The Value of Learning Beyond Rote
When flight students only memorize information, they run the risk of not being able to explain it, apply it to a given situation, or draw a correlation between events.
"They teach the test."
This is how a private pilot who had gone through an accelerated program to earn his certificate described his training. He had chosen the accelerated program because he was considering a career in aviation and knew the quicker he became "marketable," the better.
But he didn't enjoy the training, he said, because everything had been by rote. Instruction was always in a rush, and just enough to pass the test. He said he didn't feel confident in his skills and flying was not fun.
It broke my heart to hear this. Those accelerated programs often aren't cheap, and if you're going to spend that kind of money and disrupt your life for weeks at a time, you really ought to get something out of it more than a piece of plastic issued by the FAA.
- READ MORE: A Look at the Evolution of Flight Training
The pilot was flying with me to get checked out to rent a Cessna 172. He wanted to build his hours on his schedule and gain experience and confidence. We flew together several times, even after I gave the blessing for rental. He had the basics but needed the confidence that comes from learning to the level of understanding, application, and correlation.
By the time we were done, he was enjoying flying because he had a better understanding of it.
I wonder how many others like him are out there? Those pilots who learn the tests by rote may get a pocketful of certificates but often don't acquire the skills, judgement, and confidence they need to build experience.
According to the Fundamentals of Instruction, rote memory is the lowest form of learning. When learning is rote, the learner parrots the information but cannot explain it, or apply it to a given situation, or draw a correlation between events. Apparently you can pass a knowledge test and a check ride with this level of learning, but I submit that "teaching the test only" is like memorizing the answers to the final exam. You may pass the class, and it counts toward the requirements for your degree, but the knowledge and skills you got out of it, if any, are negligible.
It is particularly challenging at the instructor level. You probably know someone who obtained their certificates—CFI/certified flight instructor instrument (CFII)/certified multiengine instructor (MEI)—through a program that stressed rote learning. Many of them never really had the opportunity to teach outside the limited confines of the program or their check rides before they were thrown out into the "real world."
I am not the only aviation educator who sees challenges with the rote training programs.
Recently I participated in an online seminar from the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) featuring Hobie Tomlinson, a 2012 CFI of the Year, retired DPE, and airline captain with 46,000 hours, and David St. George, a DPE and executive director of SAFE. The topic of the seminar was rote training that is used for multiengine training.
St. George pointed out that the multiengine commercial certificate represents the beginning of many a professional pilot's career into a larger cockpit. It is a time when they should develop good foundational skills.
Tomlinson said that many pilots on the airline track obtain their multiengine commercial certificates at programs that use the Tecnam twin or Diamond DA62. These aircraft are more economical to operate than legacy Piper, Beechcraft, or Cessna twins, but according to Tomlinson, "the Tecnam and DA62 don't prepare you for legacy twins like the (Piper) Twin Comanche, Seminole, and Seneca during rejected takeoff."
In the legacy twins, rejected takeoff is done where there is a control issue or uncommanded loss of power during the takeoff roll. It is usually simulated by pulling the mixture knob of the engine to idle. The person pulling the mixture has to be careful that there is enough runway ahead to come to a stop and be prepared to "grab it" if it gets away from the trainee.
In the programs that use the Tecnam or Diamond twin, the instructor or DPE often kicks a rudder like an angry rabbit when the aircraft reaches half of takeoff speed to create a rejected takeoff scenario.
If the rote-trained pilot ends up at a school that has a twin other than what they obtained their MEC in, and they want to earn their MEI, they can expect at least five hours of training—often more—that they often must pay out of pocket to obtain the skills proficiency needed to take the multiengine instructor check ride. This can come as a surprise, but that's what the FAA wants, per cFAR 61.195 Flight instructor limitations and qualifications.
Understand that the flight school may want the MEI candidate to have more time in the make and model, and the recommending instructor may feel the same way. Take your time, and focus on skill building, not just check ride passage.
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!
Get the latest FLYING stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox