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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 0076.PDF
60 PrfVate Flying (continued from page 59) The helicopter student FLIGHT International, 9 January 1969 By J. W. PECKOWSKI* I T is GENERALLY AGREED that a good instructor should have a single point of view—to help the student to become a safe, prudent, confident and proficient pilot. The instructor should have infinite patience while working with his student; his work should be simple, descriptive and free of unnecessary briefings during airborne periods. It calls for a manner which gives the pupil confidence in his instructor as well as the building-up of the student's confidence in his own ability. Besides knowing his subject matter thoroughly, the instructor must be able to put his knowledge across by means of oral, diagrammatical and practical demonstration. He should have an understanding of the learning process and the ability to apply it effectively to his teaching. He must not only know what to do and how to do it. but also why an exercise or a demonstration should be presented in a certain order, and what the consequences may be if it is not performed properly. An apreciation of the application of psychology to a course of instruction is of the utmost importance. The instruction should be applied to the individual and not as a series of "patter-rattle" and strictly numerical exercises. Assuming that an instructor has these attributes, there are further important considerations in a successful course of instruction, such as his students' age, sex, profession and personality, which provide their own problems. Students seem to fall into two distinctive groups: under and over 40 years of age. Although initial difficulties in co-ordina tion and general handling of a helicopter are as common to experienced fixed-wing pilots as to ab initio pilots in the same group, the over-forty group appear to need additional time, varying with experience, to overcome particular difficulties, mainly due to the fact that their reactions are slower. If the under-forty student needs 30 minutes' dual instruction, the over-forty may need 45 or more minutes to achieve the same level of proficiency in a given exercise. In spite of this, it does not mean that the over-forty pilots will not become good pilots—in fact the opposite seems to be true; they tend to apply a great deal of common sense to their flying and soon become above-average pilots. Apart from the fact that flying with the weaker sex is always a pleasure, and discarding the already mentioned initial com mon difficulties, women tend to be more diligent students and usually achieve solo standard ahead of their male counterparts. Businessmen often find that helicopter flying creates tension and exasperates, mainly due to wrong attitudes of mind, particularly at the very beginning. They dream of the freedom of being able to move quickly from point to point, flying straight to any destination above the traffic jams, with potential savings in time and money. It is with these thoughts in mind that they decide to qualify for the course of instruction and the Private Pilot's Licence. A businessman usually miscalculates the time needed for such a course; for example, he might allow himself five days in which to complete the flying, heading therefore for a great deal of disappointment and frustration. He quickly proves to himself that a mad dash in his car from the office followed by an immediate flying lesson does not work, that the degree of co-ordination required to fly a helicopter is of an unusual nature and an exceptional standard, that his skill in driving a car (of which he is so proud) is of no use, and that all these difficulties tend to blind his judgement in his own progress, so that he is prepared to give it up at this stage. It is only when the mistake of trying to hurry through the course has been realised that the training can progress by common sense. In the matter of personality, students again fall into two groups—under- and over-confident, with a mixture of common faults applicable to any of the mentioned groups. The under- confident needs nursing and encouragement, whilst the over confident needs restraint, and greater accuracy and precision is demanded of him. Finally, there is no black magic needed to fly a helicopter— but certainly hard work. The pilot should always remember the fact that although the helicopter is capable of a very wide variety of tasks, and can land in places which are inaccessible to any other type of flying machine, if it is mishandled, or if factors such as weight, weather, wind or attitude are misjudged or ignored, the helicopter may let him down without warning and with surprising speed. If, on the other hand, the pilot displays common sense and applies recommended techniques to his flying, the helicopter will provide, without doubt, the safest, most interesting and most satisfying experience of flying. * Chief pilot and instructor, British Executive Air Services Ltd. The Government way of buying (continued from previous page) continuing relationship between Government business and the up-to-date average earnings of industry is achieved. (3) An interim review would report within 12 months on out standing differences of opinion between Government and industry on the precise computation of the new profit formula. Pending the interim review industry have agreed to accept the Government's interpretation on disputed points. Govern ment accounting conventions (which have therefore been provisionally adopted) differ from industry accounting con ventions for the purpose of computing capital employed and for determining what expenditure can properly be included in costs. The ratio of costs of production to capital employed, as provisionally agreed, is to be reviewed. Full agreement has been reached as to how all the disputed questions are to be dealt with during the interim period, whether by adopting the Government interpretation or on some compromise basis. But there is an overriding agreement that disputed questions should be referred to the Review Board within 12 months. The revised formula relates to non-risk (i.e., cost-plus) work as well as to risk work. It provides, for risk work, an average rate of 15 per cent on capital employed compared with a ceiling of 15 per cent under the old formula. And for non-risk work it provides an average of 10 per cent on capital employed compared with a ceiling of 10 per cent under the old formula. The formula excludes contingency provisions for which it will still be necessary to provide additionally. Return on Research and Development work, which is obviously in the "risk" category, is that much higher than the return applicable to "run of the mill" production or repetitive work. This is perhaps contrary to the relationship which might be anticipated in non-Government work, where the contractor might undertake provate-venture and R&D in expectation of more substantial profits from subsequent produtcion work. But the theory that high profits on pro duction or overhaul work should be allowed to pay for private-venture R&D work was one of the Government criticisms of the old system. The new arrangements provide more control and balance, and less room for "swings and roundabouts." Instructions to Contracts Officers—a detailed paper setting out the arrangements—was the subject of the recent Govern ment/CBI Confederation of British Industries conference at which Mr John Diamond, Chief Secretary of the Treasury, hoped for a new chapter in relations between the Government and industry. Leading article in this issue
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