How to Teach Multi-Tasking Skills; Multi-Engine Airplane

[rt4388]

Hey guys! So I'm currently teaching mostly multi-engine stuff and my guys seem to really fall behind the airplane. From what I can tell, they just can't seem to do the flows, talk, and fly the airplane at the same time. I've worked with them on the sim quite a bit, and they can recite the procedures, but once they get in the airplane they fall behind because of everything going on. I was hoping to do some group chair flying with them (partner up), but I wanted to throw in some stuff that requires them to multi-task at the same time. Anyone ever heard of any methods to do this?

 

[dmspilot]

I'm having trouble picturing this. Can you give a more specific example(s) of the problem you are seeing? My first thought is that they should have these skills already. Do they not have any previous complex or high performance experience?

 

[labbadabba]

Hey guys! So I'm currently teaching mostly multi-engine stuff and my guys seem to really fall behind the airplane. From what I can tell, they just can't seem to do the flows, talk, and fly the airplane at the same time. I've worked with them on the sim quite a bit, and they can recite the procedures, but once they get in the airplane they fall behind because of everything going on. I was hoping to do some group chair flying with them (partner up), but I wanted to throw in some stuff that requires them to multi-task at the same time. Anyone ever heard of any methods to do this?

Well, for one, the human brain is not capable of truly multi-tasking. There are some people that are adept at cycling between tasks but to truly try to do two separate tasks of equal mental power there will be a loss in performance in both tasks. To me, I would focus of the basis of Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Are you flying the plane? Yes, okay, let's do a flow. Are you flying the plane? Yes, okay let's talk to ATC. Flying the plane always comes first, eliminate that task and move to the next task. Trying to do both at the same time will cause problems in my opinion...

 

[Shawn]

In my line of work (non aviation) it is ALL muti tasking and some people can and some simply just cannot.

For those that cannot it is about teaching priorities and understanding what has to take priority and temporarily disregard the others. Many get overwhelmed and simply pile on vs move on and come back to the task...or they get so tunnel vision they forget what they have to come back to. Not an easy thing to teach.

 

[denverpilot]

Teach priorities and building blocks. Start with basic aircraft control just like in a single. Show ‘em it flies just like any other airplane. The usual mix of tasks here, get them back into a flow if they lost it or never had it. Fly the plane, aviate, navigate, communicate, get checklist use back into their flying if they’re neglecting it, etc.

Then introduce the multi-engine differences. In a reasonable order. Start in the practice area. Pull a throttle back and simulate zero thrust. You’ll have done the ME differences briefing and ground work by now. Now show them how the airplane flies just fine on one engine. Recover. Do the other side. Recover.

And then just keep building. Always doing the Identify, Verify, Feather routine, hammering that flow into their brain forever. Etc.

 

[rt4388]

I'm having trouble picturing this. Can you give a more specific example(s) of the problem you are seeing? My first thought is that they should have these skills already. Do they not have any previous complex or high performance experience?

Sure. So these guys are somewhat fresh out of their PPL. They should be able to do simple things like slow flight, traffic patterns, constant speed climbs/descents, go around, etc.. But they are really struggling with simple things like overshooting/forgetting about their heading because they are so behind the power/RPM setting, gear up, etc.. They can recite flows on the ground fine, but once we're in the air we're blowing past our headings and altitudes, missing radio calls, not maintaining airspeed on final, and other private pilot level skills. The only thing I can possibly think of is that they are just so distracted by the addition of an engine, gear, props, and a couple of flows, that they are just forgetting about everything else. I've explained how we need to be cycling our eyes/thoughts through everything all the time and they have the flows/procedures memorized, but in the airplane they are just super far behind it and completely forgetting things. The closest thing I can think of to simulate everything that flying throws at you is chair flying (other than sim) and purposefully throwing in lots of distractions to get them to the point where it's instinct. I should add that english isn't their first language so I think they are flying the airplane, doing their flows, trying to understand what I'm teaching, and thinking in their language all at the same time--definitely doesn't seem like the easiest task to me.

 

[Ronnie Godfrey]

I’m not a CFI, but I am a certified classroom teacher of six years’ experience.

First of all, the fact that they’re English language learners is a HUGE hurdle. Remember to always communicate simply and succinctly and speak clearly and slowly to facilitate understanding.

