Be that Pro Student Pilot : Practical tips on how to Ace your Flight Training
If you ask any Commercial Pilot today about their flight training, they’d probably tell you how challenging it was at the start. Every pilot says that they would do their training a little bit differently, if they had to do it again.
As a student pilot, it’s good to make mistakes because experience is how you learn. However, there are certain things you can definitely do to make sure your flight training goes as smoothly as possible. Take notes because these are a life changer!
Always carry a note pad: As a student pilot, you’ll be debriefed by your instructor after every flight. In a typical debriefing, your instructor will point out areas where you need to work on and what steps can you be taken to not repeat the same mistakes. The cost of every flight is considerable, so it is vital that you make most of it and not repeat your mistakes. Carrying a notepad ensures that you know exactly what to work on and builds trust with your instructor.
Behave like an airline pilot: You don’t magically develop discipline once you’re an airline pilot. Discipline is a skill that needs to be practiced. Show up 10 minutes before your sortie, dress appropriately, maintain good hygiene and most importantly, practice keeping alcohol consumption/ sleep minimums. When you do this, transitioning to an airline life would be a piece of cake !!
Know your theory: Flight schools are full of students who can’t wait to fly an aircraft but don’t want to put in the work of studying their aircraft. Every instructor cannot stress enough on the fact that how important it is to know the theory aspect so you can apply it on the flight.
Take responsibility: There is NO learning without the uncomfortable feeling of taking responsibility. Act as the Pilot In Command from Day 1. Do not assume the preflight has been done, double check the fuel and oil, volunteer to land your aircraft, take charge of the radio telecommunication. Ofcourse, you will make mistakes, but that is the only way to become a better pilot.
Use technology: Technology can be an extremely useful tool in your armour. If used wisely, it can save you time and effort along with providing efficiency. Apps like Garmin, Foreflight, Windy, CloudAhoy, IMD, Directto etc help with flight planning and weather. There are numerous apps and websites like Boldmethod, Sportys, Cessna Companion, Kingschools etc that provide online ground training courses at affordable prices. While these courses aren’t mandatory, they will help you bridge the gap between just a license holder to an extremely well informed pilot.
Practice chair flying: Unfortunately, most students ignore how helpful this technique could be. Ultimately, flying an aircraft is a motor skill and if you know where your hands and legs should be at a given time on a chair, chances are you’ll know in the aircraft too. Most students who practice chair flying, prefer to have a cockpit poster and their checklist in front of them for a better experience. If you think this technique is for amateurs, ask any type rated pilot about how much it helped them !
Aim for perfection, but do not be disappointed if you don’t hit the mark all the time: I read a quote at an airport and it has stuck with me. It went something like “In Aviation, being the best is just good enough”. In other words, perfection is not praiseworthy, it’s a prerequisite in Aviation. So aim to be well within standards and surpass every threshold. However, remember it’s a learning process and you will not always achieve what you aimed for and there’s always a tomorrow!
Read up about the maneuvers: As a student pilot, you’ll not just be taught how to take off and land an aircraft. You’ll be trained on certain complex maneuvers like Stalls, steep turns, slow flight, slips and many more. There are steps to each of these maneuvers. So, knowing these steps and the reason behind performing these maneuvers beforehand will be highly beneficial.
Know your airfield well: Now, this is a super important one. You don’t want to be the “kid who always gets yelled at by the ATC”. As a student, it is your responsibility to know details like Runway lengths, tower/ radar frequencies, taxiways, ATC services etc.
Practice your Comms and call outs: This one deserves a separate mention. Every student pilot suffers from the fear of making an error/ not knowing what to say/ stammering on comms. It’s so common, it’s a meme! So take a breath, you’re not alone! Practice these comms with your colleagues, you’ll notice how quickly you start getting better at this. After a while, you’ll know what response to expect and will know exactly what to say next. Finally, your call outs are as important. Talking about airline life, call outs not just increase safety but are mandatory. Calling out your speeds, flaps up/flaps down, headings, runway identification can be a game changer.
Positive Attitude: This might seem like a very easy task, but there will be times in your flight training that will make you flustered, agitated and make you question if this is your cup of tea. Having the resilience and willingness to learn is imperative as a pilot because let’s face it, you can never know enough about aviation and you’re always a student!
So here it is, your guide to being your instructor’s favorite and a Pro Future Aviator !
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