Saturday, November 15, 2014

Starting to Put the Flight into Flight Instructor

A new experience for me today. I got to see if my 'talking' was reporting, narrating or actually teaching as I flew. I also got to see why yesterday was so easy. It was too good to be true. It was so easy because I wasn't doing the maneuver right! Mystery solved. That's OK though. I think I learned more in this one flight than I have in months in the air. Of course, learning isn't learning until behavior is changed, so we shall see.

First I got to demonstrate a steep turn to my CFI while talking through it as well. As I would if teaching someone. Turns out my 'talking' was OK. He said I was actually teaching instead of narrating or reporting. Then he said I wasn't doing the turns right. I thought I was doing 45 degree bank. I was doing 30 degree. You may wonder how I could get that wrong. It's easier than it should be. From where I sit on the right side, with the seat as far forward as I need it, I can't see the top of the attitude indicator, which is where the markings are that I used to confirm bank angle in steep turns. He showed me another reference I can use to ensure I'm doing a turn at the correct bank. I re-did it and did better. He explained how to keep talking in the turns.

Then he introduced me to in-flight critique. Oh, that was fun! I immediately stuck my foot in my mouth and gave exactly the wrong feedback. My CFI gladly did exactly what I told him to do, and I finally had to stop everything and say what the heck is going on? Then I figured it out and we both had a great laugh. He told me when to be providing feedback and when to not. What to do while the student is doing it wrong. Just the start of the world of what I'll be learning over the next couple months.

Today was just a glimpse into the art of being an actual flight instructor. I have much to do and much, much to learn.

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