marcum@sun.uucp (Alan Marcum) (08/13/85)
My SO and I attended the AOPA Pinch Hitter Course yesterday. To set the stage for the following comments, I have about 430 hrs, private pilot certificate, instrument ticket. She (my SO, Barbara by name) is afraid of flying, even in big stuff (as long as it's glass smooth, she's ok; any bumps at all, takeoffs, and landings are white-knuckle affairs [she flys with me occasionally anyway!]). First, the punch line: I enjoyed the course, and so did Barbara. The instructor was very good (said both as a student and as someone who's done a fair amount of teaching), the material was well organized and well presented. Barbara is somewhat less fearful now than she was yesterday before the course. The course is designed to do a few things: - make the non-pilot more comfortable flying in small planes; - turn the interested non-pilot into someone who can do some of the cockpit chores (bookkeeping, chart handling, perhaps even ATIS copying); - help the non-pilot be somewhat more able to handle an emergency when the pilot is incapacitated and cannot fly the plane. We started off covering a few regulations -- those relating to pilot training and proficiency. The reason for this: help instill confidence in the pilot. Weather and the services provided by the FSS was presented next. Then, we went over the pre-flight inspection -- why and what. We proceeded into a brief explanation of how an airplane flies, what pitch, roll, and yaw are and what controls them (elevator, ailerons, rudder). Next was what the wheel does when you move it (especially that it's a RATE control, not a position control). Pilotage received a bit of coverage -- how to read a map, correlating map symbols with what's visible out the window, what makes a good checkpoint. A brief description of some of the flight instruments followed. We covered the AH, DG, compass, airspeed indicator, altimeter, and a bit on the VSI. This was in overview, but very understandable and useful. Included was a bit on how the AH relates to the view outside, and what the airspeed and altitude and heading instruments will be doing in various flight attitudes (in other words, a brief introduction to what the instruments tell you in attitude instrument flying!). Also covered were the most of the important markings on the gages -- green, yellow, red. Then came a bit on the engine -- its gages (tach and MP) and controls (throttle, prop, mixture). A picture of the engine control pedestal of a twin was shown, with the question, "How many engines?" asked, to help illustrate the relationship between inside and outside. Also mentioned was the nearly-standard black-blue-red colors and the conventional positions (in most planes) of the throttle, prop, and mixture controls. We proceeded on to basic emergency communications (121.5/7700), including some common foibles in radio communications (use of the mike, think FIRST of what you'll say). We also covered BASIC radio navigation aids -- ADF/NDB and VOR, including how to fly directly to a VOR (which the instructor mentioned as often being located at or near an airport)! Finally, we went through a standard pattern entry and landing. The verbal description was so vivid that Barbara got sweatty palms from listening to the instructor! We went through GUMP, and also covered trim, pitch, power, airspeed, and sink control, and that flaps, while useful, weren't necessary. All of this was done on the ground. The course started at 10am, and was over by 4pm (with an hour for lunch). The student gets a rather nice packet, including a primary ground school manual, a Pinch Hitter's manual, checklist, and a few other goodies. The instructor did NOT recommend that folks now go take flying lessons! He did mention that, for those interested, they might want to go fly RIGHT SEAT with an instructor -- since that's likely what they'll be doing most (!) of the time. The instructor did NOT avoid jargon, but, rather, explaned it, and proceeded to use it. After all, the student will be in the real world of flying, with its incredible proliferation of jargon. Again, we both enjoyed the course. After work this evening, we're going to sit in a plane, on the ground, and relate what Barbara learned yesterday to an actual, live airplane -- where's what in this plane, what's it look like here, and so forth. -- Alan M. Marcum Sun Microsystems, Mountain View, California ...!nsc!sun!nescorna!marcum Technical Consulting