A training folder for each learner helps an instructor keep all pertinent data in one place. The folder should include items such
as lesson plans, training requirements, flight or ground instruction received, 14 CFR part 61 requirements met, solo endorsements,
and any other training information. Many training records are now recorded and maintained electronically. These records should be
kept for at least 3 years. Good recordkeeping also provides each instructor with the number of learners he or she has trained,
which is helpful information for an instructor who needs to renew his or her certificate.
Purpose of the Lesson Plan
Lesson plans are designed to assure that each learner receives the best possible instruction under the existing conditions. Lesson plans
help instructors keep a constant check on their own activity, as well as that of their learners. The development of lesson plans
by instructors signifies, in effect, that they have taught the lessons to themselves prior to attempting to teach the lessons to learners.
An adequate lesson plan, when properly used, should:
⦁ Assure a wise selection of material and the elimination of unimportant details.
⦁ Make certain that due consideration is given to each part of the lesson.
⦁ Aid the instructor in presenting the material in a suitable sequence for efficient learning.
⦁ Provide an outline of the teaching procedure to be used.
⦁ Serve as a means of relating the lesson to the objectives of the course of training.
⦁ Give the inexperienced instructor confidence.
⦁ Promote uniformity of instruction regardless of the instructor or the date on which the lesson is given.
Characteristics of a Well-Planned Lesson
The quality of planning affects the quality of results. Successful professionals understand that the price of excellence is hard work and
thorough preparation. The effective instructor realizes that the time and energy spent in planning and preparing each lesson is well
worth the effort in the long run.
A complete cycle of planning usually includes several steps. After the objective is determined, the instructor researches the subject as
it is defined by the objective. Once the research is complete, the instructor determines the method of instruction and identifies a useful
lesson planning format. The decision of how to organize the lesson and the selection of suitable support material come next. The final
steps include assembling training aids and writing the lesson plan outline. One technique for writing the lesson plan outline is to
prepare the beginning and ending first. Then, complete the outline and revise as required. A lesson plan should be a working
document that can and should be revised as changes occur or are needed.
The following are some of the important characteristics that should be reflected in all well-planned lessons.
Unity—each lesson should be a unified segment of instruction. A lesson is concerned with certain limited objectives, which are stated
in terms of desired learning outcomes. All teaching procedures and materials should be selected to attain these objectives.
Content—each lesson should contain new material. However, the new facts, principles, procedures, or skills should be related to the
lesson previously presented. A short review of earlier lessons is usually necessary, particularly in-flight training.
Scope—each lesson should be reasonable in scope. A person can master only a few principles or skills at a time, the number
depending on complexity. Presenting too much material in a lesson results in confusion; presenting too little material results in
inefficiency.
Practicality—each lesson should be planned in terms of the conditions under which the training is to be conducted. Lesson plans
conducted in an airplane or ground trainer will differ from those conducted in a classroom. Also, the kinds and quantities of
instructional aids available have a great influence on lesson planning and instructional procedures.
Flexibility—although the lesson plan provides an outline and sequence for the training to be conducted, a degree of flexibility should
be incorporated. For example, the outline of content may include blank spaces for add-on material, if required.
Relation to course of training —each lesson should be planned and taught so that its relation to the course objectives is clear to each
learner. For example, a lesson on short-field takeoffs and landings should be related to both the certification and safety objectives of
the course of training.
Instructional steps—every lesson, when adequately developed, falls logically into the four steps of the teaching process: preparation,
presentation, application, and review and evaluation.
How to Use a Lesson Plan Properly
Be familiar with the lesson plan. The instructor should study each step of the plan and should be thoroughly familiar with as much
information related to the subject as possible.
Use the lesson plan as a guide. The lesson plan is an outline for conducting an instructional period. It assures that pertinent materials
are at hand and that the presentation is accomplished with order and unity. Having a plan prevents the instructor from getting off
track, omitting essential points, and introducing irrelevant material. Learners have a right to expect an instructor to give the same
attention to teaching that they give to learning. The most certain means of achieving teaching success is to have a carefully reviewed
lesson plan.
Adapt the lesson plan to the class or learner. In teaching a class, the instructor may find that the procedures outlined in the lesson plan
are not leading to the desired results. In this situation, the instructor should change the approach. There is no certain way of predicting
the reactions of different groups of learners. An approach that has been successful with one group may not be equally successful with
another.
A lesson plan for an instructional flight period should be appropriate to the background, flight experience, and ability of the particular
learner. A lesson plan may have to be modified considerably during flight, due to deficiencies in the learner’s knowledge or poor
mastery of elements essential to the effective completion of the lesson. In some cases, the entire lesson plan may have to be
abandoned in favor of review.
