"Before the Learning begins…"
Article written for EAA Sport Pilot magazine
July 2004 by Frederick Scheffel
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So, I hear that you have been ‘bitten’ by the powered parachute bug! You have recently had one of those incredible ‘sailing-the-skies’ experience and now you have got to get one of those ‘slow and low’ flying ultralights. You have seen the smiles carved into the faces of those that fly those PPC’s – and now it is your turn – you are going to do it! You deserve it (and besides you really, REALLY want it) – so now the next step is to make that purchase!
NO – not so fast – wait – JUST WAIT!
You can have your new flying "toy" – but let’s take it one step at a time. And the first step is NOT purchasing the powered parachute. The first step should be to learn to fly a powered parachute! Let’s agree to get educated before making the purchase.
However, even before the ‘learning’ begins…I would like you to consider a few things. (So just HOLD-ON – you ARE a ‘big’ boy and you CAN be patient just a little longer.) This will not take long. We will get you your new powered parachute – but you will be much, much happier in the long run, if we take the steps in the correct order. So, take a BIG breath, (inhale) hold it – hold it, now slowly, SLOWLY… breathe out. Ok, now let’s take at look at the things we should consider, even before the learning begins…
You - yourself <> As your first consideration, you need to determine if you have the right attitude and physical abilities to securely fly. [Note: Being physically handicapped, i.e., not having the use of your legs does an automatically prohibit you from safely flying a powered parachute. One can indeed safely fly and enjoy the skies with just the use of one’s arms in a PPC. What I am talking about here, is if your strength, eyesight or coordination is questionable.]
Relative to your attitude, well you need to be where you want to be when it comes to learning new skills. If someone is requesting or forcing you to learn materials that you could care-less about, then you are wasting your time. You cannot be forced to learn – no matter how great your teacher! [Note: This rarely ever happens when it comes to flight training. I mean, let’s face it, most people really want to learn to fly. However, there are those who will think they are ‘above’ the ground schooling – and they do not want to be bothered with reading & homework - they just want to know how to be the PIC (Pilot-In-Command) and fly the aircraft.]
You need to be healthy and you need to have the aspiration to learn. And when it comes to piloting, you need to have the desire to want more than just to learn how to fly – you have to crave every bit of information that concerns the subject: preflight checks, weather, communications, protocols, emergency procedures ("what-if" scenarios), equipment, engines and safety routines. As long as "Murphy" lives, you will someday fly in conditions that far exceed those relatively windless, safe days of your first solo flights. You need to crave information that will prepare you for the vast majority of ‘worst-case’ scenarios. The best way I have found to approach a new subject is to learn enough about it that after digesting the materials, and combined with additional research outside of class – I should be able to teach the new subject at hand. When I approach new class materials, I take the attitude that I will be teaching the same class in the near future – that way I try to anticipate the questions my future imaginary students may ask, and then educate myself for the possible answers. And when I actually do teach a flight training class – I advise my students that tomorrow one of them will be selected to re-teach a small portion of the same subject matter to the class as a review. You may be surprised how much better the students pay attention after that comment.
Available Instructors <> The obvious next step I need you to consider, is the Instructor. In the ultralight world, an instructor has a title of BFI (Basic Flight Instructor), UFI (Ultralight Flight Instructor), AFI (Advanced Flight Instructor) or UFIE (Ultralight Flight Instructor, Examiner). The title is going to depend on the association that has certified the instructor, and the level of paperwork that the instructor has completed. Please note, because an instructor has an enhanced title (i.e., Advanced or Examiner) this title does NOT essentially mean that s/he is a superior instructor. An advanced title may only mean that this instructor has completed more paperwork with the association – but it does not necessarily mean that this instructor has worked with more students or passed more QUALIFIED students than another instructor, with a lesser ranking title. (I personally know some excellent instructors, with lots of training hours, who I would recommend in a ‘heart-beat’, but who have not taken the time, or had the opportunity to complete the paperwork for the "higher" ranking title.)
You can usually find a list of the current instructors from each association’s website, or simply give the association (EAA, ASC, or USUA) a call to obtain a current instructor list.
