The Most Important Skills?

[coloneldan]

Hey Nugget, you seem to have an unusually good grasp of the type of judgement and decision making skills that are needed in the cockpit, for someone with your total time. I hope you can transfer most of that from the ground to the air. I have been going to Simuflite and FlightSafety for initial and recurrent training for years now. You wouldn't believe the number of times I have had sim partners initiate a go around, or start a checklist, or shutdown an engine, or what ever, inside the the final approach fix, because of a failure of some sort. Your inside the final approach fix, land the d*mn airplane!! I don't care if the engine IS on fire, let it burn. I would rather be on the ground running from the thing than in the air hoping it will go out. Like you said, don't un-make the airport.

Just remember to take those skills to the cockpit with you. I once had an instrument student who could explain, in detail, anything I asked him on the ground. When we got in the airplane, he actually could not track a VOR.

Just so you know I can be as big a bonehead as anybody else, I'll tell you about my last Sky King move. I was in the sim flying a single engine, backcourse approach to RNO. It was the end of the last day of training and I was tired. (Note excuses inserted here.) As we got to the Final approach fix, I called for gear down, the FO said gear down, but I never actually looked at the lights. Shortly after crossing the fix, we broke out, field in sight, dirt down, sky up, everything good. I looked over and no green lights. I pulled the good powerlever back to check for a gear horn and didn't get one. Made a few other quick checks and everthing except the lights said go. So.....I bit. All the rest of the way down final I kept saying to myself, the gear is up, you know that don't you, the gear is not down, etc.... Guess what happened when we touched down? The instructor had failed the gear AND the squat switches. I turned to the instructor and said, Six munce ago I couldn't spell piwut, now I are one.

 

[mcjohn]

I turned to the instructor and said, Six munce ago I couldn't spell piwut, now I are one.

:laugh:

I think the top things that make a pilot aren't really 'skills,' but rather personality traits.

Right on with that concept! Especially for CFIs. There are plenty of folks out there that can get through the checkride due to skills but instructing involves skills that go way beyond flying skills.

All of the sudden he pipes up with this mantra that had been hammered into his head... "remember, don't forget you have to add power when executing a stall recovery." Yes, that's true if you're flying a checkride or are in a real-life accidental stall, but that is comletely not the case here... do you see what I'm talking about?

So...If you're not on a checkride or a real-life scenario you're not going to add power on recovery?! If I were on board you better have a good reason that is stated clearly in advance of this 'stunt.'

...in an attempt to be encouraging sooth-sayers, one of the guys started talking about how there's not a thing to worry about, dear, as everything in flying is procedural, and "there's checklists for everything." As an examle, if your engine quits, 1. You pitch for best glide airspeed. 2. Find the best landing field. 3. Go through your checklists. While, on one level, that of course is true, it COMPLETELY misses the point she was trying to make! Did you catch it? When you're dealing with an emergency, you need to have the right stuff and be in charge of yourself and the airplane, while executing all the "procedures!" NOT "it's OK, there's procedures for everything, so it's all taken care of." Now, between the above parties, who do you think sees the big picture?

I decent instructor knows that building a student's confindence is extremely important. Say what ever it takes (within reason) to build that student's confidence and get improved performance. That's part of the big picture IMO.

O.K. Here's my three things:
1. Staying ahead of the plane.
2. Recognizing when not ahead of the plane and doing something about it quickly.
3. Never assume ANYTHING in the air. Always have multiple resources available to back up your thoughts regarding Wx, Airport runway configurations, what to expect/do next on a flight, etc.....

 

[TurboS7]

1) memorized procedures
2)ability to push the right button under pressure
3)Good communication skills.

 

[Say Again Over]

VNugget, all your points are well taken, the part about the transmissions did go past me me though, I would only add that some people bring a lot more to the table than others, my advise to you is to try to develop your perceptive ability into a training position. Most of us that have been around the block have flown with all those people before, with the right environment they will all be good crew members and will appreciate your patience and understanding.

