Instructor's Briefing Check List
04-12-2004 | 10:52 PM
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Instructor's Briefing Check List
May be some formatting errors in the lists. Hope you can figure them out. Edited 3 column list to somewhat readable. Sorry.
Jetero Flight Instructor's Ground School and Preflight Check List
Ground School: 1. Use the Instructor Book to cover: (1) Radio individual Control functions, (2) Basics of Flight, (Lift, Drag, Airspeed, and Stall) (3) Aircraft Control functions, (ailerons, elevators, rudder, throttle, steerable tail/nose wheel.)
2. Guide Student through (1.) Frequency Control Board and the use thereof (2) Posted AMA Safety Code and Jetero Club Rules. (3) Explain the basic everyday rules to follow.
Aircraft Check List Instructors are encouraged to add their own items to this list.
All servos and horns should be equipped with secure clevises and z-bends. Quick-connects on primary control surfaces will increase the risk of failure.
Check Engine screws tight. / Fuselage Firewall Secure / Wing Center Section Secure/
Check Muffler Secure/ Nose Gear Secure and not binding./ Aileron Hinges Secure./
Throttle opens and fully closes / Wing Mounting Secure/ Wing Coloring to allow distance differentiation/
Propeller balanced and no cracks / chips. / Servos properly mounted/ Aileron Servos properly mounted. Horns secure/
Propeller tight and set to 2 o'clock. / Pushrods properly installed / Stabilizer properly mounted and aligned./
Fuel Tank properly installed and no Pressure leaks/ Pushrods properly exiting fuse and connected to horns / Vertical Stab and Rudder aligned and secure./ Hinges Secure.
High flat bottom wing should have 2-5° of down-thrust and same for right thrust or offset vertical stab./ Antennae fully extended & free from servo and battery wires./ Batteries and Receiver SECURE/ Main Landing Gear Secure. Wheels equally free. / Tail wheel or Skid secure. Functional.
Check that the Switch Harness is properly installed and the battery is not bypassed either for flying or charging. (I've seen it!)
Check the wing for warps. Minor warps can be corrected by aileron position, but a big one needs trim tabs or wing twist with a heating iron.
CHECK the Center of Gravity on the Lateral Axis. A Trainer (Straight rectangle wing plan form) should balance at a point 25% to 30% of the chord line (distance from Leading edge to Trailing edge of aileron) back from the LE. Example: A wing 10" wide should balance at 2.5 to 3.0" back from the LE. A 12' wide wing should balance at 3" to 3.6" back from the LE. A Straight Tapered wing can fly with using the same percentages at the AVERAGE chord position, which will be adequately close to the MAC (Mean Aerodynamic Chord).
TAIL HEAVY – CG BEHIND 33% OF MAC, WILL MOST LIKELY RESULT IN A CRASH. DON'T DO IT.
Check the balance along the Longitudinal Axis. A nail in the wing tip can prevent undue rolling at near touchdown. Balance to close.
Perform a range check of at least 100 ft. with antenna both collapsed and extended. This may be a good time to check the receiver battery.
PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING: 1. After the student's "Ground School" begin each session with an aircraft preflight, and a Briefing of what the flight is to do, the maneuvers to be accomplished, and how you will conduct the training.
2. Check the batteries.
3. Set up the Buddy-Box and check the direction of control movements with both transmitters. CHECK for no movement of any control function when control is passed from Instructor to Student.
START-UP: 1. Be sure to clear area of tools, boxes, trainer cords and any extra non-essential items.
2. Fuel-up on the grass.
3. Have the Master Transmitter under control of the person starting the engine. Keep cords free of any possibility of entanglement of person, propeller, or model. Turn transmitter on, then receiver on.
4. Start engine and taxi out. . Call entering "RUNWAY". Teach student to taxi with elevator held FULL BACK (Grass) and ailerons INTO the wind. Emphasize this. They don't want to do two things at once. Taxi with short power bursts to preclude too fast and injury to someone or something.