Provide ample opportunity for reps and ask questions that lead to the desired answer (try not to directly point out what they’re missing.) New skills require lots of reps, and quite often the introduction of new skills causes “building block” skills to suffer (multi engine concepts are causing missed speeds, headings ,etc.) Ample patience is key to ensuring their success. Perhaps you can handle some radio work while they’re learning to fly the pattern, or maybe give a reminder to roll level as they’re nearing the desired heading.

Be creative in your delivery. If one method doesn’t seem to work, try something else. Teaching is an art form unto itself and it’s a damn difficult one to master. Be patient with yourself and your students, and remember that EVERYONE is ALWAYS learning! Good luck!

 

[Steve Kanefsky]

My theory is that if you want to manage N+1 tasks simultaneously, you need to be good enough at managing tasks 1-N that you can do them almost subconsciously. Only then do you add the N+1st task and practice that until it's very comfortable and then add the N+2nd task and so on. If too much new complexity is introduced at once, everything falls apart. So my suggestion is to find a way to simplify the student's workload so that it's only slightly beyond what they're already comfortable with (most likely by handling some of the tasks yourself), and then gradually increase the workload as they learn to perform the new tasks comfortably.

 

[Ravioli]

[This just in from slightly off-topic land] I find that most of the time people tell me they are multi-tasking it means they are tuned out. I combat that by saying their name a lot. And every question I raise I ask their opinions first. Tends to end the problem.

However, in the plane prioritizing tasks is very important and @Steve Kanefsky has the right idea. Managing the competencies of the flight regime is not "multi-tasking" unless they are also juggling blue tooth phone calls and futzing with the iJunk. Just like managing trajectory (steering), velocity (speed), navigation, obstacles (traffic) and obstructions (traffic signs and signals) in an automobile is not multi-tasking. It's just driving. Until the phone, car stereo, passenger conversation, and newspapers get added to the task list.

 

[Salty]

Are you talking too much? If they are over saturated and English is not first langauage, having you chatter in their ear all the time is going to make it worse. I had this problem with my PPL instructors and I had to tell them to shut up at critical phases until I wasn’t so over saturated and could handle their input. After doing something a few times then I could handle them talking about unrelated things. But until I got the hang of something, I needed them to stay quiet or only add direct feedback relevant to that specific moment.

 

[mscard88]

Teach priorities and building blocks. Start with basic aircraft control just like in a single. Show ‘em it conflies just like any other airplane. The usual mix of tasks here, get them back into a flow if they lost it or never had it. Fly the plane, aviate, navigate, communicate, get checklist use back into their flying if they’re neglecting it, etc.

Then introduce the multi-engine differences. In a reasonable order. Start in the practice area. Pull a throttle back and simulate zero thrust. You’ll have done the ME differences briefing and ground work by now. Now show them how the airplane flies just fine on one engine. Recover. Do the other side. Recover.

And then just keep building. Always doing the Identify, Verify, Feather routine, hammering that flow into their brain forever. Etc.

I agree with Nate. Every student will be different and the instructor has to adapt his teaching method to each particular student. If the ME students have only a PPC it will overwhelm them, especially if all they've flown is a C172 and no complex stuff. It's going to take longer to train them vs someone who has complex time and has been flying a bit.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Sounds to me like single-tasking is a problem, and until that's solved, multi-tasking just isn't going to happen.

 

[LongRoadBob]

My experience, other than flying, with multi-tasking has always been just practice, but with an eye towards adding on tasks.
As a guitarist, I ended up having to take over vocals, and some of the vocals are while playing a somewhat demanding riff as I sing (a different melody and rythm than the riff) and the way I do it is...slow it down. I have to have the riff be automatic, and as I slow down I find the exact point I need to start a word or phrase in the lyrics. Practice it slow to be able to do it real time. Speed up after it starts becoming "natural".

Might not be so feasible with flying though and I do feel overwhelmed as a student at times. I think just practice so some things are "automatic" or at least require slightly less concentration to do right, and trying to add on. I think armchair flying could help. A lot of times as I try to sleep I imagine a flight, or a traffic pattern, the steps, what might have to be adjusted (airspeed in the pattern) etc. and the radio calls, etc.

