I have clocked up 165 hours on the Gazelle, a recreational
aviation aircraft, and another 15 hours on a Cessna while
working towards my PPL. So when I was offered a lesson
on a microlight trike, I thought, "how hard can it
be to learn to fly the trike with my flight experience"?
I assumed that the piloting skills I currently possess
would be more or less transferable in another aircraft.
In that first lesson, I found (to my surprise) that very
few of my existing skills would assist me in learning
to fly the trike. Yes, I could make the radio calls, and
I knew the circuit procedures, but the manipulative skills
I had developed for fixed-wing aircraft were of no use
in the trike environment.
The cockpit configuration was different from my other
aircraft and the control inputs produced results that
were the opposite of my previous training. I had to think
very hard about every move I made. I had to consciously
tell my feet to push the rudder in the direction I wanted
the trike to go while on the ground. I had to think about
which way to move the control bar because to turn left
one has to move it to the right. To climb, one has to
push the control bar forward. That lesson represented
one hour of intense concentration. I realised then, that
I would need to learn some new skills if I were to master
flying a trike.
This experience raised the question about how we as pilots
learn the skills we need.
Biggs and Telfer, in their book "The Psychology of
Flight Training", suggest that we go through three
stages in the process of acquiring skills. The first stage
of learning is called the Cognitive stage because the
student is learning what the skill involves, what physical
inputs are required, and what the theory is behind the
skill. For example, let us examine the skills required
to climb, descend and turn. As students we may read about
the inputs needed and the reason for those inputs. But
that doesn't mean we can use those skills when actually
flying the aircraft. My trike instructor, gave me a good
briefing on control bar manipulations and the results
before we left the ground. But, unfortunately, I am a
visual, kinesthetic (have to physically manipulate) learner.
That means, that all the reading and briefings in the
world will not sink in my brain until I can manipulate
the controls myself and see what results my efforts produce
.
Fortunately my instructor allowed me to 'discover' what
inputs were needed by giving me time to play with the
control bar on the trike in the training area. He didn't
continually 'tell me' which way to push or pull the control
bar, he allowed me to manipulate the controls and discover
the consequences myself. I found by experimentation which
control inputs resulted in climbing, descending and turning.
When I got into trouble, my instructor would take over
and give me some directions and then turn the aircraft
back over to me to resume my investigation. My entire
first lesson was one in which I was learning about the
unique demands of that particular aircraft.
The second stage of skill development is called the Fixative
stage. It is called this because the physical inputs and
the sequence of those inputs have to be practised until
they are fixed in the student's mind. It is very important
that students in this stage practise all the inputs in
the skill sequence correctly many times and avoid doing
them incorrectly. Instructors should be vigilant about
insisting on correct inputs and sequences. Good habits
form from doing something consistently right and well.
According to Biggs and Telfer, if students are allowed
to change their inputs or sequences even a little, or
do them incorrectly, the power of the habit-building process
is lessened.
Some skills and input sequences can be learned outside
of the cockpit. While on the ground, my instructor handed
me a broom handle and made me do some 'imaginary flying'
(not the wicked witch of the north, kind). I was able
to sit in a chair and hold the broom handle as I would
the trike control bar. I pretended to climb, turn and
descend, all while sitting in the chair. Chair flying
is not a new concept. Mental and physical rehearsal of
skills can help to cement flying inputs into the student's
mind. Kern (1997) in his book "Redefining Airmanship",
reports of the practice called 'chair flying' by military
pilot training students. Apparently it is not uncommon
for students to "spend evenings in a chair with a
plunger stuck to the floor between their legs as a mock
control stick practising their contact procedures for
the next day" (p.64).
Good instructors will know the power of mental rehearsal,
especially when it is done in real time and students carefully
mimic each step or skill exactly as they would in the
cockpit in the air. Research evidence supports the notion
that chair flying and other types of mental and physical
rehearsal assist in the process of acquiring and preserving
skills (Child, 1983 in Kern, 1997).
Specific, targeted feedback on the execution of skills
is important for students at this stage. Feedback is most
useful when it is delivered as close to the performed
action as possible. Sometimes an instructor will have
to repeat the information several times (in different
ways, even) in order for the message to sink in. This
feedback is called 'extrinsic' feedback because it is
coming to the student from an outside source. What instructors
want is for students to develop a skill to the point where
they can give themselves feedback 'intrinsic feedback'
and know what they must do to improve. I am not at this
stage yet. I still have to work to 'figure out' which
way to move the control bar. As I get better at it, my
instructor will have to ensure I manipulate the controls
consistently correctly when manoeuvring the aircraft.
The final stage of skill development is the Autonomous
stage. In this stage, pilots can perform all steps of
the skill automatically. In this stage, very little cognitive
input is required. In our flying, we 'see' and 'respond'.
This was a complicating factor in my first few lessons
on the trike. Because my fixed wing flying skills have
become so automatic, I would fly the trike like my Gazelle,
unless I consciously forced a different input. It will
take some time for me to develop my trike skills to an
automatic level and not unconsciously use fixed wing inputs
in this weightshift aircraft.
This experience has humbled me somewhat. I had entered
the training thinking my expertise in one type of aircraft
would universally transfer to this new environment. Fortunately,
the instructor did not suffer from the 'halo' effect (the
tendency of instructors to assume experience and expertise
in one aircraft provides a shield against poor judgment
or error when transitioning to a new aircraft). My trike
instructor is very experienced and has dealt with GA and
RAAus fixed-wing pilots before, so he knows how to assist
our skill learning and give us the space to realise ourselves
what we don't know. I look forward to putting in the effort
and energy it will take to become a competent trike pilot
and I suffer no illusions about the time it will take.
The new experience is definitely worth it.
References: Telfer, R. and Biggs, J. (1988). "The
Psychology of Flight" Training. Ames: Iowa State
University Press.
Kern, R. (1997). "Redefining Airmanship" New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Dr Carol Richards is a senior lecturer in education at
the University of Newcastle and a Recreational Aviation
Pilot. She welcomes stories from readers concerning their
experiences in pilot training. Carol.Richards@newcastle.edu.au