PRIOR TO TEACHING TAKEOFFS, THE STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE GO-AROUNDS – SEE BELOW.
TAKE OFF: 1. Line Up in center of Runway facing into wind. Do CATS check. Controls / Antenna / Trim / Switches
2. Call "TAKING OFF"
3. Slowly add power, with slight UP Elevator while steering with rudder. Slowly release the UP elevator until good airspeed is attained, then slowly increase back pressure on elevator until airplane is airborne. Use elevator to MAINTAIN a pitch attitude for a 10 to 15* climb out straight ahead. Use rudder and aileron to maintain a straight climb-out until some 20 feet or more altitude, then turn away from the shelter side of the runway for a 75° to 100° turn.
CROSS WIND: 1. Fly out as desired for at least 100 feet. DO NOT allow student to make more than 100° of turn. Make him/her make definite turns to a heading to increase the discipline of positive aircraft control.
2. Normally the student will reduce power to a "Cruise" setting on the Cross Wind. Teach Power Control from Flight One. Watch for student failing to keep thumb/finger on Throttle Stick. Impress upon student that learning to fly will require attention to both sticks. Learn it now. Start Cross-wind correcting.
DOWNWIND: 1. Teach the Student the importance of maintaining a TRACK parallel to the runway. Demonstrate and require him/her to be aware of wind drift and correcting heading into the wind to track the desired parallel of the runway.
2. Emphasize the maintaining of altitude. It takes focus on this point when starting to slow as additional elevator pressure must be maintained to allow the aircraft to slow.
3. POINT A abeam the pilot is where the student should begin slowing the model.
4. POINT B Pilot starts turn (90 to 100°) toward runway's extended centerline. Begin descent and call "LANDING". Power control as needed to control descent. Here the student should start learning that power controls altitude and elevator controls pitch attitude and/or Airspeed.
PRIOR TO ATTEMPTING LANDINGS, PERFORM SLOW FLIGHT AND GO-AROUNDS DESCRIBED BELOW.
BASE: 1. Determine flight path to runway via a turn that lines the airplane with the extended centerline of the runway. Establish an imaginary mind-picture of the descent profile and the flight path to cross over the runway's end at about 10 feet in the air. Establish an airspeed much slower than cruise, but adequate to maintain positive aircraft control.
2. Maintain the airspeed primarily by maintaining the desired pitch attitude and assist with throttle. If model is high, reduce throttle for a second and then reapply. DO NOT WAIT to see adjusted flight path. It is better to make several small adjustments rather than one too big. If model is LOW, ADD POWER FIRST BEFORE ANY OTHER ITEM, Level wings then continue. Reduce throttle and then readjust the flight path as needed. When sinking low or even when it appears that model will sink, add power, then pull back It is far better to go around than to land short, especially in an uncontrolled landing.
3. The final turn is a change of relationship and can be confusing for the novice. The airplane changes sides in view point. However if onecan see the side of the airplane after the turn, one will not be flying towards the runway, as the flight path will carry the machine too far out. During the turn, the student should add some power and immediately reduce it upon completion of the turn. The exception being if far too high, in which case a go-around may well be the best course of action. Complete the final turn looking directly at the nose of the model.
FINAL APPROACH: 1. Plan a direct line from the completion of final turn to runway center and about 50 feet down the runway, both vertical and horizontal. In the vertical this is just over a 10° glide slope, 10'+/- over the end of the runway. This will allow a slow deviation from looking eye to eye at the model to a more side view, yet still allow for wind drift and correcting to over the center of the runway.
2. Correct all deviations from glide path with short bursts of added power or reductions as needed. Depending upon speed of the model after the final turn, the altitude, etc. most trainers will be ready for idle at or shortly after completion of the final turn.
3. The final approach correction for cross wind will be a larger number of degrees than on downwind due to the decrease in speed. Watch the TRACK of the airplane and maintain heading to keep the TRACK down the center. Generally the wind effect will decrease in the last several feet above the ground.
