How to relax a student?

popaviator

popaviator

Well-Known Member
Hey guys...I've got a student who has failed his PVT checkride 2 times now for taking off with the mixture leaned out and also without flaps for the performance maneuvers, and his soft field landing. My other students seem to do fine on checkrides...but he gets so damn nervous. I'm trying to figure out what the best way to go about this would be? Any tips? I can't get mad at him, but it almost feels like I failed him as an instructor. :o
 
Slap him around a few times when he does something wrong, classical conditioning will do the trick! ;)





Really though, ask him why he's so nervous and try to get him to fly with a few other people so that the doesn't get so nervous when he flies with an examiner.
 
c172captain said:
Really though, ask him why he's so nervous and try to get him to fly with a few other people so that the doesn't get so nervous when he flies with an examiner.
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Exactly, mach checkrides with random CFI's, preferably someone he never flew with before that can play the roll of a big nasty FAA guy.
 
I find playing a game of volleyball shirtless on the beach and then going into the showers together pretty much does the trick...

That and the massage later with mint flavored massage oil... ahhh



:joke:


Honestly though, just tell him to quit. I mean keep trying. I get those confused.
 
Second to the mock checkride, I've seen it actually work before. Failed the first try, mock checkride, passed the second.
 
A couple of shots of Jack... that worked for me!












:joke:
I think the mock checkride thing will do the trick. Find one of your more experienced/grumpy instructors.
 
imatworkallday said:
Find one of your more experienced/grumpy instructors.
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Exactly!

Oh tell your guy to dress up nice as this can subconsciously help a persons confidence level.

Also, you could go through the AFH cover to cover 2 chapters or 3 chapters per brief lesson. I had a little trouble with my private ride and that is what my CFI did with me. I felt so confident with my flight knowledge the brief was a joke.

If it is just the flight then chair flying can do wonders for any student.
 
Is he using his checklists? Sounds like he needs to slow down and run through every line of it - speak it out loud.

Or just combination of all of the above mentioned; weed/whiskey/hj etc.
 
Practice more: repetition is the key to education (at least the "rote" part of education, like procedural items such as remembering flaps in performance takeoffs and leaning--but that's what checklists are for too :)). Abe Torchinsky, former tuba player with the Philadelphia Orchestra, used to tell his music students "Nervouseness = No Practice." Perhaps a little extreme, but I think the principle applies here. Apply that to an airplane in the following ways: actually flying, chair flying, any time you think about flying. I second the idea to the review the AFH; that will make him/her more confident too. It's always nice to have a solid knowledge base to fall back on when we strap ourselves to a rickety aluminum can with wings and a lawnmower engine.

-A.F.
 
Slightly unrelated but I've found that certain instructors just have a natural aura that puts people at ease. It's a natural skill that they do without having to practice, like being a good salesman or being able to do a great jump shot. I have to practice at it, but I just try to emulate the people I see who can do this.
 
I would go over some of the "why's" with him..."why do we set the mixture to rich for takeoff, why do we land with flaps on a soft field landing??" If he doesn't understand the importance of such things he'll be more likely to forget.
 
at1024 said:
I would go over some of the "why's" with him..."why do we set the mixture to rich for takeoff, why do we land with flaps on a soft field landing??" If he doesn't understand the importance of such things he'll be more likely to forget.
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I second that idea. Is it possible that he is memorizing the procedures for the maneuvers instead of understanding them? Perhaps you should switch roles and have him teach you the entire checkride. You're just there in case things go wrong.

Report back and let us know when he passes.
 
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