Simulated Solo Lesson Plan

by Philip Greenspun; October 2009

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This is intended for helicopter students, but could be adapted for airplane pilots.

For a student who is preparing to solo, it may be a confidence-booster to go up on a simulated solo flight. An instructor is present in the helicopter, but does not touch anything, say anything on the radio, or say anything on the intercom. The instructor takes notes for a post-flight debriefing. The instructor can hold the lesson plan for the student and read off the next task. Ideally those should be the only things that he or she says. Obviously if safety of flight is an issue, the instructor must speak up or nudge the controls, but the instructor should stay silent even if the student is having difficulty communicating with ATC, for example.

Sequence

This should all be followed by a 20-minute debriefing.
Text and photos (if any) Copyright 2009 Philip Greenspun.
philg@mit.edu