4. During the slowing and round-out phases of landing the angle of descent will decrease, thus requiring elevator control pressure to be maintained and slowly increased to keep the nose from dropping. ONE CANNOT RELEASE THE BACK-ELEVATOR-PRESSURE WHEN USING THE AILERONS WHILE ROUNDING OUT. One must fly both items while landing. In those cases of efficient flying the pilot can well use the rudder to replace aileron, stabilize the aircraft, assist the ailerons, or a combination of all. Rudder is a very effective tool to prevent the feared Tip-Stall. On the ground, the student should learn to quickly transition back to the rudder for steering and holding the pre-explained taxi controls with the aileron/elevator control stick.
5. All students should be taught to shut the engine DOWN as they enter the PIT area. Not a rule but good procedure and especially so for the lesser experienced. After engine shut-down, turn the receiver off FIRST then the transmitter.
CRITIQUE: 1. Discuss the student's strong points and his weak points. Offer suggestions in both technique and procedure to strengthen over-all performance as well as specific items.
2. EXAMPLES: (A.) "Plan your patterns ahead of the airplane so you can fly the plan and not endanger yourself as well as others. Then YOU will always be in command of the model and not vice versa." (B) " If you have the Channel Clip no one else will shoot you down, and it protects you from accidentally shooting someone else down. It's MUTUAL protection." (C) "Yes, we always fly with the arrow. You can change it if others agree. Keeping all models in the same general circuit lowers the risk of head-on collisions." (D) "You have very good control of the model in flight, however when we start landing practice, you will be using that left thumb a lot of the time, so I suggest that you get in a habit of keeping it in the "READY" position." You will find good reasons for what you want him to do. It's not always all fault-finding, however don't be easy to allow blame be placed on the model, the wind, conditions, etc on what is usually pure pilot-error.
3. Fill out the Grade Sheet with the student and place in the folder. Give him a brief preview of the next session.
GO – AROUNDS: 1. Apply FULL – 100% -- throttle. Use elevator to maintain very slight nose-up. Use rudder and ailerons to keep wings level.
2. Keep airplane straight down or parallel far side of runway, in accelerating climb.
3. When aircraft is under full control, reduce power to desired and fly as a take-off.
SLOW FLIGHT: 1. Keep airplane straight. Reduce power and slow. MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND HEADING.
2. Reduce power to idle, MAINTAIN ALTITUDE with elevator. MAINTAIN HEADING with RUDDER. Keep wings level using RUDDER.
3. When airplane quits flying or enters an uncontrollable turn, Apply FULL – 100% -- throttle. Lower nose and fly airplane STRAIGHT out into slight climb using rudder and ailerons to maintain control, then resume normal flight. Repeat several times each pre-solo flight.
As the INSTRUCTOR, pilot-error crashes are 99.99% your fault. Whether it is an error in your judgment, mishandle of controls, allowing a student to go too far too quickly, or lack of proficiency, the fault is YOURS. Flying too far out, bad landings, veering and/or zooming take-offs, losing orientation, etc., etc. are all low pilot-proficiency problems. Don't let the student go beyond YOUR capability. Cross winds, windy days, grass too high, or whatever may be a hindrance are all up to your judgment.
If you cannot fly in windy conditions –DON'T. If you cannot perform the above stated maneuvers, DON'T.
Then the role of INSTRUCTOR PILOT may not be your thing, yet you may do very well just giving Buddy-Cord time. OTOH, don't cut yourself short.
One of the quickest ways to LEARN all of the above is to DO it and try to teach someone else to do it. You will surprise yourself at how well you will learn to DO it and TEACH it.
AS AN INSTRUCTOR YOU ARE THE BOSS, THE KA – PI –TAN, THE RESPONSIBLE PERSON. LISTEN, EVALUATE, DECIDE AND DO NOT ARGUE. DO IT YOUR WAY. "NEWBIES" THAT HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THAT CAN FIND THEIR WAY HOME. If you make a mistake, admit it, so what? There are only two kinds, those that will and those that have and will again. Simply, don't be afraid of doing what you need to do and don't take a coffee break while deciding what needs to be done.
