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jrh · December 19th, 2006, 19:46

Sometimes middle-aged students can be even harder to deal with than young students. The middle-aged students have more habits and are more set in their ways, be it good or bad, than young students. Usually it's been a long time since they've been in school so their minds have a harder time absorbing information.

To help with the death grip, you might try demonstrating how the plane can still be controlled easily using nothing but a thumb and index finger. Heck, a lot of the time, you don't even need your hand on the yoke. Show him the plane isn't going to fall out of the sky if you let go. Then have him practice flying with just a couple fingers. It doesn't need to be anything complicated...just gentle turns, climbs, descents, and straight and level using two fingers.

You also might try using the analogy of something he is familiar with in order to get across the point that it takes gentle inputs to control the plane. Does he golf? Just like how a good golfer has a smooth, precise stroke, and doesn't attack the ball "Happy Gilmore"-style, a good pilot develops a smooth, steady touch. Find an activity outside of flying he can relate to.

Another thing you might try is having him lightly hold on to the controls while you fly some maneuvers so he can focus on just how much or how little his hands should move without having to worry about controlling the plane. I did this once with a student who kept jerking the yoke back and forth quickly on final approach. I flew two approaches with her hands resting on the yoke--one approach that was smooth and correct, then another where I simulated what she had been doing. She was able to see exactly what I'd been talking about and her patterns became much better in that one flight.

Also, going back to what I said about middle-aged students, take it slow. Make sure he understands and is comfortable with very basic controls before moving on to more advanced maneuvers. I know a very competent 50+ year old private pilot who took 100+ hours to get his private license. There's nothing wrong with him...it just took him about twice as long as the average student to master each segment of training. He just needed some extra time to absorb all the necessary information.

December 19th, 2006, 19:46	#19
jrh Old Skool Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: USA Posts: 1,821	Re: Dealing with a timid/young student Sometimes middle-aged students can be even harder to deal with than young students. The middle-aged students have more habits and are more set in their ways, be it good or bad, than young students. Usually it's been a long time since they've been in school so their minds have a harder time absorbing information. To help with the death grip, you might try demonstrating how the plane can still be controlled easily using nothing but a thumb and index finger. Heck, a lot of the time, you don't even need your hand on the yoke. Show him the plane isn't going to fall out of the sky if you let go. Then have him practice flying with just a couple fingers. It doesn't need to be anything complicated...just gentle turns, climbs, descents, and straight and level using two fingers. You also might try using the analogy of something he is familiar with in order to get across the point that it takes gentle inputs to control the plane. Does he golf? Just like how a good golfer has a smooth, precise stroke, and doesn't attack the ball "Happy Gilmore"-style, a good pilot develops a smooth, steady touch. Find an activity outside of flying he can relate to. Another thing you might try is having him lightly hold on to the controls while you fly some maneuvers so he can focus on just how much or how little his hands should move without having to worry about controlling the plane. I did this once with a student who kept jerking the yoke back and forth quickly on final approach. I flew two approaches with her hands resting on the yoke--one approach that was smooth and correct, then another where I simulated what she had been doing. She was able to see exactly what I'd been talking about and her patterns became much better in that one flight. Also, going back to what I said about middle-aged students, take it slow. Make sure he understands and is comfortable with very basic controls before moving on to more advanced maneuvers. I know a very competent 50+ year old private pilot who took 100+ hours to get his private license. There's nothing wrong with him...it just took him about twice as long as the average student to master each segment of training. He just needed some extra time to absorb all the necessary information.