Learning to fly: Stress the "why" in 
addition to the "how"

As an Assistant Chief Flight Instructor at a flight school, I often administer check rides that require an oral portion of the practical test before the flight portion. While we are guided by official standards when administering these tests, most examiners will ask a few questions to probe the pilot applicant’s level of understanding. Since this is a "practical" test, we’re not particularly interested in a pilot’s ability to spit back information that they’ve memorized during the previous 24 hours; but rather, that they can take that knowledge and apply it in a practical manner.

For example, consider the pre-flight activity that is supposed to take place before every flight. When asked what an aircraft pre-flight entails, most applicants can list the important areas to check and things to look for. However, when the applicant is asked to explain why they look at a particular area or part on the aircraft, many start digging a proverbial hole for themselves. These oral exams can get very entertaining and the wealth of knowledge I have gained is enormous. Here are a few things I have learned since I began giving check rides: a missing static wick can cause an aircraft to become uncontrollable in flight; the spinner is safe if no more than two screws are missing; a fuel sample need only be taken after refueling to check for contaminants; and so on! Obviously, these are important areas and deficient knowledge could lead to an accident.

It is critical to realize that most of the interesting things we hear on check rides were never taught specifically by the flight instructor. Clearly, in lieu of claiming ignorance, many applicants will try to dream up a rational explanation for why they are doing a particular task. While it is fun to say, "You’ll never believe what Mr. or Mrs. Applicant said to me today," it is disheartening that the pre-flight is not being taught so candidates can understand as well as learn.

Why must we be adamant about teaching to this level? The answer is straightforward. The pre-flight is the pilot’s first and last chance to make sure the aircraft is indeed airworthy prior to lift-off. It’s too late once you’re airborne to worry about what might have been missed during a cursory "walk-around." Unfortunately, if the pilot lacks the understanding of why they are looking at the things they’ve been taught to look at, the pre-flight becomes nothing more than a walk around the craft while the pilot thinks, "Well, it seems to look all right."

The pre-flight needs to be done slowly so enough attention is paid to all areas of the aircraft. If you flight instruct, make sure your student references the aircraft manual for the pre-flight. It is easy to miss things, especially if they haven’t done a pre-flight recently. As you observe the student, ask them why they are inspecting certain things. Ensure the understanding is really there, and the pilot is not simply pretending to know what they’re doing.

If the student has this type of training, they won’t be proposing any "interesting" new theories about why we do things on a pre-flight. Remember, however, that we’re not just trying to please the examiner. The main goal is to produce safe pilots. If we, as flight instructors, have done our jobs, then we’re much closer to assuring that safety goal.

Pre-flighting is just one area where the pilot must have more than just rote knowledge of what they’re doing. Most of what we do in an aircraft should be supplemented by a solid understanding of why we do it.

Without understanding the information, it is impossible to use it effectively to combat new and unique situations that might come up during a flight. All possible emergency scenarios can not be expounded upon in an aircraft manual, so it is imperative to understand the systems of the aircraft.

Through the years, we’ve all had the opportunity to see this type of understanding come into play. Recall the DC-10 crash at Sioux City, Iowa. The pilots of this ill-fated flight had never been taught procedures for the actions they took while trying to save the aircraft and its’ passengers; nor had they ever been trained to combat the hydraulic system failure that led to the accident. Needless to say, many lives were saved because these pilots had a basic understanding of their aircraft’s systems, and were able to expand upon that knowledge to resolve the emergency. Let’s try to emulate them by making sure our students are also prepared for the unexpected. Assuring that they have achieved a solid understanding of the really important information is a great start!