Jetero Flight Instructor's Ground School and Preflight Check List
Ground School: 1. Use the Instructor Book to cover: (1) Radio individual Control functions, (2) Basics of Flight, (Lift, Drag, Airspeed, and Stall) (3) Aircraft Control functions, (ailerons, elevators, rudder, throttle, steerable tail/nose wheel.)
2. Guide Student through (1.) Frequency Control Board and the use thereof (2) Posted AMA Safety Code and Jetero Club Rules. (3) Explain the basic everyday rules to follow.
Aircraft Check List Instructors are encouraged to add their own items to this list.
All servos and horns should be equipped with secure clevises and z-bends. Quick-connects on primary control surfaces will increase the risk of failure.
Check Engine screws tight. / Fuselage Firewall Secure / Wing Center Section Secure/
Check Muffler Secure/ Nose Gear Secure and not binding./ Aileron Hinges Secure./
Throttle opens and fully closes / Wing Mounting Secure/ Wing Coloring to allow distance differentiation/
Propeller balanced and no cracks / chips. / Servos properly mounted/ Aileron Servos properly mounted. Horns secure/
Propeller tight and set to 2 o'clock. / Pushrods properly installed / Stabilizer properly mounted and aligned./
Fuel Tank properly installed and no Pressure leaks/ Pushrods properly exiting fuse and connected to horns / Vertical Stab and Rudder aligned and secure./ Hinges Secure.
High flat bottom wing should have 2-5° of down-thrust and same for right thrust or offset vertical stab./ Antennae fully extended & free from servo and battery wires./ Batteries and Receiver SECURE/ Main Landing Gear Secure. Wheels equally free. / Tail wheel or Skid secure. Functional.
Check that the Switch Harness is properly installed and the battery is not bypassed either for flying or charging. (I've seen it!)
Check the wing for warps. Minor warps can be corrected by aileron position, but a big one needs trim tabs or wing twist with a heating iron.
CHECK the Center of Gravity on the Lateral Axis. A Trainer (Straight rectangle wing plan form) should balance at a point 25% to 30% of the chord line (distance from Leading edge to Trailing edge of aileron) back from the LE. Example: A wing 10" wide should balance at 2.5 to 3.0" back from the LE. A 12' wide wing should balance at 3" to 3.6" back from the LE. A Straight Tapered wing can fly with using the same percentages at the AVERAGE chord position, which will be adequately close to the MAC (Mean Aerodynamic Chord).
TAIL HEAVY – CG BEHIND 33% OF MAC, WILL MOST LIKELY RESULT IN A CRASH. DON'T DO IT.
Check the balance along the Longitudinal Axis. A nail in the wing tip can prevent undue rolling at near touchdown. Balance to close.
Perform a range check of at least 100 ft. with antenna both collapsed and extended. This may be a good time to check the receiver battery.
PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING: 1. After the student's "Ground School" begin each session with an aircraft preflight, and a Briefing of what the flight is to do, the maneuvers to be accomplished, and how you will conduct the training.
2. Check the batteries.
3. Set up the Buddy-Box and check the direction of control movements with both transmitters. CHECK for no movement of any control function when control is passed from Instructor to Student.
START-UP: 1. Be sure to clear area of tools, boxes, trainer cords and any extra non-essential items.
2. Fuel-up on the grass.
3. Have the Master Transmitter under control of the person starting the engine. Keep cords free of any possibility of entanglement of person, propeller, or model. Turn transmitter on, then receiver on.
4. Start engine and taxi out. . Call entering "RUNWAY". Teach student to taxi with elevator held FULL BACK (Grass) and ailerons INTO the wind. Emphasize this. They don't want to do two things at once. Taxi with short power bursts to preclude too fast and injury to someone or something.
PRIOR TO TEACHING TAKEOFFS, THE STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE GO-AROUNDS – SEE BELOW.
