Takeoffs, Landings and Aircraft Control

1. Takeoffs, Landings and Aircraft Control Project
A Simple and Informal Guide on How to Conduct a DPE/CFI or Pilot Clinic
By: Todd E. Burk Oklahoma FPM & National APL Lead FY2009 & FY2010
Steve Keesey: Oklahoma Airworthiness FPM
This step by step guide is intended to provide some insight to FPMs and FAASTeam
Representatives on how to establish and conduct the Takeoff and Landings and Aircraft
Control Clinic. Some may think that this program is oversimplified and too basic and try
to make it more difficult than it is. The key to its success is its simplicity. Remember that
taking off and landing and aircraft control is a basic skill. And it is where we are having
the most mishaps. This is why we use the keep it simple philosophy and return to
evaluating the basic skills required to maintain aircraft control.
Dual Purpose of CD content
This CD/Tool is designed to be first used by the FPM to conduct Train the Trainers
presentations with your core groups of DPE’s and CFI’s from local flight schools 141/61.
After concluding these sessions clarify any questions and work to schedule a clinic
sponsored by these groups for the pilots based locally. There is no set number of
acceptable clinics to be held. We conduct them throughout the State and people will
travel to participate. Also work with your Airworthiness FPM to establish the Preflight
clinics and other activities to be conducted.
Note: There will be independent CFI’s who will want to assist as evaluators. It is the
responsibility of the host flight school to know these CFI’s are current and can meet the
standards required to give a valid evaluation to a participant. In some cases the host may
need to fly with these CFI’s and determine if they still meet the practical and evaluation
standards needed.
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2. Initial Meeting:
Operations and Airworthiness FAASTeam manager should coordinate a meeting with
local area flight schools, DPE’s and area flight Instructors at least 90 days prior to the
proposed pilot clinic date. The meeting should explain the organization of pilot clinics
obtaining sponsors for the Clinic that will provide classroom space, instructional
equipment, food, refreshments, and other activities for families and friends. Encourage
the group to brainstorm about other aviation activities that could be conducted in
conjunction with the pilot clinics to enhance aviation safety and education. Encourage
innovation. Hand out a Contact information sheet for everyone at the meeting to fill out.
Include at least name phone number and email address. If you don’t have a FAASTeam
lead representative in that area have them nominate a lead for the clinic. This person will
be responsible for the conduct of the clinic and delegating clinic organizational
responsibilities to others.
Encourage the group to include pilot’s families in their planning. Often the families are
excluded from these pilot clinics. If you provide aviation activities for the spouses and
children you have a great opportunity to get them involved in aviation. We highly
encourage you provide other aviation education and aviation safety activities. In the past
we have had great success with the following activities.
Suggested Additional Activities at Pilot Clinics
Aircraft Preflight Clinics:
Contact a 147 AMT school or Repair Station and ask if they would be willing to
sponsor the clinic with personnel and projects. At our last clinic, Metro Tech
Aviation Career Center, a 147 school came out and set up a booth where they
provided materials, tools, and instruction to allow people to try their hand at
installing aircraft hardware. People were lining up for a chance to drill, cleco, and
use a rivet gun, install nuts and bolts, and pull safety wire. They were also showed
examples of parts that fail and can usually be identified during a preflight
inspection. Ask an engine shop or school to bring out cutaway examples of
engines, engine accessories, and propellers. Use your imagination, the sky is the
limit. These activities give pilots and their companions a better understanding of
aircraft structures, properly installed hardware, and what to look for when
performing a preflight inspection on their aircraft.
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3. Static Displays:
Static displays of aircraft are always a crowd pleaser. Unusual, new or vintage
aircraft on display give an opportunity to see up close and personal what it is that
we all have a passion for. With some luck this will kindle a person’s interest in
aviation. It also is an incentive for clinic participants to stay and in the process see
other educational material.
Aviation Youth Education Programs:
Contact local radio control flying clubs and ask them to assist with aviation youth
education programs. Ask if they will be willing to providing static displays of
radio control model aircraft, radio control flight simulators; examples of models
under construction. Some of these models are very intricate and you will be
surprised how closely they represent their full-scale counterparts. We have found
that the pilots that participate in the clinics get as much of a kick out of this as the
kids and it gives parents a chance to share their love of aviation on a level where
the child can more readily participate.
Aviation Education Programs for non-rated spouses or family members and
friends that fly with the aviators we are trying to reach:
I know many non-flying husbands, wives, children, and friends of pilots that may
have some interest in aviation but no desire to be a pilot. They regularly fly but
are not involved in crewmember duties. It is a good idea to include them on
educational topics such as radio, transponder, GPS operations; collision
avoidance; preflight and human factors in aviation; weather avoidance. Include
educational information on aeronautical decision making, and runway safety.
Applying this training will assist pilots for future flights and help to reduce their
workload.
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4. Food and Refreshments:
One of our sayings is if you feed them they will come. This is true and as a former
full-time flight instructor I can say that I appreciated every free hotdog and burger
I ever received that kept me from starving. When working with flight schools and
universities, work with the student body. Often the Schools aviation clubs are
looking for fundraiser activities and can get a local grocer to donate hamburger
patties, hotdogs; and buns along with chips and condiments to cook and sell at the
clinics. Hosting FBOs may donate items or have a pancake breakfast prior to the
clinic starting.
The key to promoting a safety culture is social networking, you will notice that
eating is a highly social activity; people will sit together and start talking about
their experiences.
