Main menu Home About Archive Popular Posts Photos Contact Subscribe The House of Rapp …on the Web since 1995! Category: Instructing The Art of Teaching The Chicken or the Egg? by Ron Rapp on June 18, 2018 in Instructing, Opinion Leaders • 17 Comments The GA ecosystem is at a tipping point. There simply aren’t enough instructors to address the pilot shortage using the current system… but that doesn’t mean the problem can’t be solved. Read more → Instructional Techniques: Reinventing the Wheel by Ron Rapp on February 13, 2018 in IFR, Instructing • 6 Comments The techniques we use to teach instrument flying are sometimes panned as old, inefficient, or boring. I take exception with that viewpoint. Read more → The Differences Training Difference by Ron Rapp on December 20, 2016 in Instructing, Opinion Leaders • 6 Comments Each flying job requires a unique set of skills. Failure to heed the small differences can lead to big accidents, and sometimes that failure goes back to the pilot’s training — or lack thereof. Read more → The Accidental Solo by Ron Rapp on October 23, 2016 in Aerobatics, Instructing • 8 Comments A first solo flight is always a memorable experience for both student and instructor, but there are a few that stick out in my memory than others. For example, when you solo accidentally… Read more → We’re All Instructors by Ron Rapp on September 7, 2016 in Instructing • 16 Comments Every pilot is a flight instructor, whether they know it or not. I make the case for recognizing that fact and acting accordingly when flying. Read more → The Reluctant Instructor by Ron Rapp on November 23, 2015 in Instructing • 41 Comments The “1500 hour rule” is a well-known barrier for aspiring airline pilots. What nobody seems to be talking about is the detrimental effect it will have on the flight instructor community. Read more → The Spiral Dive Conundrum by Ron Rapp on June 8, 2015 in Instructing • 8 Comments Over 40 percent of GA fatal accidents occurred because pilots lost control of their airplanes, and a spiral dive is sometimes part of the final moments. How do we accurately train for such a hazardous situation? Read more → Teaching a Homeless Man to Fly by Ron Rapp on December 8, 2014 in Aerobatics, Instructing • 19 Comments A fellow pilot recently wrote about teaching a homeless man to fly. His post reminded me that I once did the same thing, and in the process learned a valuable lesson about how we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to achieving long-held goals. Read more → Learning to Fly — Without An Instructor? by Ron Rapp on May 20, 2014 in Instructing • 28 Comments Just how important is the instructor when it comes to learning to fly? That might be a surprising question for an CFI to ask, but the longer I teach, the more cognizant I become of the many ways in which an instructor can function as a barrier to the student’s progress. And apparently I’m not the only one who feels that way. Last month, Paul Bertorelli penned (keyed?) an editorial about simulator maven Redbird stepping into the training void created by Cessna’s shift away from the piston market. What caught my eye about the piece was this line: Read more → Breaking the Rules: Teaching Snap Rolls by Ron Rapp on April 30, 2014 in Aerobatics, Instructing • 13 Comments Efficient aerobatic instruction is challenging enough when you’re doing a loop, hammerhead, or Cuban. Those figures last ten or fifteen seconds. A snap roll is over in about one second, and what’s happening is far more involved. So how does one teach the ‘snap’ when this complex maneuver is over almost before it starts? The method I’ve settled upon involves using techniques I normally avoid like the plague. Read more → Posts navigation Older posts About the Author Ron Rapp is a Gulfstream G650 captain, instructor, and aviation writer specializing in tailwheel, aerobatic, experimental, formation, and glass-panel flying. He's also an aircraft owner, aerobatic competitor, and a National-level judge. Ron and his family reside in beautiful Orange County, California. (read more) Search Search for: Copyright © 2021 The House of Rapp. All Rights Reserved. Follow Get the latest posts delivered to your mailbox: