Historically, flight training has been a maneuver-based process. That’s true for the instructor as well as the student. We would launch on a lesson with the intention of practicing slow flight, introducing power-off stalls, and demonstrating a landing. We focused on what to do, not why we do it. Fortunately, that’s all changing thanks to scenario-based training.
“Scenario-based training presents the pilot with a situation, a real practical situation that can actually occur,” says Eric Crump, director of the aerospace program at Polk State College in Winter Haven, Florida. “Just like in real life, the pilot has to make a decision.”
That’s the key to scenario-based training, which Crump describes as a core tenet of his school’s flight training program. It requires the pilot to think, to evaluate the circumstances, and make decisions based on an ever-changing series of opportunities and challenges.
This evolutionary process isn’t new to aviation. Whether it was the transition of aircraft from spindly taildraggers made of wood and wire into all-metal, tricycle-gear machines with reliable engines, to sleek, aerodynamically superior airframes built from composite materials—change is a constant in aviation. Even our instrument panels have evolved from a seemingly arbitrary collection of randomly installed analog gauges into today’s tidy glass panel packages. A remarkably similar progression is taking place in flight training, with the pilot’s thought processes and decision-making abilities coming to the forefront.
Previously, the theory was that if pilots could perform a series of specific tasks and complete each of them while remaining within the limits established by the FAA’s practical test standards, they were competent to fly and could be awarded a pilot certificate or rating appropriate to the tasks they’ve completed.
Over time it has become apparent that there is more to being a pilot than the ability to simply repeat what a flight instructor demonstrates, step by step. A pilot needs to be able to demonstrate the ability to perform a task to the appropriate standards, as well as exhibit the decision-making skills that allow him or her to select the task appropriate to the conditions when operating in real-world situations. A pilot’s actions and decisions should have context. Preparing pilots to meet that goal is the crux of scenario-based training.
Fortunately, creating scenarios for training purposes is not a particularly difficult endeavor. In many cases no additional equipment is necessary to get real value out of the process. In other instances, a flight simulator or flight training device can be incorporated to create a learning experience that provides the student with real insights they can apply when a similar scenario plays out in the airplane—whether it is real or simulated. An added benefit is that scenario-based training inserts an element of challenge and fun into lessons.
Let’s look at some specific examples of how scenario-based training can be beneficial as a teaching/learning tool. The following scenarios are easy to incorporate into a lesson, and are practical for both the student and the flight instructor.
Short-field approach and landing. Every pilot at every certification level has been asked to perform a short-field approach and landing. Unfortunately, the runway where we shoot our approach and landing often is 4,000 feet long—or longer. Such circumstances make real learning difficult, and the task becomes a rote exercise that is entirely hypothetical.
Consider the same task, but with this scenario: You’re flying downwind with the intention of landing. The examiner sitting next to you points out the intersection of the two runways below and says, “Let’s assume the intersection is the end of the runway.” The examiner offers no additional input. As you evaluate the situation, you recognize the intersect point is not quite halfway down the runway on which you intend to land. That leaves you with roughly 1,800 feet of useable runway. You conclude that you are about to make a short-field approach and landing. You flip to the appropriate checklist, configure your airplane accordingly, pitch for the appropriate airspeed, and pick a touchdown spot closer to the approach end of the runway than you would have if you were landing on the full 4,000 feet of pavement. You brake more aggressively than you would on a normal approach and landing, and as the airplane comes to a stop you are gratified to see that you still have a considerable expanse of runway sitting between you and the intersection that represents the end of your scenario-based runway.
Not only have you succeeded in making a short-field approach and landing, but you can evaluate how well you did by simply looking out the windshield to verify the remaining distance. You learned something important in the process, too. You were the one who made the decision about which task to perform, which checklist to use, and you assured the safety of your flight in the process. You acted as pilot in command—and that is exactly what your examiner expects to see on your practical test.
Engine failure after takeoff. There may be no worse problem for the pilot of a single-engine airplane than an engine failure shortly after takeoff. The situation is made more challenging if the airplane is far enough into the takeoff that the runway is behind the airplane, yet there is no flat, obstacle-free landing spot ahead. Training for that scenario in real life is inadvisable—at least, not while in close proximity to the ground. However, it is important that we recognize the reality of what a pilot’s options are, and how best to implement a course of action leading to a safe outcome. Accident statistics tell us that many pilots faced with this situation attempt to turn around and land on the runway from which they launched, often with sad results.
This scenario suggests that every pilot should know how much altitude is needed in order to successfully make the turn, line up on the runway, and land safely. A flight instructor can use scenario-based training to introduce a good facsimile of this situation and still provide for a level of safety and comfort that will allow the student to learn an important lesson.
While in cruise in the practice area, the instructor can establish straight-and-level flight over a road or other straight reference feature at an altitude of 1,000 feet agl, slow the airplane to rotation speed, and simulate a takeoff. The reference feature serves as an indicator of the runway location. The student is observing this scenario with the understanding he or she will be performing the same task when the instructor completes the demonstration.
When the airplane reaches rotation speed, the instructor advances the throttle to full power, pitches for VY, and continues with a normal takeoff until the airplane reaches 1,500 feet agl. At this point the CFI simulates an engine failure. The CFI pitches for best glide speed, trims the airplane, and initiates a turn back to the runway.
The scenario requires more than a 180-degree turn. It requires the pilot to get the airplane turned around, lined up with the runway, and positioned for landing before reaching 1,000 feet agl. That altitude is the hard deck, the virtual Earth. If the pilot is successful, he or she knows the turn back would have worked and an emergency landing could have been made. On the other hand, if the airplane is at 850 feet agl when it finally gets lined up with the “runway” in a position to land, the pilot has learned why turning back can be such a poor choice when at low altitude.
Scenario-based training can be adapted to virtually any aircraft and any task. It works for VFR training as well as for IFR lessons. Using scenario-based training exercises can help us learn to make better decisions when planning a flight, while en route, and even give us insight into situations where we would be better off diverting or using an alternate airport rather than slavishly locking ourselves into a flight plan that no longer works as well as we had hoped it would.
As an example, the challenges associated with high density altitude flying often are a mystery to general aviation pilots who fly exclusively from airports located near sea level. But if you program a flight simulator to allow for a takeoff from a mountain airport with a high density altitude, the pilot will see why it is important to lean the mixture to get maximum power from the engine. He or she will recognize the benefit of using flaps and gain a real respect for the challenge a 50-foot tree at the departure end of the runway can present during a high density altitude takeoff from a short runway.
When viewed this way, scenario-based training is neither intimidating nor mysterious. “It is a training aid,” says Crump. “It’s a teaching tool by which we conduct our overall mission.” The use of scenarios in flight training allows students and experienced pilots to expand their knowledge base from simple rote learning right up through the understanding, application, and correlation levels of the education process. Fortunately, it’s easy to introduce into any training program, requires no additional cost for equipment or materials, yet it offers a bang-for-the-buck return to your flight training experience that is hard to beat.
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