I don't know, but it seems the "being ahead of the plane" thing is the key. I think a lot about the idea. I think I'm starting to understand what is meant by it. How it comes about (prep) but it takes time to get. Practice, practice, practice?

 

[Tarheelpilot]

Ther is no such thing as multitasking. We can only observe and process one data point at a time.

As it applies to flying we have to learn constant sampling of the available data. With experience we learn what’s important at different times while flying and become more efficient at pulling out the important data for the task at hand. We also learn that some phases of flight require higher sampling rates and we get better at processing what’s going on faster.

I read an article a while back written by a neurologist doing research on multitasking and his evaluation group were pilots. He found that experienced pilots were better at managing complex scenarios in the sim because they were able to observe and process the important data quicker than lower time pilots. The less experienced pilots took longer to identify the important information because they were looking at everything not just what they knew from experience to be pertinent to the task at hand. I tried to find the article but couldn’t...

As far as teaching I have found that focusing on the basic scan and encouragement to stay engaged mentally with the aircraft and environment builds familiarity for the pilot and as they gain experience more efficient task management follows. I also found that once people understand they can only process one thing at a time and they start to focus and process what’s going on without sitting there like a dog watching tv.

 

[bflynn]

I should add that english isn't their first language so I think they are flying the airplane, doing their flows, trying to understand what I'm teaching, and thinking in their language all at the same time--definitely doesn't seem like the easiest task to me.

My read is that this is the problem. Their priority goes listening->speaking->flying->navigate->communications...and they can't listen or speak well, so the basic flying stuff being 3rd on the priority list means it is done poorly.

Perhaps before changing things up, try just letting them fly without talking to them. Give them a task or a couple of tasks to do, then don't talk until they're done. Say go and just watch. I'll bet their flying improves. Save reviews and commentary until you're on the ground when they can dedicate more brain power to listening. Obviously inject if there are unsafe things happening, but only for safety reasons...otherwise let them fly.

Yes, in aviation, eventually they'll have to handle english better.

 

[labbadabba]

Ther is no such thing as multitasking. We can only observe and process one data point at a time.

As it applies to flying we have to learn constant sampling of the available data. With experience we learn what’s important at different times while flying and become more efficient at pulling out the important data for the task at hand. We also learn that some phases of flight require higher sampling rates and we get better at processing what’s going on faster.

I read an article a while back written by a neurologist doing research on multitasking and his evaluation group were pilots. He found that experienced pilots were better at managing complex scenarios in the sim because they were able to observe and process the important data quicker than lower time pilots. The less experienced pilots took longer to identify the important information because they were looking at everything not just what they knew from experience to be pertinent to the task at hand. I tried to find the article but couldn’t...

As far as teaching I have found that focusing on the basic scan and encouragement to stay engaged mentally with the aircraft and environment builds familiarity for the pilot and as they gain experience more efficient task management follows. I also found that once people understand they can only process one thing at a time and they start to focus and process what’s going on without sitting there like a dog watching tv.

Yep, we can rapidly cycle tasks but true multi-tasking is asking for problems particularly in this case when it sounds like the students still have some basic airmanship (and English proficiency) to work out. Sounds to me that they are already task-saturated just flying the plane. Until that is resolved they cannot progress. If you push additional tasks during this stage, the concepts will be incorrectly learned and poorly executed. That to me sounds like a recipe for disaster for a pilot.

I'd communicate this to your chief CFI and check-airmen. I would explain that additional ME time is needed on basic airmanship (you handle the flows and comms in the meantime) before they can move on. I would have serious concerns putting my name down as a MEI endorsement otherwise.

 

[Timbeck2]

Everyone isn't going to get it. Everyone isn't cut out for jobs which require multi-tasking. Any controller will tell you that ATC is just one multi-task after another. I once thought I was a great trainer that could get anyone rated, I now know that the best trainers in the world can't teach someone to multi-task if it isn't in them to begin with. We have a kid that has been a "controller" for 4 years and never learned to multi task. He was rated in his first tower which saw 6 operations a day. Six. His second tower he didn't get fully rated but the powers that be were too lazy to wash him out. Now WE have him and he can't get out of ground control because he doesn't know how to listen with both ears at the same time to two different conversations. He doesn't know how to prioritize his tasks and with every minute spent on him is a minute that could have been spent on someone with the skills to handle the job.

