One thing that should have been taught to you in basic training, but was not.

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drotto

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drotto
For those of us that have our PPL's or are working towards them. Name something that you feel should be taught, but most people are not. Or something you have learned since you ticket that you feel is extremely useful. My two thing to start.

Actual spins
Skew t graphs.

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drotto said:
For those of us that have our PPL's or are working towards them. Name something that you feel should be taught, but most people are not. Or something you have learned since you ticket that you feel is extremely useful. My two thing to start.

Actual spins
Skew t graphs.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
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Use of the hand tow bar. My first post PPL XC with the fam, of course the only parking spot was a back in, I was all like, well now what, crap! Haha. Managed to get it pushed back by hand diagonally into the spot, the tow bar sitting idle in the baggage compartment would've helped immensely.
 
Full stop (taxi, park, shut down at FBo) at a towered airport and then start up, call ground, etc..

Sadly never did this until I hit about 130 hours and was by myself.
 
drotto said:
For those of us that have our PPL's or are working towards them. Name something that you feel should be taught, but most people are not. Or something you have learned since you ticket that you feel is extremely useful. My two thing to start.

Actual spins
Skew t graphs.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

The most important concept that may be missed is that you can stall at ANY speed. And that ALL stalls are a function of angle of attack. And that the most critical phase of flight is base to final turn (where you are low, slow and must make a flat turn 20 degrees or less and always be descending to avoid trouble).

Also, there may not be enough emphasis on wake turbulence and how and why to avoid them.
 
Forward pressure RIGHT NOW lots of it!...when a stall is detected....none of this minimizing altitude loss business. Second thing (emphasized by the PA-32 crash discussed in another thread): Forget the impossible turn!! Straight ahead (or within 45 degrees) and look for something soft and inexpensive.

Bob
 
In order of importance

1.) spins
2.) actual instrument time
3.) a proper working understanding of how the engine operates, mechanics of the accelerator, primer, carburetor, injectors, etc.
4.) buying your own fuel at a self serve pump

I do believe those are skills and PPL should know. How many accidents are caused by spins and loss of control after VMC into IMC?

I also believe that a lot of inappropriate engine management technique comes from just not understanding how the engine operates. And when I say "understand" I mean beyond the basic four stroke process... I want to know what is happening in the engine when I pump the throttle on start, when I prime, when I apply carb heat, when I change the mixture. What is and why does manifold pressure change, how does it relate to power? What does the CHT and EGT tell you, why do they go up and down depending on mixture?

**As a non-IR PPL I consider myself very proficient on instruments, but my first actual IMC with a CFI in the Cirrus was a fun, but very unique experience, even with the fancy glass. I can only imagine getting IMC alone in a steam gauge 172 coming back tired on a XC.

As a PPL you should be able to handle safely any situation you can reasonably get yourself into. Do you need full IR and commercial training, no, but a spin and IMC into VMC, or stuck on top, can catch and trap a lot of people and you should be able to fly a perfectly good plane home without crashing it
 
eman1200 said:
I think even just one should be a straight in.
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It seems obvious, but so much of what people do is just rote memory items. The straight will be missing that whole "abeam the numbers, do this, etc." stuff and I agree, you should be able to execute a proper landing and judge distance for descents, speeds, and flaps, without the four legs of a pattern walking you through it
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
How to ground and fuel the dang plane, lol, it was always done for me by the fuel truck; never had to pull up close to the pumps.
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This is a really common problem!

I was never trained how to use a fuel pump. I just went on my solo cross country far enough that I had to do it. I got some unsolicited (but rather welcome) help from the avionics shop next to the self service fuel pump at KFCH.

It was never necessary during training, and didn't become common until I started flying for CAP.
 
How to spot, track and use grass fields.

On my final check ride before the actual, the CFI pulled the throttle to simulate engine failure. I set up fine and had the Landing assured into a pasture. After we got back up the CFI showed me the grass field that we right in front of when he chopped the throttle.

Situation Awareness is easier now but since we did mostly hard surface runways, I never paid much attention to grass fields. Now I keep ALL fields in my mind.

Cheers
 
Flying the plane at or near gross weight on a hot day. Did a lot of my training in a 172 with just me and my CFI, but after my PPL I took a Warrior with three buddies out of VNY on a warm summer day. We were legal from a strict W&B standpoint, but I about scared the crap out of myself.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
How to ground and fuel the dang plane, lol, it was always done for me by the fuel truck; never had to pull up close to the pumps.
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My home airport does not have a truck, if you want fuel you better get it yourself. I was also allowed to do a straight in on at least two occasions (the CFI needed to pee really bad).
 
