When teaching a private pilot ground school, one of the first questions you ask is, “Why are you in this class?” It is an important question because motivation is a key factor in how quickly someone learns. Over the years I have had a number of people who were in the class because their significant other was a pilot, and they wanted to know how to land the airplane if their pilot became incapacitated in flight. It is rare, but it does happen.
Earlier this month, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch—the U.K. version of the National Transportation Safety Board—released its report on the unexpected death of a flight instructor who died during a lap in the pattern at Blackpool Airport.