In the words of judge Smails, "the world needs ditch diggers too."

 

[mscard88]

Everyone isn't going to get it. Everyone isn't cut out for jobs which require multi-tasking. Any controller will tell you that ATC is just one multi-task after another. I once thought I was a great trainer that could get anyone rated, I now know that the best trainers in the world can't teach someone to multi-task if it isn't in them to begin with. We have a kid that has been a "controller" for 4 years and never learned to multi task. He was rated in his first tower which saw 6 operations a day. Six. His second tower he didn't get fully rated but the powers that be were too lazy to wash him out. Now WE have him and he can't get out of ground control because he doesn't know how to listen with both ears at the same time to two different conversations. He doesn't know how to prioritize his tasks and with every minute spent on him is a minute that could have been spent on someone with the skills to handle the job.

In the words of judge Smails, "the world needs ditch diggers too."

BTDT unfortunately, hard to wash 'em out.

 

[Timbeck2]

Not for cause. If they are good for the military then there isn't a problem re-training them into something else. If they aren't good for the military then time to hit the gate and don't come back.

 

[coloradobluesky]

There IS such a thing as multi tasking. When playing the guitar, I can play the fret board with my left hand, strum with my right hand, sing with my mouth and tap time with my foot. It takes a LOT of practice!

I found I could do two things at once in my airplane. Fly and talk on the radio. Fly and read the charts. But I never got the hang of doing three at once (fly the plane, talk on the radio, read the charts). Enter the autopilot. With autopilot, I don't have to fly the plane (very much). Single pilot IFR can be REALLY demanding. Just have to get familiar with everything.

Take it one step at a time.

 

[mscard88]

Not for cause. If they are good for the military then there isn't a problem re-training them into something else. If they aren't good for the military then time to hit the gate and don't come back.

Had one who was rated at Yokota, very slow tower. Came to Eglin and she barely could work 2 fighters. Took 9 months, extensions to training, and a thick training record filled with unsatisfactory evals to finally wash her out. After she had reenlisted and received that big reenlistment bonus. Had a few others that should have been gone too but again, when you're fighting against the ATC Officer you usually don't win.

 

[Rykymus]

I'm not a CFI, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. Seriously, when I was a medic, I precepted a lot of interns. Running a 911 call, especially a serious one, is quite similar to flying, with "making sure the patient doesn't die" be equivalent to "aviate". (The big difference is that only my license was on the line, not my life.)

What I found works is to first make sure the student knows what to do. If they do, let them do it. I would start by letting them manage all patient care on their own, with me running the call, only chiming in on patient care if they were about to kill the patient. You have to let people make mistakes, so they can learn from them. Once they became adept at managing patient care, then I'd let them manage the call, while I managed the patient care. And once they became adept at that, I'd let them do both. But the key was a calm and thorough debrief after the call, while what worked and what didn't work are still fresh in their minds. During this, I'd have them explain to me how they could have done better.
I had a similar problem to what I perceive you're having, in that many times my interns didn't have much experience as basic EMTs before attending EMT-P training. It always showed, in that they were just not very good and patient care, and really horrible at call management. When they had experience as EMTs working alongside medics (usually as the driver) they got things a lot more quickly. Likely, the same is true with students fresh out of PPL. (Which reminds me, I need to get some complex and HP time before I start ME training.)
Another thing I learned is that you have to tailor how you teach to each student. Some learn better by repetition and not being chatted up. Others need constant guidance. Some can be barked at, others will just curl up in a ball and stop functioning. Some will respond better to calm guidance, others will not take the situation as seriously if you don't seem concerned yourself. It's all about learning how to deal with each student.
One more thing that I found really worked. There are many ways to skin a cat, and although some are more efficient than others, in the end, the cat gets skinned. Don't try to force them to do things the way you would do them, if they seem to prefer to do them differently, as long as the end result is acceptable. I found this worked quite well when it came to radio reports. Not everyone uses the same syntax and sentence structure when they think and speak. I let the interns develop radio report formats that felt natural to them, rather than trying to memorize a sequence that someone else thought up. (Likely 20 years ago, when things were different.)
Again, I'm not a CFI, but I think I'd let them just fly the aircraft for a while, and I'd manage the radios and the decision making. Ask them what they should do next.