Tantalum said:
In order of importance

1.) spins
2.) actual instrument time
3.) a proper working understanding of how the engine operates, mechanics of the accelerator, primer, carburetor, injectors, etc.
4.) buying your own fuel at a self serve pump

I do believe those are skills and PPL should know. How many accidents are caused by spins and loss of control after VMC into IMC?

I also believe that a lot of inappropriate engine management technique comes from just not understanding how the engine operates. And when I say "understand" I mean beyond the basic four stroke process... I want to know what is happening in the engine when I pump the throttle on start, when I prime, when I apply carb heat, when I change the mixture. What is and why does manifold pressure change, how does it relate to power? What does the CHT and EGT tell you, why do they go up and down depending on mixture?

**As a non-IR PPL I consider myself very proficient on instruments, but my first actual IMC with a CFI in the Cirrus was a fun, but very unique experience, even with the fancy glass. I can only imagine getting IMC alone in a steam gauge 172 coming back tired on a XC.

As a PPL you should be able to handle safely any situation you can reasonably get yourself into. Do you need full IR and commercial training, no, but a spin and IMC into VMC, or stuck on top, can catch and trap a lot of people and you should be able to fly a perfectly good plane home without crashing it
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I got to do #4 after my checkride, first lesson as a PPL, figure out the pump if you want to get home.
 
Decision making in and around weather. For instance, in bad visibility with t-storms around (like we get here in the South), fly above the haze layer so you can see and avoid the cells. Failing that, stay low and avoid the dark areas...
 
Never once in my training did I ever get flight following. If I were an instructor, there would be one lesson dedicated to picking up flight following transitioning airspace landing at a towered field. but I learned that all of the fly
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Never once in my training did I ever get flight following. If I were an instructor, there would be one lesson dedicated to picking up flight following transitioning airspace landing at a towered field. but I learned that all of the fly
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Its funny how different training locations get opposite exposure to things, the only lessons I had that weren't with flight following were if we stayed in the pattern and then the tower handled us. I feel out of the comfort zone at uncontrolled fields, although we did practice at some.
 
Most of these are covered from necessity if you learn to fly at a small, unfenced, non-towered field. I often pushed / pulled the Skyhawk to the fuel pump in order to fly with my CFI. Every single training flight, we used flight following from the nearby Class D (one of the few TRSAs left).

As a student, foggles wore me out. When I did 5 hours Instrument training while transitioning into my Mooney, still under 80 hours, I wasn't ready for the flight we made in actual. It was neat, but I didn't learn anything.

During check ride prep with a different instructor, we went from foggles to unusual attitudes to "your engine just died." So I picked a bean field; he said, " what about that airport over there?" I didn't see one because it was grass. Once he got over his disbelief that I'd never been there (it was 8 nm from our paved field), he said to land it there. So my first grass field landing was simulated engine out to a full stop two days before my checkride . . .

Things I didn't know I needed: practice getting clearance when originating at a towered field, and being told by the tower to land straight in. Those were 10 days and three months, respectively, after my checkride.
 
Go-arounds.

My instructor was so intent on landings that he would always insist on fixing a bad approach instead of just going around.
 
Actually turning off the master switch during a simulated emergency, rather than simulating it. This was an issue on my check ride
 
Timbeck2 said:
Actually turning off the master switch during a simulated emergency, rather than simulating it. This was an issue on my check ride
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I'm instrument rated and I can't remember anyone every doing that with me in any of my training, private or instrument or check rides.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Actually turning off the master switch during a simulated emergency, rather than simulating it. This was an issue on my check ride
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I do that all the time with my students, especially when we practice electrical fires. Avionics go off, master switch goes off and we land at a non towered airport then turn everything back on.
 
A lot of people have told me that it was BS that the DPE dinged me for that and I agree. However, it IS a good learning experience to fly (when you are able) with the master off, if nothing else just to show a student that it is possible to do so. Later on I actually needed to do it in order to fly the airplane from Winkler County TX, to Midland in order for a mechanic to fix my alternator.
 
To NOT teach, "anyone in the pattern please advise".

Puhlease. I am a professional. You make a call and I am close I am going to talk back.

I firmly believe that when someone makes a call like that and does not hear anyone talking back then that person probably thinks the pattern is clear and stops looking for traffic.
 
I count myself fairly fortunate that my PPL training covered most of the stuff that is listed in this thread.

One thing I would have liked to have covered is how to properly tie down the plane with chains. (Depending on the size of the links/hooks and the tie-downs on the plane it can be a little tricky). I watched a few youtube videos on it prior to my first XC after getting my PPL when I was going to be parking the plane overnight. I got it done, but a hands on demonstration would have been nice.
 