Two weeks after initial meeting:
Contact all members via email and continue to monitor planning progress, often you will
find those that were appointed lead reps although fantastic resources, do not have the
leadership skills necessary to keep everyone engages and ensure that the project plans are
moving ahead. The FPM should check in with the FAASTeam representatives and offer
assistance to all involved with the project and see what progress has been made.
SPANS NOTICE:
Be creative in the titles and be sure to add all sponsors names.
ATC COORDINATION / HIGH DENSITY TRAFFIC PLAN/ PRACTICE
AREAS:
As an example before an APL clinic that we conducted, we met with tower operators and
Approach Control and discussed our upcoming activity. We also used the call sign
CLINIC in addition to the aircraft N-number to identify us as clinic participants. The
included PowerPoint contains a slide that gives an example of how you can assign
practice areas using a sectional. For Non-Towered airport be sure to have someone
monitor the local Unicom frequencies.
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5. BEFORE PILOT CLINIC:
Contact lead rep and other Key reps
Verify Availability of facility
Set up equipment
Tables
Booths
MORNING OF CLINIC:
Arrive at least two hours before the clinic to tie up any loose ends
AIRCRAFT PARKING:
Greet the participants and point them to the registration desk.
Local FBO line service, Aviation Tech students and Civil Air Patrol personnel work great
in the ground safety efforts you will want to have in place.
ADMINISTRATION PILOT/INSTRUCTOR SIGN IN:
Appoint one person as an administrative assistant. They will greet and pair up instructors
with clinic participants. Us the included forms on the CD to help make your event a
success. These forms will help to reserve the more experienced CFI’s or DPE’s for the
higher rated pilots with the more complex aircraft. Remember, the goal of these clinics is
to allow the participants to receive a valid evaluation flight, not allow a CFI to receive
dual given in more complex aircraft.
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6. CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION:
Use the provided power point presentation to guide you through the clinic, share personal
experiences and knowledge about the subject areas. You will also notice that there are
notes included in the “notes” section of the PowerPoint presentation. Be sure to practice
this presentation a few times before presenting it at the clinic. Make the presentation
interactive and use it to facilitate a guided discussion amongst the clinic participants and
instructors. Do not just read the slides and send everyone on their way. Take this chance
to dispel any misconceptions that participants may have about aircraft control and
operation.
Before pairing up PIC with their evaluating CFI encourage them to take bathroom breaks
and drink plenty of water before the flight or take some water with them.
Remember this is not a check ride or flight instruction. If a person chooses and if the CFI
agrees, one can obtain WINGS Flight credit for the evaluation flight if the pilot (PIC)
meets the Practical Test Standards for the evaluation flight.
PREFLIGHT:
A complete preflight briefing should take place between the Clinic Participant/PIC and
the Clinic CFI/Evaluator. The Clinic Participant/Pilot is the PIC and should be current
and qualified in the aircraft that he/she is operating. Both should discuss…
1.) Who is pilot in command
2.) VSpeeds
3.) Takeoff Data
4) Weight and Balance Data
5.) Weather and wind conditions
6.) Handling of Simulated Emergencies, how to Handle Actual Emergencies
7.) Clinic Flight Profile including maneuvers and Practical Test Standards
8.) Emphasis on the fact that the Clinic is supposed to be fun, it is a courtesy evaluation.
9.) If a participant feels after the evaluation he/she would like some additional flight
instruction, they can schedule with a CFI outside of the clinic at whatever cost is agreed
upon.
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7. PRACTICE AREAS:
Discuss suitable practice areas that will be close enough to the host airport that a
complete APL Clinic profile can be completed within a one and a half hour timeframe.
Practice areas should be clear of other airspace and high density traffic. You way wish to
designate practice areas that are further away for high performance aircraft and closer
practice areas for slower aircraft. This will allow the APL profile to be completed in a
actable time frame. On one of the final slides in the PowerPoint, there is an example of
the practice areas that we used at an Oklahoma City Pilot Clinic.
POSTFLIGHT:
After the flight, both CFI and PIC should take a break. This will give the CFI enough
time to plan his debrief. The CFI should sit down and debrief with the PIC and go over
the maneuvers that were evaluated. A full critique should be planned and conducted. The
CFI should recommend additional instruction on any maneuvers that did not meet
practical test standards.
CFI FEES:
FPMs and FAASTeam Reps are reminded that the evaluating CFI’s are volunteers and
are not compensated for these pilot clinics. A suitable award such as a certificate of
appreciation participations in support of the Federal Aviation Administrations Safety
Team should be prepared for all those who participate. Encourage sponsors to donate a
free breakfast or lunch for participants. These little efforts will encourage participation in
the program and see that they will continue to support the FAASTeam. At one local clinic
the airport FBO offered pilots who participated in the flight portion of the clinic fuel
discounts. These types of sponsors help to increase participation.
CFI’s may offer instruction to participants once the flight portion of the clinic has been
completed. At this point They may then negotiate a fee for their instruction. At that time
they assume the role of pilot in command.
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8. THANKING PARICIPANTS AND SPONSORS:
A suitable award such as a certificate of appreciation participations in support of the
Federal Aviation Administrations Safety Team should be prepared for all those who
participate.
“Minimum Equipment List”:
The following is the minimum equipment and facilities that you will need to conduct
pilot clinics.
1.) DPE/CFI & Pilot Training Aid Takeoffs, Landings & Aircraft Control Course CD
2.) Classroom Facilities that will accommodate the expected number of participants. You
may break up into groups and schedules.
3.) Computer capable of running PowerPoint, UND Course Videos, LCD Projector or
Suitable Large Video Display Screen.
4.) Restroom Facilities
Any questions about this program may be directed to Todd Burk National APL lead
todd.e.burk@faa.gov or call 405-951-4278.
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