So You’ve Passed Your Written Exam?
After speaking with a few Flight Instructors, I’m told that the student pilots who try to prepare for their written exam at the same time as they prepare for their Flight Test end up doing poorly at both. It’s ideal if you’ve finished your Ground School, then as mentioned in Step #8… do your 2 weeks of preparation to write your exam. With that past you, it’s time to get those hours in and finish off with your Flight Lesson.
But the real question is: Is there a way to prepare for your Flight Test even while you’re not taking Flight Lessons?
Here’s the key to Doing Well on your Flight Test
After talking to a friend and Associate of mine who’s a Transport Canada Pilot Examiner, a guy I highly respect and someone who I know is one of the best pilots in Canada, the key he mentioned to me about preparing for your Flight Test was this:
“The way you fly your airplane on any given Tuesday is the way you should fly your airplane for your Flight Test. And the way you fly for your Flight Test should be the exact same way that you fly your airplane on any given Tuesday.”
If you really think about that statement, it’s actually quite brilliant.
His point?
You should be learning to fly from your Flight Instructor with every detail that is required for successfully passing your Flight Test.
If you’re at a Flying Club that promotes a certain way of flying during your Flight Lessons and a “different” approach for when you are taking your Flight Test… then you should really consider changing Flight Schools.
The way you fly the airplane during your Flight Lessons should be “the right way” for flying for your Flight Test. When this concept really sinks in, it takes all the pressure away from actually taking your Flight Test. Because by the time you take your Flight Test you should’ve been doing the same procedures all along the way for every Flight Lesson you’ve taken.
The Best Way to Not Develop Sloppy Habits is to Not Be Sloppy
Remember when you first got your driver’s licence?
Did you ever take a driving class where your instructor told you to do things like, “Always check your rearview mirror when you first get into your vehicle, remember to fasten your seat belt every time you drive, even just a short distance because 80% of accidents happen within a km of your home, always keep both hands on the wheel in a 10 and 2 o’clock position, be sure to come to a full stop at every stop sign, etc, etc, etc…”
The point is: You were getting the ideal way to operate your vehicle to ensure safety and success every time you drive.
And if you think through all those details, if you keep those good habits, the odds are high that you’ve never been in an accident.
Operating your aircraft is similar.
There is a “sufficient way” to operate your aircraft… and then there is the best way to operate your aircraft. That’s what you’re learning from a good Flight Instructor.
If you make that your “Standard Operating Procedure” for operating the aircraft, it means when it comes time to take your Flight Test, it will be as if you’ve already had a few dozen Flight Tests just by flying with your Instructor.
In other words, nothing should change for your Flight Test. It’s just another flight.
How Do You Remember All the Details Your Flight Instructor Tells You?
Chances are you’ve been on a steady diet of new information as you’ve been learning to fly.
It can be overwhelming.
Big time.
As I talk to many student pilots in this process, I hear over and over again that the information isn’t necessarily hard, but there is a lot of information to stay current with what you’re learning.
If you are good at keeping notes, good on you, you’re a keener and you already have an effective system for going over the details you need to know.
If you don’t always remember to make notes, or if you realize it’s just not that practical while operating your aircraft to pull out your notebook and jot things down, you can try some software to help you stay on top of things.
If you don’t, well, you can just continue to make the same mistakes over and over.
In this situation, I think of Einstein’s definition of insanity.
Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Is that you? Be honest.
To be really honest myself, I think it’s a bit of all of us, me included.
But how do you change things up? Well, you’ve probably heard of something like what is below, but have you applied it to your Flight Training yet?
The Cone of Experience
Edgar Dale was an American educationist who developed the Cone of Experience. He made several contributions to audio and visual instruction, including a methodology for analyzing the content of motion pictures. Here’s the “Cone of Experience” often referred to as the Cone of Learning.
The real takeaway for me on this is that people tend to remember just 10% of what they read. Only 10%!!!
Think about this, if this is true, think of ALL the things you’ve ever read… and assume that 90% of it is actually gone!!!
Yikes!
Okay, personally, that makes me feel less excited about reading.
Hearing, viewing images, watching videos gets us into that 30% range… much better but still pretty pathetic.
Where things get really exciting is that bottom layer:
Analyze, Define, Create, Evaluate.
This is a lot of what we’re doing when taking Flight Lessons.
Here’s the key to the bottom portion of this cone: You must engage your brain with analyzing, defining, creating and evaluating.
If you can engage yourself in the material you are trying to learn, it activates a part of your brain that tries to figure out answers to problems, seeking solutions to challenges, sorting and organizing the scattered bits of information in your head to lay out “the ideal solution.”
So, this makes sense when you’re in the plane taking your Flight Lesson. If you are “doing the real thing” well, chances are, that’s the best way for your body and brain to learn and remember.
But what if you’re not actually taking your Flight Lesson? Is everything else just a waste of time?
Here’s the Key to Learning: Analyze. Define. Create. Evaluate.
As you can see in Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience, if you can figure out how to engage your brain with analysis, seeking to define, create and evaluate your actions, the odds are high that you’ll not just learn, but you’ll also remember.
Software can help this.
Do you have a Flight Simulator? Use it.
Do you have some software that can quiz you? Use it.
The bottom line? Engage Your Brain.
As a result, you learn more efficiently and effectively.
Let’s face it, we’ve all been reading a book before and after a few minutes we realize that, even while reading, we’re actually thinking about what we ate for dinner… or what we’re about to go have for a snack. The point is, we’re reading and not absorbing anything from the book at all.
At HANGAAAR, we are trying to develop Aviation Tutorials and Training that engage and make learning to fly more efficient.
If you haven’t checked out one of our Apps, I recommend you start with the PSTAR App. It’s free and will give you the idea of what it’s like to be able to carry around your own personal Flight Instructor who is coaching you on what you need to learn.
It’s a great way to get the brain activated.
If it’s not activated, well, let’s just say it should be if you want to learn AND if you want to operate an aircraft.
The bottom line, if you want to learn efficiently and effectively: Analyze. Define. Create. Evaluate.
Step #10 – How to Stay Current as a Private Pilot
The last thing I wanted to say was, “Thanks!” We really appreciate your feedback and support and could not be where we are today without customers like you!