An observation: If they are doing well in the sim, and losing it in the plane, maybe they just need to spend more time in the sim, so that things become more automatic, before the additional pressure of possibly planting themselves into the dirt is added?

 

[labbadabba]

There IS such a thing as multi tasking. When playing the guitar, I can play the fret board with my left hand, strum with my right hand, sing with my mouth and tap time with my foot. It takes a LOT of practice!

I found I could do two things at once in my airplane. Fly and talk on the radio. Fly and read the charts. But I never got the hang of doing three at once (fly the plane, talk on the radio, read the charts). Enter the autopilot. With autopilot, I don't have to fly the plane (very much). Single pilot IFR can be REALLY demanding. Just have to get familiar with everything.

Take it one step at a time.

Not according to reams of research. We quickly cycle through tasks. Some tasks take less front-end brain power than others. But we still cycle from one to the others. Where we become proficient in managing separate tasks is learning how to seamlessly transition from one to the other. Certain tasks that have been committed to what might be called muscle memory only take a brief second of attention, the brain will check-in on this task while spending more time on a task that requires more front-end brain power.

This is the practice part. This is what we're training our brains to do:
1) How to effectively switch between tasks
2) How to commit primary tasks (even complex tasks like aviating) to muscle memory so we can temporarily let go of our focus to evaluate a separate task

True multi-tasking leads to serious degradation in performance and within a learning environment, it creates a serious problem with retention.

I think what the OP should maybe consider a different question. How do I engrain aviating in a multi-engine aircraft to a student the point that an additional task can be given? Without the foundation, the student will not be able to switch tasks effectively, even for a moment because to much of the student's brainpower is still devoted to flying the plane.

 

[James331]

Hey guys! So I'm currently teaching mostly multi-engine stuff and my guys seem to really fall behind the airplane. From what I can tell, they just can't seem to do the flows, talk, and fly the airplane at the same time. I've worked with them on the sim quite a bit, and they can recite the procedures, but once they get in the airplane they fall behind because of everything going on. I was hoping to do some group chair flying with them (partner up), but I wanted to throw in some stuff that requires them to multi-task at the same time. Anyone ever heard of any methods to do this?

Are you just teaching them the procedures rote, or are you explaining WHY you're doing each step.

Also how at ease are you in the plane, do you personally find the plane simple or complex?

 

[coloradobluesky]

Muscles have memory. Take a look at a jug band guy. He plays an instrument with each foot, one with each hand, singing and kicking a drum with his knee. How is that NOT multitasking? I agree, multi-tasking takes away from performance.. I can notice my guitar playing degrade when I start singing. Just a fact of life.

Like I said, I could manage TWO things at once in the airplane.

Practice each task seperately, then combine them. So he talks on the radio. Just that. Then he flies the airplane. Now he talks on the radio AND flies the airplane. ETC

 

[denverpilot]

I believe what most Aviation people call “muscle memory” is repetition that pushes the task into the subconscious.

You’re working your student up this ladder...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence

At first they don’t know they’re doing anything wrong, and the task is defined and demonstrated and done again, and again, and again...

Eventually they reach the “unconscious competence” stage.

The language barrier slows this process in this particular case.

 

[Steve Kanefsky]

There IS such a thing as multi tasking. When playing the guitar, I can play the fret board with my left hand, strum with my right hand, sing with my mouth and tap time with my foot. It takes a LOT of practice!

Try playing polyrhythms between all your hands and feet on the drums Or try playing the chords for one song with your left hand while strumming a different song with the right hand and singing a third song

I think few people (if anyone) can operate on multiple complex tasks completely independently. When you practice you're generally figuring out the relationships between different tasks so that they're not really independent tasks but scheduled/coordinated in some way that makes sense. You always start with fewer or smaller tasks and then gradually add more complexity. You learn tricks about when you can shift your attention away from one thing to another thing and then back very quickly to keep multiple things going at once.

Sight reading music is a really interesting analogy because studies have shown that good musicians are scanning and planning ahead in an unfamiliar piece of music like crazy while they're playing it. You can argue to what extent they're literally reading and playing at the same time, but it doesn't really matter (just like it doesn't really matter if your computer is using one very fast CPU or multiple slower CPUs to run your web browser and your email program at the same time). The important thing is that you can keep track of the different tasks and switch between them efficiently without losing track of anything.

