Laps in the Pattern Flight instructors are no strangers to the traffic pattern. To develop our students’ skills, we coach them through as many landings as we can. Closed circuits in the traffic pattern are a common way to cram plenty of landings into a tight block of...
How We Practice Matters In this series we’re examining what psychology can teach us about training better. Specifically we’re looking at the life work of Elizabeth and Robert Bjork, co-directors of the Learning and Forgetting Lab at UCLA. The Bjork’s...
Desirable Difficulties Earlier we discussed UCLA Psychologists Elizabeth and Robert Bjork’s research on learning and forgetting. They argue that introducing “desirable difficulties” into training is beneficial. While they seem to slow our short-term...
Desirable Difficulties Psychologists Elizabeth and Robert Bjork, directors of the Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab at UCLA, have invested decades of research in understanding how people learn new things, and how we forget them. Their research has pointed to a number...
Sleep Scientist Matthew Walker says it is time to pay better attention to how well we sleep. I agree. The Cost of Poor Sleep A truck driver is gliding down an interstate highway around 1:00 in the morning. His brain feels heavy as it is locked into a battle to stay...
Sometimes in an effort to save our students money, we end up costing them something far more valuable. Learning to Fly is Expensive On Facebook a while ago I read a thread of instructors debating how much hands-on flying was appropriate for the instructor to perform. ...
In this video I provide a full-length Slow Flight Demonstration from beginning to end just as I would to a student in the airplane. The airplane used is a Piper Warrior II (PA28-161), so the airspeeds referenced are specific to that aircraft make and model. Other...
The time in between lessons is an often-missed opportunity to help sharpen your flight skills outside the airplane which can help you learn faster, save time, and save money. Here are seven things you can do at home to make the most of your time outside of the...
Video: Slow Flight Tips and Tricks A new video this week offering tips and tricks to help you master slow flight! Have a look and tell me what you think. Enjoy! Tips and Tricks The key to this maneuver is establishing and maintaining a sight picture that corresponds...
I Had a Choice “Look, this is going to go one of two ways,” my instructor began. I will never forget the look on his face. He was disappointed – mostly with me, but partly because I could tell this was not the first time he had given this speech. He explained that I...