Helicoptorial

TRAINING & EVALUATIONS


It's time for an evaluation and the only evaluator available has a reputation of being a little strict. Yuck. Like most people I want my instructors to be really tough and my evaluators to be really easy. And, if an instructor and the student does his or her job correctly, that's exactly how the evaluation will go; easy. I include the student as having responsibility because they have an equal share in the learning process. A student should not allow the instructor to be lazy by not teaching and the instructor should not allow the student to be lazy by not challenging. The learning process is a commitment both instructor and student have made to the successful increase of knowledge.

What kind of things should instructors be teaching and what kind of things should evaluators be evaluating?

An instructor should teach unselfishly everything they know about flying. This includes aircraft characteristics and performance, flying techniques, aeromedical, and aerodynamics. The key is using the building block principle and starting with basics before moving to more advanced techniques. This is where patience is important. The student and the instructor are sometimes in a hurry to do more exciting stuff and if not handled correctly, this may be detrimental to the learning process.

So why on earth would you need to know basic stuff like aerodynamics to fly a helicopter? Well truthfully, the darn thing will fly for the most ignorant slob out there, (you don't need to understand Newton's Laws of Motion to drive a car). And as a friend of mine used to say, "I never could see all them little arrows while I'm flying." However, in the course of flying helicopters, you may one day, through your ignorance, put yourself in a situation you wouldn't have, if you only understood the principles involved in aerodynamics. For example, You're at a high altitude and are heavy with cargo and without thinking you begin your approach down wind. Did you bump your head?? If you understand the basics in aerodynamics, you would never put yourself in this situation. By understanding how things work, we can make use of things to their full potential.

So what do I look for when I'm evaluating? Competence, professionalism. Pretty vague concepts, however if a pilot possess those, then passing an eval is usually no problem. Bottom line: Would I trust this person to fly my family? I'm very serious about administering evaluations. Friendship, or friendliness, has no place in an honest evaluation.

Oral Evaluation

I like to begin an evaluation by first giving the pilot a route to plan with some purpose in mind such as delivering equipment or people. By doing this I can evaluate the planning sequence. Did they adequately review aircraft performance, weight and balance, and required equipment? I then will ask questions about the takeoff, enroute and arrival. Using this method, I can cover everything a pilot should be of concern to the pilot. I can also begin to understand the thought process of the examinee.

The questions will vary depending on what type of duty the pilot is performing. I usually begin with departure procedures.

What I want to know is does the pilot understand the procedures and can they effectively use them. (This is good to know before we climb in the aircraft.) Enroute is next and first I'll cover airspace. I specifically want to know if the pilot can safely operate in today's airspace without breaking any rules.

For instance, does the pilot know their cloud clearance and visibility requirements, communication requirements and equipment requirements. Can he or she effectively make decisions regarding alternatives if some of the requirements are not met? Then depending on the area, I like to go to altitude. Into the mountains. The mission might be an external or internal load.

Upon arrival, were faced with a new set of questions. Have you met the power requirements? What will happen if during my approach I land downwind? Why? How can I recover?

  • If the landing area is unprepared, how will I make the approach?

    Flight Evaluation

    Preflight is usually the first part of the flight portion of the eval. During this phase I watch the examinee and ask questions about components of the aircraft. I might even discuss aerodynamics at this point. Another technique I use will be to ask what a component is and what would happen if that component failed. What are the indications, limitations and emergency procedures as appropriate?

    I like to fly the route that the examinee planned and if possible do the entire mission. This just reinforces all the planning and makes the examinee feel that they didn't waste their time. It's my job to make sure the examinee performs all the maneuvers required, so I try to include them in the flight. While flying, I'll ask more questions regarding the mission and the aircraft to see how the examinee handles distraction. Most people don't realize how important this is. The examinee is already in a stressful situation just by being evaluated. I intentionally increase the stress to evaluate what happens. I never do this right away. I prefer to let the pilot relax a little and get into the flight first. Let them get through the stress of an evaluation and add a different type of stress. Any abnormal response might be cause for me to dig a little deeper. (So stay cool fool.)

    There are a couple things a pilot can do to receive an unsat during the flight. One is to mess up an engine failure in a single engine helicopter. My philosophy is that you only get one chance in real life so you get one chance on the eval. Choosing the wrong landing isn't automatically a no go, but not getting the collective down or not monitoring airspeed is. The mechanics are what I really worry about. I'm not going to be able to correct this fault with just a verbal correction and try it again attitude. This person should practice more engine failures and auto's before be re-evaluated.

    Another unsat would be if the pilot continually is unable to maintain the minimum standards set forth in the guidelines for evaluation. For me one excursion is not an unsat unless airspace is violated. However if during the flight the examinee clearly demonstrates his inability to maintain adequate aircraft control, then I'm sorry, come back and see me later.

    Debrief

    This is where the evaluator really earns his money. A thorough debrief of the flight is a great teaching tool. Some debriefs are short and quick because the examinee was not observed doing anything poorly. Some are lengthy because they were.

    Conclusion

    Well that's my story and I'm stickin to it. There's no way for a person to know everything, so if someone doesn't know the answer to an obscure question, that's just an opportunity to teach and learn. Because really, teaching is one of the best ways to learn something. I use this technique sometimes. I have my students teach me. I know I still have a lot to learn. If I'm not learning, then I'm stagnating and in danger of being complacent. If the instructor does his job, and the student does his job, and I do my job, then our community can only get better.

    You can send your feedback and input to Chuck at chuckm@aero.com
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