Zeldman said:
To NOT teach, "anyone in the pattern please advise".

Puhlease. I am a professional. You make a call and I am close I am going to talk back.

I firmly believe that when someone makes a call like that and does not hear anyone talking back then that person probably thinks the pattern is clear and stops looking for traffic.
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I'll go round on that one all you like. For now I'll just leave it as I respectfully disagree.
 
Zeldman said:
To NOT teach, "anyone in the pattern please advise".

Puhlease. I am a professional. You make a call and I am close I am going to talk back.

I firmly believe that when someone makes a call like that and does not hear anyone talking back then that person probably thinks the pattern is clear and stops looking for traffic.
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I actually heard that exact radio call last night as I was on downwind.
 
jordane93 said:
I do that all the time with my students, especially when we practice electrical fires. Avionics go off, master switch goes off and we land at a non towered airport then turn everything back on.
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My argument to the DPE was that during an emergency I need to aviate, navigate and communicate. Turning the master off makes the latter impossible. It all worked out. I was my instructor's first student and he was taught to simulate turning the master off. Water under the bridge now.
 
Timbeck2 said:
My argument to the DPE was that during an emergency I need to aviate, navigate and communicate. Turning the master off makes the latter impossible. It all worked out. I was my instructor's first student and he was taught to simulate turning the master off. Water under the bridge now.
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Did he also want you to fully secure the airplane with pulling mixture, shutting fuel, mags off...??
 
Drives me nuts too! Announce yourself, look and listen for others. If everyone does that, there's no need for that type of call and if someone is NORDO, they won't hear you anyway. Not having to listen to a lot of that is just another thing that makes IFR flying a lot more pleasant.
 
SbestCFII said:
Drives me nuts too! Announce yourself, look and listen for others. If everyone does that, there's no need for that type of call and if someone is NORDO, they won't hear you anyway. Not having to listen to a lot of that is just another thing that makes IFR flying a lot more pleasant.
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Ahh... so the jet pilot departing an uncontrolled field who will be accelerating to 250 kts (at least 300 mph at a high altitude field), doesn't have any business knowing about a Cessna three miles from the field because he had not yet made a call. He may not realize the direction or speed of the jet departure so may not feel it necessary to announce.
As one who has been in the jet's position more times than I can count, I want the big picture of where the local traffic is.
 
How to find out which FBO's have free cookies.
Who to call to find out if a crew car is available.
Which airports are the most/least scenic.
 
Engine failure on takeoff for one. Never practiced it.
Never did a go around until I came in super high on one approach. I could have made it, and wanted to try a slip. But I applauded when he said go around...since I wanted to experience one. But I want to practice aborting a landing close to the runway.
Example: They just hit a deer last night. He said it was about 2 seconds after touchdown, so nothing they could do. But, had the student pilot caught a glimpse a few seconds earlier, he might have been able to go around. Without ever having attempted it, it might have ended up much worse than hitting the deer.
 
Timbeck2 said:
My argument to the DPE was that during an emergency I need to aviate, navigate and communicate. Turning the master off makes the latter impossible. It all worked out. I was my instructor's first student and he was taught to simulate turning the master off. Water under the bridge now.
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Yea either way doesn't really make a difference.
 
Maybe not so much for me, but so many people die of it... getting tired of seeing the stalls/spin right off to the side of the departure end...

Loss of thrust on takeoff means you have to PUSH forward right now.

Not optional.
 
Going around after touching down briefly and the stall horn is going off after a bounce. My first one was on the 3rd solo landing! We had done go arounds before, but from ~100 feet when the approach was bad or falling apart. Luckally a 150 will climb with 40 deg flaps with just me in it, barely. I also would have liked more procedural stuff at big towered airports like calling clearance delivery and such, something training at a small untowered airport you don't get. It sounds like I was lucky, my CFi got me more hood time than necessary, actual stall into spin entry recovery, using tow bar, shown how to fuel the plane, etc.
 
Skyrys62 said:
Engine failure on takeoff for one. Never practiced it.
Never did a go around until I came in super high on one approach. I could have made it, and wanted to try a slip. But I applauded when he said go around...since I wanted to experience one. But I want to practice aborting a landing close to the runway.
Example: They just hit a deer last night. He said it was about 2 seconds after touchdown, so nothing they could do. But, had the student pilot caught a glimpse a few seconds earlier, he might have been able to go around. Without ever having attempted it, it might have ended up much worse than hitting the deer.
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I went around for javalena on a runway at night that I saw at the last moment. I bought an Alphabeam the next day.
 
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