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5 Answers

How to develop situational awareness and internalize flight skills?

Asked by: 6016 views Private Pilot, Student Pilot

Folks,

 

I did a lot better on my flight maneuvers and landings this weekend with no hard landings. However my CFI says that I lack good situational awareness skills and while I can successfully perform all pre-solo techniques he says that I still need him to coach me on the steps and that I am not able to do it by explaining each step as I perform it. Any advice on this?

5 Answers



  1. Ryan on Feb 04, 2013

    All in due time – situational awareness is a mindset. When the tasks that you are learning now take up less of your minds thought process you will have the capability to fill that void with your awareness. Good question !!!!!

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  2. Issa on Feb 05, 2013

    I would also add, that a big part of Situational Awareness is prioritizing and not fixating on one thing for too long. For example if your altitude is slowy decreasing, and you have a radio call to make and a check list to complete. You must know that the airplane (fixing the altitude) comes first, and talking (making the radio call) in most cases comes last. But even though the airplane comes first you don’t want to just focuse on fixing the altitude while ignoring everything else, you must multi-task (and this comes with experience). Good Luck!

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  3. Ben on Feb 05, 2013

    Thanks I will build a cheat sheet and practice it aloud on simulator and also when flying to develop the skills naturally with my instructor.

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  4. Brian on Feb 07, 2013

    Chair fly. To support Ryan’s response. Chair flying is one of the best ways to help improve your awareness. What do I mean? Well it’s simple, whenever you have a moment where your brain isn’t being heavily used, such as driving to work, winding down at the end of the day, using the loo, etc. Take that time to imagine flying. I would recommend imagining a maneuver you’ve flown recently. Think of the steps, what it looks like, sounds like, feels like, etc. Finally, if you can do it without making yourself look psychotic, speak the steps out loud. Doing so is helpful as it let’s you hear your own thought process.

    Good luck.

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  5. Ben on Feb 10, 2013

    Good advice so did phase check today with another CFI and feedback from him is to better manage airspeed, aircraft control and radio communication. Then he told me that I need to relax as I was tense on final approach to landing. Landings are getting lot easier and better need to trim more and reduce airspeeds then line up better on centerline. Cross wind drifts make it tricky and had to do few go arounds today.

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