TAKE OFF: 1. Line Up in center of Runway facing into wind. Do CATS check. Controls / Antenna / Trim / Switches
2. Call "TAKING OFF"
3. Slowly add power, with slight UP Elevator while steering with rudder. Slowly release the UP elevator until good airspeed is attained, then slowly increase back pressure on elevator until airplane is airborne. Use elevator to MAINTAIN a pitch attitude for a 10 to 15* climb out straight ahead. Use rudder and aileron to maintain a straight climb-out until some 20 feet or more altitude, then turn away from the shelter side of the runway for a 75° to 100° turn.
CROSS WIND: 1. Fly out as desired for at least 100 feet. DO NOT allow student to make more than 100° of turn. Make him/her make definite turns to a heading to increase the discipline of positive aircraft control.
2. Normally the student will reduce power to a "Cruise" setting on the Cross Wind. Teach Power Control from Flight One. Watch for student failing to keep thumb/finger on Throttle Stick. Impress upon student that learning to fly will require attention to both sticks. Learn it now. Start Cross-wind correcting.
DOWNWIND: 1. Teach the Student the importance of maintaining a TRACK parallel to the runway. Demonstrate and require him/her to be aware of wind drift and correcting heading into the wind to track the desired parallel of the runway.
2. Emphasize the maintaining of altitude. It takes focus on this point when starting to slow as additional elevator pressure must be maintained to allow the aircraft to slow.
3. POINT A abeam the pilot is where the student should begin slowing the model.
4. POINT B Pilot starts turn (90 to 100°) toward runway's extended centerline. Begin descent and call "LANDING". Power control as needed to control descent. Here the student should start learning that power controls altitude and elevator controls pitch attitude and/or Airspeed.
PRIOR TO ATTEMPTING LANDINGS, PERFORM SLOW FLIGHT AND GO-AROUNDS DESCRIBED BELOW.
BASE: 1. Determine flight path to runway via a turn that lines the airplane with the extended centerline of the runway. Establish an imaginary mind-picture of the descent profile and the flight path to cross over the runway's end at about 10 feet in the air. Establish an airspeed much slower than cruise, but adequate to maintain positive aircraft control.
2. Maintain the airspeed primarily by maintaining the desired pitch attitude and assist with throttle. If model is high, reduce throttle for a second and then reapply. DO NOT WAIT to see adjusted flight path. It is better to make several small adjustments rather than one too big. If model is LOW, ADD POWER FIRST BEFORE ANY OTHER ITEM, Level wings then continue. Reduce throttle and then readjust the flight path as needed. When sinking low or even when it appears that model will sink, add power, then pull back It is far better to go around than to land short, especially in an uncontrolled landing.
3. The final turn is a change of relationship and can be confusing for the novice. The airplane changes sides in view point. However if onecan see the side of the airplane after the turn, one will not be flying towards the runway, as the flight path will carry the machine too far out. During the turn, the student should add some power and immediately reduce it upon completion of the turn. The exception being if far too high, in which case a go-around may well be the best course of action. Complete the final turn looking directly at the nose of the model.
FINAL APPROACH: 1. Plan a direct line from the completion of final turn to runway center and about 50 feet down the runway, both vertical and horizontal. In the vertical this is just over a 10° glide slope, 10'+/- over the end of the runway. This will allow a slow deviation from looking eye to eye at the model to a more side view, yet still allow for wind drift and correcting to over the center of the runway.
2. Correct all deviations from glide path with short bursts of added power or reductions as needed. Depending upon speed of the model after the final turn, the altitude, etc. most trainers will be ready for idle at or shortly after completion of the final turn.
3. The final approach correction for cross wind will be a larger number of degrees than on downwind due to the decrease in speed. Watch the TRACK of the airplane and maintain heading to keep the TRACK down the center. Generally the wind effect will decrease in the last several feet above the ground.