Revise the lesson plan periodically. After a lesson plan has been prepared for a training period, a continuous revision may b e
necessary. This is true for a number of reasons such as availability or non-availability of instructional aids, changes in regulations, or
new manuals and textbooks.
Lesson Plan Formats
The format and style of a lesson plan depends on several factors. Certainly, the subject matter helps determine how a lesson is
presented and what teaching method is used. Individual lesson plans may be quite simple for one- on-one training, or they may be
elaborate and complicated for large, structured classroom lessons. Preferably, each lesson should have somewhat limited objectives
that are achievable within a reasonable period of time. This principle should apply to both ground and flight training. However, as
previously noted, aviation training is not simple. It involves all three domains of learning, and the objectives usually include the
higher levels of learning, at least at the application level.
In spite of need for varied subject coverage, diverse teaching methods, and relatively high-level learning objectives, most aviation
lesson plans have the common characteristics already discussed. All should include objectives, content to support the objectives, and
completion standards. Various authorities often divide the main headings into several subheadings; terminology, even for the main
headings, varies extensively. For example, completion standards may be called assessment, review and feedback, performance
evaluation, or some other related term.
Commercially developed lesson plans are acceptable for most training situations, including use by flight instructor applicants during
their practical tests. However, all instructors should recognize that even well-designed preprinted lesson plans may need to be
modified. Therefore, instructors are encouraged to use creativity when adapting preprinted lesson plans or when developing their own
lesson plans for specific learners or training circumstances.
In the traditional lesson plan illustrated by Figure 7-6, the objective is “The learner will learn to control for wind drift.” According to
the plan, the instructor reviews topics already covered including heading, speed, angle of bank, altitude, terrain, and wind direction
plus velocity. This explanation is followed by a demonstration and repeated practice of a specific flight maneuver, such as turns
around a point or S-turns across the road until the maneuver can be consistently accomplished in a safe and effective manner within a
specified limit of heading, altitude, and airspeed. At the end of this lesson, the learner is only capable of practicing the maneuver with
assistance from the instructor.
The traditional type of training lesson plan with its focus on the task and maneuver or procedure continues to meet many aviation
learning requirements, but as discussed earlier in the chapter, it is being augmented by more realistic and fluid forms of
problem-based learning such as SBT. For the flight instructor, this type of training does not preclude traditional maneuver-based
training. Rather, flight maneuvers are integrated into the flight scenarios and conducted as they would occur in the real world.
Those maneuvers requiring repetition are still taught during concentrated settings; once learned, they are then integrated into realistic
flight situations.
For the aviation technician instructor, SBT enhances traditional classroom instruction. By integrating SBT into the lesson, learners
are required to deal with problems they will encounter in the real world.
Figure 7-6. Example of a traditional training lesson plan.
Scenario-Based Training (SBT)
Improper pilot decisions cause a significant percentage of all accidents and the majority of fatal accidents in light single- and twin-
engine aircraft. The goal of SBT is to challenge the learner or transitioning pilot with a variety of flight scenarios to improve
decision-making skills. These scenarios train the pilot to manage the resources available in the flight deck, consider hazards, exercise
sound judgment, and make timely decisions that promote safety.
As defined in Chapter 5, SBT is a training method that uses a highly structured script of real world experiences to address aviation
training objectives in an operational environment. Such training can include initial training, transition training, upgrade training,
recurrent training, and special training. Since humans develop cognitive skills through active interaction with the world, an effective
aviation instructor uses the maneuver- or procedure-based approach but presents the objectives in a scenario situation.
Although some flight instructors have used the SBT approach as a teaching method for many years, the current emphasis on
SBT in aviation training reflects education research that shows learning is more effective when participants are actively
involved in the learning process.
Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM) requires the learner or transitioning pilot to practice the decision-making process in real-
world situations, It combines traditional task and maneuver-based training with SBT to enhance ADM, risk management, and SRM
skills without compromising basic aeronautical skills. Instead of training pilots to pass practical tests, this program focuses on
expertly managed real-world challenges.
Duties, Responsibilities, and Authority of the Aviation Instructor
The duties, responsibilities, and authority of the aviation instructor include the following:
1. Orient new learners to the SBT approach.
2. Help the learner become a confident planner and a critical self-evaluator of performance.
3. Help the learner understand the knowledge requirements present in real world applications.
4. Diagnose learning difficulties and help the individual overcome them.
5. Evaluate learner progress and maintain appropriate records.
6. Provide continuous review of learning.
The aviation instructor is the key to the success of SBT. Remember, the overall learning objective is for the learner to be ready to
exercise sound judgment and make good decisions. For example, the flight instructor should be ready to turn the responsibility for
planning and execution of the flight over to the learner as soon as possible. The flight instructor continues to demonstrate and instruct
skill maneuvers in the traditional manner; but, when the learner begins to make decisions, the flight instructor should revert to the role
of mentor and learning facilitator.