Ok, let’s now assume that you have a list of instructors. Unfortunately however, you may also at the present have a list of mostly "pseudo" instructors. This is NOT to say that these instructors have not passed all the qualifiers to obtain the title, but this is to say that in the ultralight world, you must obtain a title of "Instructor" just to fly a two-seat ultralight. So, many of these "Instructors" do not accept students. They do not teach and they have no inclination to teach – they just want to be legal pilots of a two-seat ultralight. And many others that do teach do not teach full-time. Ergo your first questions, after you get a list, are: 1) "Does the instructor teach?" (i.e., will s/he take a new student) and 2) "Does the Instructor teach full-time?" [Note: I will make you a list of the recommended questions at the end of this article.] If this is not a full-time instructor, when will s/he have time? [Side comment: Can we just for simplification go back to the ‘old-days’ when stating "he" in an article was not politically incorrect and it was not a ‘put-down’ or slander to the females of the human race? This "s/he" (abbreviation for ‘she’ & ‘he’) is a little ridiculous. Sorry, where was I…oh yea…] And when he does have time to teach – will you be free and will the weather be suitable? (Come-on, now don’t get depressed – I know you feel already that I am taking you down a road that you don’t want to consider – you just want to get a powered parachute! Yes, I remember your goal. And again, I promise you that you will get one. But just bear with me a little longer and hear me out.) So, question #3: If your selected instructor does not teach PPC’s full-time, then ask "When will you be available for lessons?" And then work out a suitable schedule.
Now question #3 begs to make note of the assumption that a full-time instructor is going to teach better than a part-time instructor. And again, I can sight examples to the contrary. However, it will almost always be true that the full-time trainer is going to have far more hours of teaching experience.
Instructor concerns <> It is not always possible to meet with the instructor before you select one – sometimes there is going to be distance enough between the student and the instructor that travel & accommodations will be required. But I would beg you to at least talk at length to your instructor before making lesson commitments. You can not obtain the same personality information via a phone call (as you can with a physical meeting) but you will probably know enough after a call to judge your ability to endure the character of the instructor for a few days.
Another helpful thing-to-do before selecting an instructor is to talk to some of his previous students. (Ask for a list if he has not offered or posted it. This list will also give you an idea of his training experience!) More than likely, his alumni will be very frank about the quality of the training and the satisfaction of the experience.
[Note: There are some things in life that you just never forget – your first intimate social date, and your flight instructor. So give the selection process of an instructor the time and attention necessary for this memory to be a good memory!]
Whose PPC will the instructor be using? Usually there are only four primary reasons that the instructor will not allow his personal PPC to be used for your training:
He does not feel confident in his training skills (i.e., he does not want his unit damaged)
He does not feel confident in your abilities. (In this case, he should not be training you – nor perhaps should anyone else if indeed your skills are lacking!)
He does not feel confident in the quality or condition of his make/model of powered parachute.
The sale of a PPC is his ultimate goal and therefore he wants to use every sales motivation possible to force you into making that purchase NOW!
[Note: I have a tendency to put my ‘heart’ and teaching position out on my sleeve. I tend to be opinionated & blatant about training – I have been a teacher most of my adult life. (Perhaps that is why I have been chosen to write this column – or it could be my charming looks & personality.) The above comments are going to put me on the ‘questionable friend’ list of fellow instructors and will probably not win me any new instructor friends. But I also have a very open mind. I understand that I am human and that I only know a small faction of possible factors that affect other humans. So please, help me understand if there are other, more ‘honorable’, reasons why an instructor would not want to use his own PPC to train students. My mind is open.]
And one last consideration with reference to your instructor: What is his training incentive? Did he just sell you a PPC and therefore feels obligated to train you. (If this is the case, be advised that he has already made his profit in the sale of the ultralight to you. Now, the more time he spends training you, the more he reduces his profit! He is probably already thinking about other things that he would rather be doing.) On the other hand, if he is training you because he is a flight instructor first and foremost, and that is what he does for income – then, the better he trains you, the further his reputation improves, and therefore, the higher his profit potential! You and a safe, fun learning experience is his main focus. He has a great deal of motivation to train you beyond the standard solo flight capabilities. He has incentive to train you to the safest, most competent level possible, with the time allowed.
I must mention that your initial opinion of your instructor and his abilities is crucial. If you do not trust your instructor, or you feel that their qualifications are minimal at best – your learning experience is going to be greatly hampered. You have to trust & respect your flight instructor – they literally have your life in their hands.
