Quick Start: What is this anyway?

Tips, techniques, and completion standards for all the Private (PPLH) and Commercial (CPLH) maneuvers. For students, you can use this to go over each maneuver before you go out to practice it. For CFIs, it’s what you make of it. At the minimum, it could be plug-and-play lesson plans for you, but I hope you’ll do more than just mooch the work of others. Hopefully you’ll be able to draw on the experience of a community of pilots, most of who probably have more experience than the average CFI. As this resource develops, and as you gain experience, maybe you’ll also be able to add to and improve it.

How It Works

WikiRFM is set up as a WordPress Wiki, which is unimportant except that you can not only come here to view and comment on it, but you can add to and change it. This is primarily for the Robinson R-22. For better or worse, this is the most commonly used trainer, even though the R-44 and 269/300 may be more agreeable training platforms. If the interest is there, I would like to add sections for other aircraft, and for advanced maneuvers. Not now though. When critiquing and contributing to WikiRFM, focus on the Robinson R-22. So, find a topic that interests you, read it, and add your insight. Tweak what others wrote. Comment on their suggestions. Whatever, as long as it improves the lesson. 

Why Do I Think This is Necessary?

The Least Experienced Pilots Train New Pilots

This was the biggest motivator. Probably 90% of my first 200 hours of flight training was with CFIs who had less than a year of teaching experience. If you’re new, there’s a good chance that your instructor will only have a few hundred hours more experience flying than you. But I’ve spent some time flying with and talking to high-time instructors and high-time pilots (many on the VerticalReference forums). Per hour with these guys, I’ve learned more than with any other instructor that I’ve flown with. This isn’t a criticism of anybody I’ve ever flown with, it’s the reality of learning to fly helicopters in the US. But for those of you trying to learn, wouldn’t you want access to the most knowledgeable instructors and their methods? For those of you who want to be great instructors, why not have a resource where you can learn from others’ experiences?

Known Unknowns and Unknown Unknowns

Think about it. By the time your training is finished, you will have been looking at the world from a pilot’s perspective for a whole year, maybe 2 at the most. Your instructor probably has only a few more months experience. I have no idea what I don’t know, and I can’t teach you what I don’t know.

There Is No Single Flight Training Resource For Helicopter Pilots

My lesson plans are a shambles, not because I just slapped them together, but because there’s so much information out there. I’d start writing up one section that I thought I really understood, and at the end of the day I wouldn’t have completed it (to my satisfaction anyway). And once I “finish” a lesson, I see something else that changes my way of thinking and I’m back to tweaking it. Part of the problem is that most of the resources available to CFIs are incomplete, outdated, too generic, or all three. To put together really good, really comprehensive lesson plan, I found myself going to a half-dozen books, reading the forums, and looking at notes from conversations that I’ve had with other instructors. This is a massive pain in the ass, and more effort than its worth for most instructors. It’s the same experience for students: the Rotorcraft Flying Handbook has its shortcomings and to truly learn some things you need to look elsewhere. Learning should be easier.

Flight Schools Hire Their Own

And there are good reasons for this…namely, that they then know who they’re dealing with. The downside is that a school’s method for teaching can quickly get homogenized. I won’t say much more about this except that there’s a reason our scientists, doctors, engineers, and other professionals are encouraged to mix it up when it comes to where they get their training. Experiencing different teaching styles and environments encourages their development as professionals, enriches their experience, and ultimately makes them better prepared to deal with the real world.

Exceptionally Boring Details

I haven’t figured them out yet. I think I’ll start by posting lesson plans for a couple of maneuvers, see how it gets marked up, and then decide. Part of the process will involve rating the lesson plan. At some point, I may close the plan for editing but leave it open for commenting. Or not. This is all just an experiment right now. Add a comment and let me know what you think. Please read the awful legal stuff for the terms of service.