SBT Lesson Plan
The SBT lesson plan differs from the traditional lesson plan. [Figure 7-7] In this example, the instructor pilot tells the learner to plan
for arrival at a specific nontowered airport. The planning should take into consideration the possible wind conditions, arrival paths,
airport information and communication procedures, available runways, recommended traffic patterns, courses of action, and
preparation for unexpected situations. Upon arrival at the airport, the learner makes decisions (with guidance and feedback, as
necessary) to safely enter and fly the traffic pattern. This is followed by a discussion of what was done, why it was done, the
consequences, other possible courses of action, and how it applies to other airports. In contrast to the learner who trained under the
traditional lesson plan, the learner who trains under the SBT format is not only capable of a specific flight maneuver, he or she is now
capable of detailing a safe arrival at any nontowered airport in a variety of wind condition.
Pre-Scenario Planning
For SBT instruction to be effective, it is vital that the aviation instructor and learner establish the following information:
Flight scenario:
⦁ Scenario destination(s)
⦁ Desired learning outcomes
⦁ Desired level of learner performance
⦁ Possible inflight scenario changes
Nonflight scenario:
⦁ Narrative of the task goal
⦁ Desired learning outcomes
⦁ Desired level of learner performance
⦁ Possible scenario changes
Figure 7-7. SBT lesson plan.
The aviation industry is moving from traditional knowledge-related learning outcomes to an emphasis on increased internalized
learning in which learners assess situations and react appropriately. Enhancement of knowledge and understanding usually
accompanies a dynamic learning experience.
Reality is the ultimate learning situation and SBT attempts to get as close as possible to this ideal. It addresses learning that occurs in
a context or situation. It is based on the concept of situated cognition, which is the idea that knowledge cannot be known and fully
understood independent of its context. In other words, humans learn better from realistic situations where they are counted on to
perform.
For example, realistic cross-country flight scenarios planned and executed by the pilot in training with assistance from the flight
instructor begin the early development of flight deck management skills, situational awareness, and ADM. Continued engagement by
the learner in the planning, executing, and assessment of each scenario reinforces development throughout the training. It is important
to remember the learner is responsible for planning the flight scenario from a menu of short cross-country flights developed by the
training provider. While the flight instructor will certainly assist the learner in aircraft performance data, weight and balance, and
general aircraft layout prior to the first lesson, the sooner the learner assumes these responsibilities, the better the learning
environment. The scenario descriptions offered in the FAA generic syllabi are a starting point for the training provider. Scenarios can
be tailored for the local weather and terrain conditions and are most effective when they replicate the environment most likely
encountered by the learners.
SBT is a compilation of basic learning theory, adult learning concepts, and the best of the traditional aviation training procedures.
Above all, it is about learning complex tasks in a realistic environment at a pace and in a structure the individual learner can
comprehend and process. [Figure 7-8] Good teaching techniques are still important, but only if they aid in learning. More detailed
information about SBT can be found at www.faa.gov/training_testing/training/fits/more/.
Figure 7-8. Points to remember about scenario-based training.
Single-Pilot Resource Management
SRM is the art and science of managing all the resources (both on-board the aircraft and from outside sources) available to a single
pilot (prior and during flight) to ensure that the successful outcome of the flight is never in doubt.
The emergence of very light jet (VLJ) aircraft may also affect air travel. [Figure 7-9] Central to their economic success is the concept
of single-pilot operations. Since the aircraft is heavily automated, the pilot’s workload may actually be less than the current workload
in some high performance single-engine aircraft. This allows more time for the pilot to gather and analyze information about weather,
winds, landing conditions, fuel state, pilot physical condition, and passenger desires.
Figure 7-9. Very light jet aircraft in flight.
However, unless the pilot is trained to manage all of these factors and to let the aircraft automation assist, the workload may be very
high. SRM training helps the pilot maintain situational awareness by managing the automation and associated aircraft control and
navigation tasks. This enables the pilot to accurately assess, manage risk, and make accurate and timely decisions. SBT enhances
SRM because SBT helps pilots learn how to gather information, analyze it, and make decisions.
Chapter Summary
As indicated by this chapter, it is possible to develop well-planned and organized instruction by using a training syllabus and lesson
plans that meet all regulatory certification requirements. By identifying and incorporating “blocks of learning” into the teaching of
objectives, the instructor can plan lessons that build on prior knowledge. Maneuver and/or procedure training coupled with S BT will
help the aviation instructor train professional aviators and technicians who are able to gather and analyze information to aid in making
good aeronautical decisions and decrease risk factors, leading to a successful flight or maintenance outcome.
As this training program evolves and new resources are introduced, aviation instructors may access web-based documents such as
the generic transition syllabus at www.faa.gov/.