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STUDENT PILOT GUIDE
2006
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
Flight Standards Service
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Before you begin flight training, it is important to have
a basic understanding of the responsibilities, safety regulations, and issues
applicable to such an endeavor. This includes the choice of a flight school,
selected study materials, study habits, and the role of the instructor, student,
and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
PURPOSE OF FLIGHT TRAINING
The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training, as outlined
in this handbook, is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Airmanship can be defined as: A sound acquaintance with the principles of flight,
The ability to operate an airplane with compe-tence and precision both on the
ground and in the air, and The exercise of sound judgment that results in optimal
operational safety and efficiency. Learning to fly an airplane has often been
likened to learning to drive an automobile. This analogy is misleading. Since
an airplane operates in a different environment, three dimensional, it requires
a type of motor skill development that is more sensitive to this situation such
as: Coordination—The ability to use the hands and feet together subconsciously
and in the proper relationship to produce desired results in the air-plane.
Timing—The application of muscular coordina-tion at the proper instant
to make flight, and all maneuvers incident thereto, a constant smooth process.
Control touch—The ability to sense the action of the airplane and its probable
actions in the immediate future, with regard to attitude and speed variations,
by the sensing and evaluation of varying pressures and resistance of the control
surfaces transmitted through the cockpit flight controls. Speed sense—The
ability to sense instantly and react to any reasonable variation of airspeed.
An airman becomes one with the airplane rather than machine operator. An accomplished
airman demonstrates the ability to assess a situation quickly and accurately
and deduce the correct procedure to be followed under the circumstance; to analyze
accurately the probable results of a given set of cir-cumstances or of a proposed
procedure; to exercise care and due regard for safety; to gauge accurately the
performance of the airplane; and to recognize personal limitations and limitations
of the airplane and avoid approaching the critical points of each. The development
of airmanship skills requires effort and dedication on the part of both the
student pilot and the flight instructor, beginning with the very first training
flight where proper habit formation begins with the student being introduced
to good operating practices. Every airplane has its own particular flight characteris-tics.
The purpose of primary and intermediate flight training, however, is not to
learn how to fly a particular make and model airplane. The underlying purpose
of flight training is to develop skills and safe habits that are transferable
to any airplane. Basic airmanship skills serve as a firm foundation for this.
The pilot who has acquired necessary airmanship skills during training, and
demonstrates these skills by flying training-type airplanes with precision and
safe flying habits, will be able to easily transition to more complex and higher
performance airplanes. It should also be remembered that the goal of flight
training is a safe and competent pilot, and that passing required practical
tests for pilot certification is only incidental to this goal. |
CONTENTS
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