Task E: Instructor Responsibilities and Professionalism

Objective: the student will be introduced to instructor responsibilities and professionalism.

Completion standard: the student will be able to explain the difference between aviation instructor responsibilities and flight instructor responsibilities as well as explain what makes a professional 

Overview:

1. Aviation instructor responsibilities:

   1. Helping students learn.

   2. Providing adequate instruction.

   3. Standards of performance.

   4. Minimizing student frustrations.

1. Flight instructor responsibilities:

   1. Physiological obstacles for flight students.

   2. Ensuring student ability.

2. Professionalism.

3. Evaluation of student ability.

4. Aviation instructors and exams.

5. Professional development.

1. Aviation instructor responsibilities:

a. Helping students learn.

b. Providing adequate instruction.

• Carefully and correctly analyze each learner’s personality, thinking, and ability

• Incorrectly analyzing a learner may result in the instruction not producing the desired outcome

• Learners experiencing slow progress due to discouragement/lack of confidence should be assigned sub-goals which are easier to attain than the normal learning goals

• Instructors fail to provide competent instruction when they permit their learners to get by with substandard performance, or without thoroughly learning necessary knowledge

• Fast learners may assume correcting errors is unimportant since they make few mistakes

• Individuals learn when they are aware of their errors

c. Standards of performance.

ACS

PTS

d. Minimizing student frustrations.

Flight instructor responsibilities:

Provide learners with an opportunity for exploration and experimentation

Physiological obstacles for flight students.

• learners may react to unfamiliar noises or vibrations, or experience unfamiliar sensations due to G-force, or an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach

Overcoming FEARS

Ensuring student ability

Flight instructors ensure learner pilots develop the required skills and knowledge prior to solo flight

1. Positive aircraft control

2. Procedures for positive exchange of flight controls

3. Stall and spin awareness

4. Collision avoidance

5. Wake turbulence and low-level wind turbulence and wind shear avoidance

6. Runway incursion avoidance

7. Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)

8. Aeronautical decision-making (ADM)/risk management

9. Checklist usage

10. Spatial disorientation

11. Temporary flight restrictions (TFR)

12. Special use airspace (SUA)

13. Aviation security

14. Wire strike avoidance

Professionalism.

Do’s

Don’ts

Evaluation of student ability

Refers to judging a learner’s ability to perform a maneuver or procedure

Demonstrated ability

• Evaluation of demonstrated ability during flight or maintenance instruction is based upon established standards of performance

• Modified to apply to the learner’s experience and stage of development as a pilot or mechanic.

  • Qualification of learner pilots for solo and solo cross-country privileges depends upon demonstrations of performance.

Keeping the Learner informed

• When evaluating learner demonstrations of ability, the aviation instructor should keep the learner informed of progress

• may be done as each procedure or maneuver is completed or summarized during a postflight or class critique

• These critiques should be in a written format, such as notes, to aid the instructor in covering all areas that were noticed during the flight or lesson

Aviation instructors and exams

• Knowledge tests

• Practical tests

• Endorsements 

Professional development

• Continue education