Coms

VFR adventures

Reflections on ‘Long-Range VFR Adventures’ (February 2019 Flight Training)

Many years ago, I had a friend who suggested we meet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for lunch. He and another friend flew up in his Mooney. I flew with my son in our Cessna 150. We both fly from Lee Airport, in Edgewater, Maryland.

When we got there, they were coming out of the restaurant.

“What did you do? Walk up here?” And they both laughed.

My son seemed embarrassed.

“How long did it take you?” I asked.

“About 30 minutes,” he responded.

“It took us 45 minutes. So, I get to log 1.5 hours, and you get to log one hour. Who wins?”

Now, my boy was smiling. We went in and had a great lunch.

That was about 30 years ago.

Now, I usually fly my Citabria once a week over the rivers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

I fly low and slow. I see things that most people are not fortunate enough to see. On rare occasions, I have a passenger.

When they see the thing they take for granted, from the air, they are overwhelmed. One friend flew with me, and once we got to cruise altitude, he said, “Oh my god. I can’t believe there are so many trees!”

John Shoemaker
Arnold, Maryland

Mum’s the word

I talk to my students very little in the cockpit (“Unusual Attitude: You Talk Too Much,” February 2019 Flight Training). Talking and drawing pictures are what preflight lessons are all about. Most things I say in the cockpit go unheard anyway, unless they are a single command like “more bank angle” or “not so steep here.” That’s because most pilots are visual and tactile (not aural) learners.

For the visual, I point at things in the cockpit they should check at certain points, like the altimeter and airspeed. I point at places to look outside for traffic and at checkpoints on the ground for ground reference maneuvers.

The tactile learning takes place when I give the proper rudder a shove to get the ball centered, or when I use a little exaggerated shove on the yoke to encourage an increase or decrease in pitch or bank.

In the cockpit at least, I believe the best CFIs do the least talking.

Pat Shaub
Marble Falls, Texas

We welcome your comments. Please email [email protected]. Letters will be edited for style and space.