of the initial altitude. Some instructors teach the application of Up trim. Some think this is lunacy. The FAA doesn’t care one way or the other, so long as you don’t lose or gain too much altitude. Like many quasi-regulatory documents, what one must do is spelled out; what one can do is read between the lines.
How much trim to use in a steep turn is a minnow in a sea of disagreements. Pilots often have significant conflicts over topics as basic as what makes an airplane fly. You’d think we would have figured that out by now—but we pilots are an opinionated bunch. Combine a bit of ambiguity, equivocality, and some Type-A personalities, and the disagreements continue.
It’s probably a good thing that instructors generally shield students from these conversations. Learning to fly is overwhelming enough without having to learn five different ways to perform the same maneuver. But sometimes the uninitiated are left to discover some of these arguments on their own, which can be frustrating or embarrassing. In extreme cases, not being informed could lead to wasting money or a breach in safety. This month we’re tackling five of the biggest arguments in flight training.
I doubt we’ll be settling any century-long debates with the story, but it will expose you to multiple viewpoints, techniques, and methods in aviation, not to mention the mere existence of those debates. Join in the debate at [email protected], or catch up with us on the Flight Training blog.
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Welcome AOPA Senior Vice President of the Center to Advance the Pilot Community Adam Smith and his new column, “Centerline,” taking the place of AOPA President Craig Fuller’s column. Craig believes the unique Flight Training audience will be better served to learn about the important work Smith and his team are doing. However, expect to hear from Craig from time to time on other student-related initiatives under way at AOPA.
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