A learner’s unwillingness or inability to follow instructions can carry into the airplane.
[Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
Following instructions is paramount in aviation training; ignoring them, whether for convenience or perceived ease, significantly hinders learning and can prevent aspiring pilots from succeeding, ultimately impacting safety.
Over-reliance on technology and seeking shortcuts without understanding foundational skills (e.g., using apps without knowing how to create a paper navigation log or call for a weather briefing) leads to superficial learning and dangerous gaps in knowledge.
Effective learning requires active engagement, diligently completing assigned tasks like pre-reading, admitting when help is needed, and valuing traditional methods to build a robust understanding beyond a "check-the-box" mentality.
“Write this down,” said the instructor of the private pilot ground school, writing the FAA’s five hazardous attitudes on the classroom white board. “We’re about to talk about these.”
There were six learners in the class. Five of them followed the instructions. No. 6, a 17-year-old boy ignored the instructions and instead took out his smartphone to take a picture of the board.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