 

[coloradobluesky]

There are different kinds of tasks. Some are known so well they are ingrained in the muscles and the subconscious. Some tasks exist only in the conscious, so it depends. If both tasks only exist in the conscious (active mind thinking) then, yes, he is going to have to switch back and forth. When it gets so routine, it gets pushed into the subconscious or muscle memory, then the conscious mind is freed up to do something else.

For example, saying the N number of an airplane you fly all the time is not taking up much of the conscious mind, so it is free to do something else.

Regardless of how you analyze it, repetition is how we learn it.

 

[labbadabba]

Try playing polyrhythms between all your hands and feet on the drums Or try playing the chords for one song with your left hand while strumming a different song with the right hand and singing a third song

I think few people (if anyone) can operate on multiple complex tasks completely independently. When you practice you're generally figuring out the relationships between different tasks so that they're not really independent tasks but scheduled/coordinated in some way that makes sense. You always start with fewer or smaller tasks and then gradually add more complexity. You learn tricks about when you can shift your attention away from one thing to another thing and then back very quickly to keep multiple things going at once.

Sight reading music is a really interesting analogy because studies have shown that good musicians are scanning and planning ahead in an unfamiliar piece of music like crazy while they're playing it. You can argue to what extent they're literally reading and playing at the same time, but it doesn't really matter (just like it doesn't really matter if your computer is using one very fast CPU or multiple slower CPUs to run your web browser and your email program at the same time). The important thing is that you can keep track of the different tasks and switch between them efficiently without losing track of anything.

Proficient sight readers have also learned to quickly spot familiar rhythms and chord patterns rather than read note for note what is on the page. This is the same concept I described above. The musician is relying on a form of subconscious recall to play the music on the page based on pattern recognition and using the front-end brainpower to scan ahead occasionally switching tasks to check in on how their autopilot is doing and switching back again. But this is only possible after a LOT of practice and experience (or being a savant).

I know when I'm playing, I'm not thinking about what my fingers are doing, I'm not even thinking about the notes on the page. I'm thinking about what's next, what is going to give me difficulty and how to prepare for it. The moment I start to think about playing and reading, I falter.

 

[PaulMKE]

Are you talking too much? If they are over saturated and English is not first langauage, having you chatter in their ear all the time is going to make it worse..

+1. The sterile cockpit concept, which often gets tossed when we’re with an instructor.

Another idea would be to sit in the cockpit on the ground, engines off, and run the flows until their hands move automatically, and toss in some competing tasks.

Finally, i doubt you do this, but I’ve had instructors either get very impatient with me or get very distracted, both of which raise my stress level and then i begin to fall behind the airplane as i begin second guessing.

 

[Steve Kanefsky]

Proficient sight readers have also learned to quickly spot familiar rhythms and chord patterns rather than read note for note what is on the page. This is the same concept I described above. The musician is relying on a form of subconscious recall to play the music on the page based on pattern recognition and using the front-end brainpower to scan ahead occasionally switching tasks to check in on how their autopilot is doing and switching back again. But this is only possible after a LOT of practice and experience (or being a savant).

I know when I'm playing, I'm not thinking about what my fingers are doing, I'm not even thinking about the notes on the page. I'm thinking about what's next, what is going to give me difficulty and how to prepare for it. The moment I start to think about playing and reading, I falter.

It's probably not worth arguing whether it's conscious or subconscious recall, but obviously once you've learned patterns you can recognize and perform that pattern much more efficiently and be able to devote more of your attention to other things. If you learn the finger pattern for a particular chord, that becomes just one movement which you can execute as a single task without even looking, while a beginner might be dealing with that as a separate task for each finger and have to also look at the fretboard to accomplish it. Of course when you're playing classical or finger style you're back to optimizing the movement of each finger individually

In an airplane that might be analogous to things like knowing how much pressure to apply to the stick and rudder to perform a basic maneuver like a climb or turn, or where to position the throttle to get a desired power setting. That leaves you a lot more time to manage other tasks, while the beginner pilot is constantly having to make adjustments and check the instruments to accomplish the same maneuver and can't manage as many other tasks at the same time.

