Instructors, it’s your job to use the right words at the right time. Have a look at this heading. Now that’s a really dull, boring title – but that’s what it says in the syllabus. What it means is planning for a safe and comfortable flight. And to achieve this you have to use a whole lot of the right words and numbers.
Some of the right words are on screens, some are on bits of paper, some are numbers, some are on keyboards, and some are spoken. I’m going to tell you a couple of stories about people who used the wrong words while flight planning and got very close to killing hundreds of passengers.
Of course, if you use the right words you can transform the lives of your students and their families and friends and ultimately their own students, and then their students.
You can breed generations of great instructors and good safe pilots.
For your words to be right – they need three properties. Words must be:
• interesting
• correct
• memorable.
Interesting – if your words are not interesting you will lose your audience. You will see their eyes glaze over and they will squirm in their seats and fiddle with their phones.
Correct – your words must be correct otherwise you are lying to your students. Examiners call it "accuracy of statements". Many of us are afraid of these three wonderful words: "I don't know."
As an instructor, you will gain the student’s respect if