 

[satpak77]

1. People skills/get along with others
2. Personal money management skills
3. Ability to maximize Marriott Points

 

[VNugget]

So...If you're not on a checkride or a real-life scenario you're not going to add power on recovery?! If I were on board you better have a good reason that is stated clearly in advance of this 'stunt.'

Yes, what's wrong with that? I was just playing around with the airplane, feeling out the edge of the envelope, going in and out of the stall, with plenty of altitude. An experience I think every pilot should have in all the light singles they fly. That's a "stunt?"

I decent instructor knows that building a student's confindence is extremely important. Say what ever it takes (within reason) to build that student's confidence and get improved performance. That's part of the big picture IMO.

Let me clarify, I am by no means writing her off as a lost cause. I only noted how she brought up a an important point regarding personality and flying, it went right over everyone else's head, and how even though she's currently a poor pilot (as per her own admission) she sees the big picture, and the soothsayer doesn't.

Of course, if it was up to me, I'd see to it that she get repeatedly drilled with all kinds of situations, build up her confidence, and get turned into a good pilot... even though it might take an unusual amount of time and effort. Whatever it takes; that's what teaching is all about. Well when I really start teaching, I'll find out what it takes, now maybe I'm in just my overly optimistic 'gonna change the world' phase; who knows.

An extremely experienced instructor who comes from a several-generation lineage of great aviators, who is my mentor, told me about one of his students. She was a doctor's wife who had very little confidence in her flying, and was deathly afraid of even simple steep turns. He told me about how over several years, he built her up little by little, pushed out her skills and limits a tiny step at a time, and now has her doing solo acro.

 

[Uncle Sparky]

I can't speak for the airline guys, but for corporate pilots;

-the ability to fabricate authentic looking receipts
-the ability to convincingly lie to ATC about your indicated airspeed
-rote memorization of happy hour "windows" in thousands of cheap hotels

 

[Say Again Over]

Uncle Sparky, That's great!:laugh: :laugh:

 

[Thedude]

Looks like Vnugget created a alt profile to quote himself. WOW


As an instructor

Plays well with others is very important, IMO...if you can't get along with instructors and fellow crewmembers, or handle constructive criticism, or the occasional "DON'T EVER ********************ING DO THAT AGAIN!"...

 

[mhcasey]

" P.S. A hugely disproportionate number of my friends and acquaintances from the aviation dept. drive manual transmissions."

I live in Austin, TX, and got an automatic because the traffic is so godawful most of the time...

I just started working on my Private License, and when I got back on the ground and started driving home after lesson one, I noticed about 10 minutes into the drive that I had my right hand on the "shifter" in my car and was pressing down on the floor with my left foot when the RPM's got high...

Now I really want to sell my car and get a standard.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

Almost anyone can learn to fly including your grandmother. But some people just shouldn't start if they have no inclination for such an avocation. I have found that the lowest common denominator is whether or not that person could ever learn to drive a car with a manual transmission. If a person can not now, nor could ever really learn, or would be a very slow learner in their attempt to learn to drive stick shift, then that person is a bad candidate for flying lessons. On the other hand, even if a person doesn't now drive a car with a stick but would be eager to learn and does learn quickly, likes it and really developes a feel for engine loads and needs to downshift, then that person will have no problem learning to fly. And to go further, if a person can fly any airplane reasonably well, then they would have no problem flying most any type of airline equipment, i.e., 727, A320, 777, 747, or whatever. All airline equipment is made to be easy to fly.

MHCASEY: As you can see, stick shift is the best indicator of a potential pilot. Congratulations on your up-coming certification.

 

[coloneldan]

Uncle Sparky, I like your thinking. LOL If I didn't know better I would say that you and I used to fly for a corporation that is now refered to as Cluster F*ck Airlines. That was almost our mantra. LOL

 

[TrafficInSight]

Looks like Vnugget created a alt profile to quote himself. WOW

Not likely.

I can vouch for every one of his examples.

Even if he does point at the wrong town sometimes

 

[Thedude]

I almost removed my above post for being drunk and generaly sirly...but then again nahhhhhhh

 

[dumblonde]

1. multi-tasking skills
2. ability to finesse the controls
3. selfconfidence (not arrogance)