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3 Answers

Plan for soloing students

Asked by: 4775 views , , ,
Flight Instructor, Student Pilot

I was asked what I would do after my student completed his initial solo. The answers could be many. Celebrate, cut out and autograph the back of his shirt, applaud and continue with the rest of the training... yeah thats what i said. Fly with him till he meets all the requirements for a private pilot license, endorse him and send him on his way. Now the examiner wants a plan of action. This is what i have so far.

I would continue with more pattern work, then take him out to the practice area, then do couple of supervised solo flights in n out of practice areas, where he/she would be totally responsible for nav, comms, traffic avoidance, everything.  Thn a solo to practice area, maybe some maneuvers. Thn x country training day/night, followed by couple of supervised solo x/c flights. Finally solo x/c.

Does this sound good? This is based off of my instructor's and the examiner's suggestions. Does anyone have anything to add? Any suggestion is welcome

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3 Answers



  1. Matthew Waugh on May 17, 2012

    So I guess the assumption here is that you’re not working from a syllabus and that you don’t have lesson plans?
     
    My advice would be to get a syllabus, either a commercial one, one off the Internet or make your own. Now you may have to adjust it for this particular student because it’s doubtful that they’ll just plug into the syllabus “as is” – but it will give you a framework to develop the rest of the this student’s training.
     
    You may have been trained under the traditional model, where your CFI looked in your logbook when you turned up for your lesson and then told you what you were going to do and sent you out to pre-flight. Today we live in more elightened times where it’s suggested that you map out the course of training your student is about to undertake so they can turn up for their lesson prepared and you can train them using a pre-prepared and efficient plan.

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  2. Kris Kortokrax on May 17, 2012

    A “Plan of action” is a tool for evaluation as referenced on page 7 of the CFI PTS.  The Aviation Instructors Handbook mostly references “Plan of action” when describing conducting pilot checkouts in aircraft.  It does mention having a syllabus as a plan for teaching students.
     
    Perhaps your examiner is wanting to see how you might order the post solo tasks so as to take advantage of the building block concept.  Perhaps he is trying to evaluate how you might supervise your post solo student.  There would be differences between a student who rents from an FBO versus a student who owns and controls his own airplane.
     
    Good luck!

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  3. Cherie Ann Kurian on May 17, 2012

    @ Kris Kortokrax You are right. He wanted to know the order of post solo tasks, as in how I plan to take him from initial solo to solo x/c. How many lessons in between, dual/ supervised/ solo, day/ night, local/ xc.. and how I would evaluate him

    @ Matthew Waugh You are a genius. Now why didn’t I think of that? I trained at a major part 141 school. I have their TCO. I can make a syllabus off of that. And yes, in the scenario I’m working without a syllabus, course outline or lesson plans.

    Thanks a bunch guys!

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