4. During the slowing and round-out phases of landing the angle of descent will decrease, thus requiring elevator control pressure to be maintained and slowly increased to keep the nose from dropping. ONE CANNOT RELEASE THE BACK-ELEVATOR-PRESSURE WHEN USING THE AILERONS WHILE ROUNDING OUT. One must fly both items while landing. In those cases of efficient flying the pilot can well use the rudder to replace aileron, stabilize the aircraft, assist the ailerons, or a combination of all. Rudder is a very effective tool to prevent the feared Tip-Stall. On the ground, the student should learn to quickly transition back to the rudder for steering and holding the pre-explained taxi controls with the aileron/elevator control stick.
5. All students should be taught to shut the engine DOWN as they enter the PIT area. Not a rule but good procedure and especially so for the lesser experienced. After engine shut-down, turn the receiver off FIRST then the transmitter.
CRITIQUE: 1. Discuss the student's strong points and his weak points. Offer suggestions in both technique and procedure to strengthen over-all performance as well as specific items.
2. EXAMPLES: (A.) "Plan your patterns ahead of the airplane so you can fly the plan and not endanger yourself as well as others. Then YOU will always be in command of the model and not vice versa." (B) " If you have the Channel Clip no one else will shoot you down, and it protects you from accidentally shooting someone else down. It's MUTUAL protection." (C) "Yes, we always fly with the arrow. You can change it if others agree. Keeping all models in the same general circuit lowers the risk of head-on collisions." (D) "You have very good control of the model in flight, however when we start landing practice, you will be using that left thumb a lot of the time, so I suggest that you get in a habit of keeping it in the "READY" position." You will find good reasons for what you want him to do. It's not always all fault-finding, however don't be easy to allow blame be placed on the model, the wind, conditions, etc on what is usually pure pilot-error.
3. Fill out the Grade Sheet with the student and place in the folder. Give him a brief preview of the next session.
GO – AROUNDS: 1. Apply FULL – 100% -- throttle. Use elevator to maintain very slight nose-up. Use rudder and ailerons to keep wings level.
2. Keep airplane straight down or parallel far side of runway, in accelerating climb.
3. When aircraft is under full control, reduce power to desired and fly as a take-off.
SLOW FLIGHT: 1. Keep airplane straight. Reduce power and slow. MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND HEADING.
2. Reduce power to idle, MAINTAIN ALTITUDE with elevator. MAINTAIN HEADING with RUDDER. Keep wings level using RUDDER.
3. When airplane quits flying or enters an uncontrollable turn, Apply FULL – 100% -- throttle. Lower nose and fly airplane STRAIGHT out into slight climb using rudder and ailerons to maintain control, then resume normal flight. Repeat several times each pre-solo flight.
As the INSTRUCTOR, pilot-error crashes are 99.99% your fault. Whether it is an error in your judgment, mishandle of controls, allowing a student to go too far too quickly, or lack of proficiency, the fault is YOURS. Flying too far out, bad landings, veering and/or zooming take-offs, losing orientation, etc., etc. are all low pilot-proficiency problems. Don't let the student go beyond YOUR capability. Cross winds, windy days, grass too high, or whatever may be a hindrance are all up to your judgment.
If you cannot fly in windy conditions –DON'T. If you cannot perform the above stated maneuvers, DON'T.
Then the role of INSTRUCTOR PILOT may not be your thing, yet you may do very well just giving Buddy-Cord time. OTOH, don't cut yourself short.
One of the quickest ways to LEARN all of the above is to DO it and try to teach someone else to do it. You will surprise yourself at how well you will learn to DO it and TEACH it.
AS AN INSTRUCTOR YOU ARE THE BOSS, THE KA – PI –TAN, THE RESPONSIBLE PERSON. LISTEN, EVALUATE, DECIDE AND DO NOT ARGUE. DO IT YOUR WAY. "NEWBIES" THAT HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THAT CAN FIND THEIR WAY HOME. If you make a mistake, admit it, so what? There are only two kinds, those that will and those that have and will again. Simply, don't be afraid of doing what you need to do and don't take a coffee break while deciding what needs to be done.
