The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight
training, as outlined in this handbook, is the acquisition
and honing of basic airmanship skills. Airmanship
can be defined as:
• Asound acquaintance with the principles of
flight,
• The ability to operate an airplane with competence
and precision both on the ground and in the
air, and
• The exercise of sound judgment that results in
optimal operational safety and efficiency.
Learning to fly an airplane has often been likened to
learning to drive an automobile. This analogy is
misleading. Since an airplane operates in a different
environment, three dimensional, it requires a type of
motor skill development that is more sensitive to this
situation such as:
• Coordination—The ability to use the hands and
feet together subconsciously and in the proper
relationship to produce desired results in the airplane.
• Timing—The application of muscular coordination
at the proper instant to make flight, and all
maneuvers incident thereto, a constant smooth
process.
• Control touch—The ability to sense the action
of the airplane and its probable actions in the
immediate future, with regard to attitude and
speed variations, by the sensing and evaluation of
varying pressures and resistance of the control
surfaces transmitted through the cockpit flight
controls.
• Speed sense—The ability to sense instantly and
react to any reasonable variation of airspeed.
An airman becomes one with the airplane rather than
a machine operator. An accomplished airman
demonstrates the ability to assess a situation quickly
and accurately and deduce the correct procedure to
be followed under the circumstance; to analyze
accurately the probable results of a given set of circumstances
or of a proposed procedure; to exercise
care and due regard for safety; to gauge accurately
the performance of the airplane; and to recognize
personal limitations and limitations of the airplane
and avoid approaching the critical points of each.
The development of airmanship skills requires effort
and dedication on the part of both the student pilot
and the flight instructor, beginning with the very first
training flight where proper habit formation begins
with the student being introduced to good operating
practices.
Every airplane has its own particular flight characteristics.
The purpose of primary and intermediate flight
training, however, is not to learn how to fly a particular
make and model airplane. The underlying purpose of
flight training is to develop skills and safe habits that
are transferable to any airplane. Basic airmanship skills
serve as a firm foundation for this. The pilot who has
acquired necessary airmanship skills during training,
and demonstrates these skills by flying training-type
airplanes with precision and safe flying habits, will be
able to easily transition to more complex and higher
performance airplanes. It should also be remembered
that the goal of flight training is a safe and competent
pilot, and that passing required practical tests for pilot
certification is only incidental to this goal.
Airplane Flying Handbook