In the Loop - Nine Principles of Light Airplane Flying

Meridian, ID – IAC member and award-winning Master Flight Instructor Rich Stowell recently published a paper identifying the first principles of light airplane flying. Nine principles are offered, divided into the three categories Mindset, Motion, and Mechanics.

 

According to Stowell, who has 35 years of experience providing spin, emergency maneuver, and aerobatic training, “Because they are unchanging, first principles give us a solid foundation to build on.” He added, “The principles should look familiar to most pilots. What I’ve tried to do is identify, refine, and list them in one place.” The hope is that others will see value in having a set of defined principles to work from and fall back on, especially pilots who seek mastery through deeper knowledge.

 

The paper explores the principles vis-à-vis familiar concepts that stem from them, as well as examples of the principles applied during training. Connections between the principles and representative examples of training content and activities are illustrated as well. Additionally, examples of the progression from the rote level of learning to the correlation level are presented within the framework of the nine principles.

 

A good example of training content rooted in first principles is the free Learn to Turn program released by Stowell last year. The featured principle is “Lines and Circles.” That is, airplanes move along either straight or curved flight paths. Straight segments can be level, climbing, or descending; curved segments can be in the horizontal, the oblique, or the vertical. All maneuvers can be resolved into these segments.

 

One goal of the paper is to start a dialogue about first principles thinking and its role in improving flight training content and methods. Another is to provide a clearer path to the correlation level of learning, thereby enhancing knowledge, skills, awareness, and ultimately, safety. Next steps include developing an online course and experimenting with integrating the principles into existing curricula.