F LY I NG
by Meg Godlewski,
flying tips icon.indd 1 11/27/06 10:30: 56 AM
NAFI Master CFI
QI just started flying with a new
CFI. I’m in the cross-country phase
of my training. Although I took
a private pilot ground school, my
new CFI and I have discovered all
sorts of holes in my training. Stuff
I was supposed to have learned I
apparently never did. I intend to
go all the way through to Commer-ical pilot. How can I be sure this
doesn’t happen again?
You can protect yourself by becoming
familiar with the FAR/AIM and Practical Test Standards for the certificate
you are pursuing. The PTS is written off
the regulations from 14CFR Parts 61, 67
and 91 that are published in the FAR/
AIM. When you know what is required
of you, you will have a better idea if it
has been taught. Always make sure that
your course of study uses a syllabus so
that you know what to study.
QRecently a pilot from my
airport crashed. The local TV
station came out and wanted to
interview pilots and take pictures
of airplanes. The people who
talked to the media said things
about what a good person the
pilot was, but the story that came
out on TV made it sound like
pilots fly recklessly and endanger
the lives of people on the ground.
What are you supposed to do
when the media show up at your
airport to make sure that they get
the story right?
The brutal fact is you can’t do anything to stop the media from putting
out the story that they want to put out.
You can’t stop them from doing the story, but you can make it more difficult
for them by simply refusing to talk to
them. Politely decline and walk away.
Before you get tempted to talk, please
be aware that anything you say, even
before the cameras are rolling, can be
taken out of context. It doesn’t matter if
you only have three hours and a student
pilot certificate or were not a witness to
the accident, to the media you are an instant expert. Most reporters don’t intend
to be irresponsible, but like time-build-ing CFIs, their eyes are often on the next
job. Instead of talking to reporters, refer
them to Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s excellent web site for expert
information ( www.aopa.org). AOPA
handles national media constantly, and
the group knows how to keep the spin
on general aviation positive.
Ask A CFI — Are you a flight instructor
or a student pilot? Do you have a question
a WAI flight instructor could answer? You
can email editor@wai.org.
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Meg Godlewski (WAI #8165) writes for
General Aviation NewCs anMd is a YfreKquent contributor to Aviation for Women.
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