Training Field <> Alright, now that we have a starting selection criteria for the instructor, we need to consider the training field. While talking with your potential instructor – ask about the field where he trains. Is it large (i.e., can your take-off’s be relaxed or must they be rushed)? Is the field surrounded by trees – where wind rotors can be a problem? Is there lodging nearby? Are there any obstacles near the field (power-lines, buildings – no need to have "target fixation" dampen a flight lesson)? Can the student take-off in any direction? Ideally a new powered parachute student should not have to consider a cross-wind take-off. If the training field consists of a pre-set runway (i.e., an airport) then this should be a primary consideration. Fixed-wing ultralights have rudders to cope with cross-winds; PPC’s pilots need experience – lots of experience - to deal with a cross-wind menace!
Training Materials <> Will your instructor be using a syllabus? Indeed the White-board, the overhead projector and the TV for videos are great (and perhaps even outstanding) learning tools. But conceivably these training tools are not absolutely required. On the other hand however, an instructor without a syllabus is an instructor who can easily forget to communicate necessary safety items or pass-by specific emergency subjects and solutions! Because a powered parachute is relatively easy to fly – many instructors take a lackadaisical attitude toward the training. Now if it were not for "Murphy’s Law" or a non-constant density altitude or weather that changes – well, then a lethargic training attitude may be OK. But in the world I know, this is obviously not the case – and you will be flying in the "real" world – your head may still be in the ‘clouds’ – but the elements will be in real space & time. Even the best instructors will forget or be distracted from past training routines. An instructor – at least the human instructor - really needs to use a training syllabus.
Will a training manual be used? Without a training manual, the student (YOU) will only have your memory of the lesson (and pass experiences) to keep you safe. And your instructor will only have his memory to remember what you need to learn, and whether or not he did or didn’t already teach you some ‘stuff’! Another strong benefit of a training manual is that it can prepare you for your lessons. By reading the manual before class, you will have a foundation on which to establish questions to your instructor. You will start your lessons with a solid base of knowledge! [Human note: You will probably miss something on the first read of the manual – therefore when possible – reread the manual - give yourself the full opportunity to digest all of the book’s contents.]
Questions – before the learning begins…
|
Question |
Recommendation |
|
Are you physically capable of flying? |
Reasonable coordination (can chew gum and hold a throttle at the same time); eyesight OK, heart in stable condition, etc. |
|
Are you ready to learn? |
Want to learn all that you can about flying, or stay home. If you think you already know-it-all, consider flying a kite. |
|
Does the instructor teach? (I.e., is his title just legality?) |
n/a |
|
Does the Instructor teach full-time? |
A full-time instructor – one with a sense of humor! |
|
When is he available for lessons? |
Both the instructor and the student need to make a commitment here |
|
Does the Instructor teach with his own PPC? |
Perhaps a follow-up question or two for your instructor "as to Why" are in order here. |
|
What is the Instructor’s Motivation? |
Find one whose goal is to be a successful, awesome trainer! Not one who is just obligated to train in order to complete a sale. |
|
Flight park: What are the field characteristics? |
Use a large field for initial training – have the ability to ALWAYS take-off into the wind – with no nearby obstacles (i.e., trees, buildings) |
|
Is a training syllabus used? |
Make this a requirement |
|
Is a training manual used? |
Without a manual, how are you going to reference the lessons? What will you use in the future to remind you of safety items? This is an absolute requirement! |
Indeed, flying is inherently dangerous. Yes, just like walking across the street, flying is naturally dangerous. But with proper, quality instruction, thoughtful preparations and an awareness of the pilot’s limitations, powered parachute flight can also be the safest form of flying. The top premise of your flight training should be: "To get you into the air and back SAFELY", so that you can enjoy the incredible experience of flying over and over and over again!
Soon, we will get into the ‘meat & potatoes’ of PPC flight tasks, but in the meantime…keep preparing for the possible by maintaining a position with options and remember that the easiest way to solve a (flying) problem is by avoiding it!
Frederick is the author of the "PPC Guide & Training Manual" and the lead AFI of SkyTrails Ranch, Inc. – a full-time, year-round PPC training center in the beautiful color country of southern Utah.
"UL-PPC Guide & Training Manual" are