FITS scenerio

[moxiepilot]

I decided to give a student pilot a scenerio on a x-c today. Cruising at 3500, advised student that a descent 500 feet every 5 minutes would be required due to deteriorating wx. This gives the student about between 15 to 20 minutes to get to another airport and land OR declare an emergency etc etc.

So we're at 1500' and cant really go any lower due to MSA and he has done nothing but circle above a town - no VOR cross check, no pilotage, no help help this sucks to ATC, no turning around into the previous better weather, nothing. Just continued decent lower and lower. After the 5 minutes at 1500' I put him under the hood to continue with the scenerio (not expecting it to have gone this far to begin with).

So I ask him, okay, now what?

Finally he decided to contact "ATC" but neglects to let them know he is a student pilot in IMC. So I roll with it, squawk 1200 and ident. Roger radar contact advise intentions.

The student replies with a request for landing rwy xx. Now playing ATC I "don't know" that he is a student in IMC because he never advised anything, so I clear him for the GPS approach rwy xx. Nothing.

The student starts a descent on heading xx, I advise terrain warning...and thus it continues...

Anyway long story short I found it to be an enlightening scenerio because of the responses by the student (who has had problems in his past, before I started his training).

It looks like we will have to focus on some of these things in the future, eh?

[killbilly]

Originally Posted by moxiepilot

I decided to give a student pilot a scenerio on a x-c today. Cruising at 3500, advised student that a descent 500 feet every 5 minutes would be required due to deteriorating wx. This gives the student about between 15 to 20 minutes to get to another airport and land OR declare an emergency etc etc.

So we're at 1500' and cant really go any lower due to MSA and he has done nothing but circle above a town - no VOR cross check, no pilotage, no help help this sucks to ATC, no turning around into the previous better weather, nothing. Just continued decent lower and lower. After the 5 minutes at 1500' I put him under the hood to continue with the scenerio (not expecting it to have gone this far to begin with).

So I ask him, okay, now what?

Finally he decided to contact "ATC" but neglects to let them know he is a student pilot in IMC. So I roll with it, squawk 1200 and ident. Roger radar contact advise intentions.

The student replies with a request for landing rwy xx. Now playing ATC I "don't know" that he is a student in IMC because he never advised anything, so I clear him for the GPS approach rwy xx. Nothing.

The student starts a descent on heading xx, I advise terrain warning...and thus it continues...

Anyway long story short I found it to be an enlightening scenerio because of the responses by the student (who has had problems in his past, before I started his training).

It looks like we will have to focus on some of these things in the future, eh?

Cool. So what should he have done?

[SkyKing]

I think your "scenario" is a great training excercise. I had a similar real life scenario with a student on a dual X/C. Weather was not as forecast, student just keeps pressing on, eventually had to file IFR in the air to get somewhere.

[mojo6911]

He should have just turned around. Better flight planning would have prevented a scenario that he is not qualified to handle.

[surreal1221]

Good scenario. Keep it up, I'm sure he will get the idea.