Private Pilot Flight Training and Instruction Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM Helping Yourself Most of your flying skills will be an assembly of fundamentals. A fundamental is in turn an assembly of small actions, reactions and anticipation. Only with practice (of the right kind) do these small actions become smooth whole maneuvers. Failure to master a component part will contaminate the entire maneuver. 1. The basics of landing an airplane require such an assembly of fundamental skills. Most fundamental is airspeed control. The proficient pilot is able to anticipate the power, trim and yoke movement required to achieve a flight speed sought for a specific configuration. This is as true for the proficient student as it is for the proficient instrument pilot. Know what it takes and then do what it takes. The mastery of speed, or any other basic, rests on a strong chain of selected events. Once weakness weakens the entire maneuver. 2 .If you are a student who has a death-grip on the yoke, you are working too hard. You will fly better by learning to trim and let go. Most any airplane can be flown quite well without touching the yoke. Use the rudder. A well- trimmed plane can be made to climb or descend slightly, just by nodding the head. Try it. I used to call trim the power steering of flight. I was corrected into calling it cruise control. Knowing what to do and when to do it allows the lightness on the controls that makes flying easy. 3. Even talking on the radio can be made easy. To talk effectively, you must know where you are or will be when you plan to talk. You will give your altitude as an additional warning to other aircraft. You will rehearse to eliminate unnecessary verbiage and eliminate pauses and punctuation. All the rest is 'canned', in the same informational sequence for every ATC situation. Additional information by the pilot beyond the minimum shows the extent to which the assertive pilot is in command. You must know enough to protect yourself from ATC mistakes. 4. When not flying, a good student pilot is thinking about flying. Will study beyond the minimums of knowledge and assignments. Comes to sessions with prepared questions. 5. Have you ever been told that the question you asked related to information that you did not need to know yet? An instructor's failure to make use of this learning opportunity dulls initiative, weakens curiosity, and inhibits future questions. The only question that an instructor may not respond to is the unasked question. Written by Gene Whitt Flight Training Article Library | Back To 4VFR.COM