Australian Flying - July 2018

Rudder
If we asked CFIs about the
top ten student mistakes 50
years ago, there’d be a good
chance that number 1 would be
incorrect use of rudder. But except
for those teaching tailwheel,
the CFIs interviewed in 2018
didn’t rank poor rudder use as a
common error. Schwertner
from Par Avion says rudder is
always something for students
to learn, but poor rudder use i
s not a common mistake.
The Bunbury team likewise
didn’t include rudder in their
brainstormed common
mistakes list.
Koort says good rudder
technique is important in
crosswind training technique, but
as SFC uses Warriors for ab-
initio training, over-use of rudder
is rare. He says a more important
failing is students applying, by
rote, aileron into crosswind and
opposite rudder, and not being
ready to change if the wind
swings around.

Speciically ...

Schwertner points out a more

specific mistake of the wrong line

of sight that students use during

manoeuvres. “For example,” he

says, “focussing at the engine

cowling instead of the horizon.

Likewiseit’s common to see

students looking down on landing

instead of down the runway at

the aiming point.” He finds that

students over-react when they

do this, and that’s the source

of ballooning. “Many students

struggle with this.”

The statistics bear out his

experience. The most common

incident in CASA’s investigation

reports for f lying training

operations is landing accidents with

poor bounce recovery techniques.

Prioritisation

The adage of aviate/navigate/

communicate is accepted

wisdom, and the Bunbury team

identified overlooking of this

philosophy as a common (and

important) student pilot mistake.

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This crisis management phrase

has saved many a pilot’s life.

Prioritising f lying the aeroplane

(“aviate”) over navigating and

communicating with the ground

avoids a phenomenon known as

“fixation”. Fixation involves pilots

becoming so engrossed in the

perceived problem that they forget

the basics of keeping the aircraft

f lying. The Bunbury team believe

that prioritisation in the cockpit

is not just important in a crisis;

it reduces workload and prevents

problems developing.

Having a list of mistakes

doesn’t magically solve any

problems, but it does provide

a starting point for a further

discussion. The most important

discussion is how do f light

instructors teach students to

avoid these mistakes? What

strategies should be employed

to help students overcome the

obstacles that prevent many from

completing their training?

As James Joyce said, “mistakes

are the portals of discovery.”

The Top 10

A “top 10” list is always

going to be subjective, and

the mistakes below are by

no means the denitive list!

1. Bringing worries


2. Head inside


3. Preparation


4. Motivation


5. Lookout


6. Assumptions


7. Rushing pre-lights
   and checklists


8. Poor radio practice


9. Sight picture/line of sight


10. Prioritisation