We have all heard the phrase “Fly it by the seat of your pants!” That is exactly the phrase that is necessary for learning to fly. The question, “Why Are Pilot Maneuvers Important.”
Why Are Pilot Maneuvers Important?
It is absolutely mandatory to be able to master the operation of an aircraft. This requires you to have an insatiable desire to master the maneuvers that will teach you to be a safe pilot. Learning the maneuvers will teach you the “feel” of the airplane and understand the reasons for doing the maneuver.
Why Are Pilot Maneuvers Important?
1. Flying The Airplane, The Basics.
Flying the airplane for the first time out may be simply an “introductory flight” for those who just want to see if they want to pursue flying. But those who have the desire to fly will be learning how to fly straight and level and do shallow turns and learn to land. Then you are going to learn to land. Flying the traffic pattern doing “touch and go’s” learning to take off and land.
Believe me when I say that you will be practicing to take off and land every time you fly an airplane.
The whole process of Private and Commercial Pilot Maneuvers is to teach how to fly the airplane.
One pointer would be to ask questions if you do not understand any maneuver or anything that you are uncomfortable with. If you have a good instructor they will honor your wishes and help. If not, get a new instructor.
I flew with many instructors through the years but I always picked one I liked and stayed with them until I completed my rating or certificate.
I want you to find an instructor that helps you learn and someone you have respect for. An Instructor should be someone who enjoys teaching. I loved to teach and even though I did not work much as a freelance I was always teaching new co-pilots and doing check rides and training for the company.
If you want to learn to fly, teach.
2. Private Pilot Maneuvers.
The Private pilot maneuvers are designed to show you how the airplane flies using visual references to maintain control. These exercises will teach you to maintain altitudes and headings and the relation that wind has on an airplane. Did I mention that you will be learning to take off and land?
You will be introduced to stalls and stall recovery which is the most important item in the private pilot syllabus. I can not emphasize this enough because if you fully understand how to recognize and recover from a stall you will have the ability to save your life.
Accidents and fatalities due to stalls are things that need serious attention because they are far too high.
If you have an instructor that is afraid of stalls you need a new instructor. Make sure you are comfortable with stalls.
You will find the mastery of your maneuvers to be a lot of fun and will result in a great feeling of accomplishment. Don’t forget you will solo the airplane at or around ten hours of flying! Time for a party!
You also have the pleasure of flying some very fun maneuvers while achieving this important certificate.
3. Commercial Pilot Maneuvers.
You need to log 250 hours to go after your commercial certificate and a great way to build some of those hours would be getting an instrument rating. Especially if your goal is to get a Certified Flight Instructor Rating to be able to get paid to fly.
Of course, if money isn’t a problem then the avenue is to get your ratings and certificates at your leisure. Frankly, the multi-engine rating is popular because it is exciting and fun but still requires some learning that will test your skills.
By now you should have a pretty good inkling of the answer to the question, Why Are Pilot Maneuvers Important? The control of this beast needs to be understood and mastered.
The Commercial Certificate is airplane specific in class so you need to take check rides for the single and multi-engine certificates. So once again if your goal is flight instruction perhaps let the multi-engine check ride slide unless you wish to teach twin-engine classes as well as a Flight Instructor.
The maneuvers for the commercial are just more advanced than the Private Pilot maneuvers but they are fun. It is time to learn the Lazy eights and the Chandelles which are performance maneuvers and fun to learn, fly and teach.
The Commercial is a fun certificate to get but you must have 250 hours to qualify so as I stated earlier, get your instrument rating to build the time you need efficiently.
Bone up on your FAR’s for the qualifications for pilot ratings and certificates here.
4. The Instrument Rating.
There are far too many reasons to discuss the value of an Instrument Rating and the work it takes to get it than this article has room for. Please refer to my article on the Instrument Rating here.
It really does make very good sense to get an Instrument Rating immediately following your Private. The time building is a great reason but the most important part of the Instrument Rating is that it makes you so much safer as a pilot.
There is just no good reason to become an accident statistic just because you flew into a cloud. Note the sarcasm.
Please do consider your training to accommodate the Instrument Rating as soon as you can.
Once I started flying instruments on a daily basis I never made a flight that wasn’t on instruments. It simply became the easiest way to conduct cross-country flights. But once you have developed your scan and become comfortable, (and you will), with instrument flying I think you will find as I did that Instrument Flying is the only way to fly.
5. Putting Your Skills To Work.
Each new Rating or Certificate gives you a license to learn and as you progress you must hone your new skills to perfection. There is lots of practicing to do and plenty to learn as you pass each milestone. The reward comes along if your desire is met.
The Airline or Flight Department you find yourself interviewing for a job with will expect perfection. You must exhibit that learned perfection to pass the check ride and all the written tests you will be given. You will be given many.
As you gain experience and confidence it is time to put things to work. Whether it be at a CFI position or a job flying for a company or airline.
If you are a pilot who just enjoys flying it still applies. Be the best, especially when you have passengers or family aboard. Never let your guard down.
Conclusion:
The Private Pilot Certificate may seem mundane if you aspire to be an Airline Pilot. This certificate is the most important one no matter what you aspire to. There is a massive amount of information that you must assimilate, so take the time to read and study and apply your knowledge in the sky.
These maneuvers will hone your skill of flying to the maximum. These are not to be taken lightly so be diligent.
Each maneuver if mastered will push you quickly through each of your ratings even though when you start the tunnel may seem terribly long. The time will pass quickly and before you have time to reflect you will have your new rating. Time goes by very fast. Make it fun and you will be finished very happy and sitting in the Left seat of an airliner or laughing through the clouds in your own aircraft.
Never give up. Quitting is not an option.
Fly safe and leave me a comment even if you don’t like the article. Criticism is welcome as well.
I have been in aviation for over 50 years now and all that is left is to pass on my knowledge and hope it helps at least one person.
Related: How Hard Is Private Pilot Training? (6 Easy Points)