 

[Tarheelpilot]

There IS such a thing as multi tasking. When playing the guitar, I can play the fret board with my left hand, strum with my right hand, sing with my mouth and tap time with my foot. It takes a LOT of practice!

I found I could do two things at once in my airplane. Fly and talk on the radio. Fly and read the charts. But I never got the hang of doing three at once (fly the plane, talk on the radio, read the charts). Enter the autopilot. With autopilot, I don't have to fly the plane (very much). Single pilot IFR can be REALLY demanding. Just have to get familiar with everything.

Take it one step at a time.

If I gave you a piece of music you had never played and asked you to do all those things could you do it first time out of the gate?

 

[Rykymus]

I really hate the term "muscle-memory". Your muscles have no memory. Your brain is always controlling them. I think the term confuses those who don't understand how our brains and nervous systems actually work.

Same is true of the term "multi-tasking". As others have said, you're not truly multi-tasking. Your brain is still processing sensory input, making decisions based on that input, and sending instructions to your body to react as needed. With practice and repetition, that process becomes faster. Eddie Van Halen once said that his goal was always to try and get his fingers to do what his mind was thinking, at the same time it was thinking it. (He also said that he didn't think he even gotten close.) The more we practice a task, the less brain-power needed to perform that task, and the more quickly and precisely we can perform that task. But this is still not truly multi-tasking, it just feels like it. It's just more efficient switching between individual single-tasks.

I remember how tired private pilot training made me in the beginning. It wasn't physically demanding, but my brain was operating at maximum capacity. Now, the same tasks are not tiring at all. But that's 600+ hours later, which these students likely won't even have when they graduate. Until each individual task requires a lesser amount of concentration to perform, they will not be able to handle rapid-task-switching (the term I prefer) for more than two tasks at once. (flying the plane always being the first task.)

This is how I look at things:
> There are three task levels: A, B, and C. A is difficult and requires considerable concentration. C is easy and can be done either subconsciously, or with only a few seconds of single-task focus.
> The act of switching between tasks uses up a bit of brain power as well, as you have to recall what you were doing before you switched away from that task.
> One must know which tasks for them are A, B, or C level tasks.
> One must also know how many of each task level one can rapidly task-switch between, without their performance being decreased to unacceptable levels.
> One must plan ahead, so that they are never trying to perform at a level that is beyond their abilities. This is where failures occur.
> Repetition can make many A level tasks into B or C level tasks, and B level tasks into C level tasks.

Think of it this way. Assume that A level tasks require 50% of your available brain power. B level tasks require 35%, and C level tasks require 10%. Switching between tasks uses a tiny percentage as well, but switching between A level tasks uses more than switching between C level tasks.

Have I confused everyone yet?

As a new PPL student, most tasks are A level, so if you try to do more than two tasks at once, you are unable to devote the proper amount of brain power to either of those tasks, and the performance of both tasks suffers. When I started my training, I had the advantage of having years of experience talking on the radio, so that task quickly became a C level task for me, which allowed me to rapidly switch between an A level task, a B level task, and a C level task, without overloading my brain. But until some of those A's became B's, and those B's became C's, (through repetition) I didn't dare take on more than two tasks at once, or I'd start shutting down, and the learning process would stop.

The entire purpose of the average simulator (available to most flight schools) is to train the mind to gather and process data, and formulate plans to react to changes in the flight environment. It isn't about becoming better at manipulating the controls. It's about keeping your mind ahead of the flight, and being able to constantly formulate a plan for what you are going to do next. It's also what chair-flying is for.

I honestly think these students just need additional practice.

 

[rt4388]

Are you just teaching them the procedures rote, or are you explaining WHY you're doing each step.

Also how at ease are you in the plane, do you personally find the plane simple or complex?

I'm really aiming to have them understand why we do what we do. So far in fact, in group grounds, once one student understands in English I'll have him explain/discuss the why in their language and then have each of the other students tell me the why in English to confirm they understand. My PPL instructor really made me understand the why and then I went to a pilot/puppy mill where they just taught us to memorize the checklist, which really bugged me. Those two contrasting experiences really drive me to make them understand the why.

Personally, I find the airplane super simple at this point. By no means am I a pro at it, but I have about 60 hours in it and I feel like I could fly it without a single checklist (obviously I wouldn't but...).

 

[rt4388]

+1. The sterile cockpit concept, which often gets tossed when we’re with an instructor.

Another idea would be to sit in the cockpit on the ground, engines off, and run the flows until their hands move automatically, and toss in some competing tasks.

Finally, i doubt you do this, but I’ve had instructors either get very impatient with me or get very distracted, both of which raise my stress level and then i begin to fall behind the airplane as i begin second guessing.

What are these competing tasks that you're referencing? That's exactly what I'm looking for! The only thing I can think of is act like tower and require him to make radio calls, but even that pales in comparison to maintaining heading, altitude, airspeed, SA, etc. when actually in the airplane.

 

[labbadabba]

What are these competing tasks that you're referencing? That's exactly what I'm looking for! The only thing I can think of is act like tower and require him to make radio calls, but even that pales in comparison to maintaining heading, altitude, airspeed, SA, etc. when actually in the airplane.

Honest question, if the student can't maintain heading, altitude, airspeed without doing anything else, how the heck did they get their PPL?

 

[James331]

Just curious, have you shown them flows?

Learning a flow is much easier than memorizing steps

 

[LongRoadBob]

Just curious, have you shown them flows?

Learning a flow is much easier than memorizing steps

From your post I realize I don't know what a flow is. I thought or assumed it was memorizing steps, and getting them in order, same order every time.

What is a flow?

 

[Tarheelpilot]

From your post I realize I don't know what a flow is. I thought or assumed it was memorizing steps, and getting them in order, same order every time.

What is a flow?

They are steps correlated with the cockpit layout. The idea is the items completed are associated with a smooth logical progression through the cockpit so the procedures/checks are associated with a logical “flow” through the cockpit.

 

[denverpilot]

From your post I realize I don't know what a flow is. I thought or assumed it was memorizing steps, and getting them in order, same order every time.

What is a flow?

Kinda true, but there’s a visual pattern to most flows that makes it more kinetic than a list... here’s an example... but I don’t have a graphic editor handy to draw it as a picture...

And inverted L works for a bunch of things in a Cessna cockpit. From the fuel selector on the floor up through the cowl flaps and wing flaps, to the mixture knob, then turn and go left across the prop, throttle, carb heat, and keep going over to the mags, and primer.

Okay you “see” that upside down L shape now, right?

Engine failure...

Fuel on both (reach to the floor, start the L shape), mixture rich, prop full forwards throttle open, carb heat on, across and check mags and that the primer is locked.

Okay it’s not the “perfect” by the book engine failure checklist, but it hit all of the items in one physical easy to remember pattern. Just start on the floor and draw the upside down L. Everything you touch on the way up and across might or might not have an involvement with engine failure, but you’ll check each.

There’s other flows that work in other cockpits for other things. This is just one example.

In the twin, a go around started at the throttles, and then went left to the gear handle, then back to the flaps, and worked its way around in a circle to the cowl flaps, and then back to the throttle quadrant to set final power on the turbos... you could do it all faster than the checklist, but also without ever missing anything because the items went in a circle to the left.

Then, of course, you’d follow up with the checklist and confirm.

Sometimes there’s no good way to flow something and you’re just practicing doing “memory items” in a particular order, even if they’re shotgunned all over the cockpit physically.

But often you can find a way to move your hand(s) in a predictable pattern that will accomplish all of the immediate “must-do” items without flinging hands everywhere in a seemingly haphazard way. (Even if you know what you’re doing, it can look haphazard or unplanned.)

A flow, when one works well or well enough, can be enough to both get all the items done in a reasonable order, as well as be a visual checklist in and of itself. I can’t start the Cessna one on the floor without noticing that the fuel selector isn’t in the Both position, and I know that’s the usual position for engine troubleshooting... you see how it works as a memory jogger under stress, probably. Make sense?

Some flows I don’t like to call flows because they’re literally all over the place. Only the ones I can actually make “flow” around the cockpit do I call, flows. Others may disagree due to how they were trained.

It’s not a big deal how you define what’s a flow and not called a flow, other than it’s a memorized series or movements you can do in the cockpit without really needing too much thought about where your next step is.