Using these notes

By this lesson the student plans much of the flight themselves. The pre-flight brief is where the performance numbers they calculated get checked and the threats of a marginal strip get named — keep it to about 10 minutes, at the whiteboard, working interactively: ask, draw, and listen rather than present.

The components (choose your own order on the planning page):

The aim of the flight

Ask — "From the theory: what are we trying to achieve today?"

Expect — in the student's own words, something close to:

• take off in the minimum distance and climb at best angle to clear an obstacle
• land at a nominated point at the minimum safe speed and stop in the minimum distance
• calculate and respect the take-off and landing performance for the conditions

Write the aim briefly on the board — it anchors the numbers and the technique you'll draw.

Today's numbers — performance check

This lesson lives or dies on the numbers. Do this part with the student's own charts and today's forecast in front of you.

Ask — "Walk me through your take-off and landing distance for today. What did you correct for, and in what order?"

Expect — pressure altitude / temperature → weight → wind component → surface / slope → safety factor. Listen for the distance to 50 ft, not just the ground run.

Draw — fill in today's figures:

• Pressure altitude: ______   Temp: ______   Density altitude effect: ______
• Take-off weight: ______   Take-off distance (50 ft): ______
• Landing weight: ______   Landing distance (50 ft): ______
• Runway available (TODA / LDA): ______   Margin remaining: ______

Ask — "Wind is ______ — what are the head and crosswind components?" (clock rule: 30° → ½, 45° → ¾, 60°+ → full)

Expect — a quick, confident split, and a check that the crosswind is within limits and the margin is sensible if the wind drops or swings.

Today's flight — whiteboard walk-through

Draw — the flight as a path: taxi → short-field take-off → circuit → short-field landing → repeat. Fill in your local details:

• Runway: ______    Circuit direction: ______
• Obstacle to clear / assumed obstacle: ______
• Best-angle climb speed : ______   Best-rate : ______
• Short-field approach speed: ______   Aim point: ______
• CTAF / frequencies: ______

Draw — the take-off as a profile: all runway → full power on brakes → lift off → to the obstacle → flap up → accelerate to .

Draw — the landing as a profile: stable full-flap approach → minimum speed at the boundary → minimal float → touchdown at the aim point → maximum braking.

Ask — "What's the sequence for raising flap after take-off, and why not earlier?" and "What touches down first, and where are your eyes in the flare?"

Expect — flap up only after the obstacle and at a safe speed; eyes well ahead (≈ 50–100 m) for the flare. If these don't come back readily, revisit them now.

Threats and how we'll manage them

I'M SAFE and PAVE are standing checks before every flight — the student should walk through them, not be taught them.

Ask — "Run me through your I'M SAFE — any flags today?"

Expect — Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Eating — honest self-assessment done before driving in.

Ask — "Apply PAVE to today's short-field work." Listen especially for enVironment (density altitude, wind, surface) and External pressures — the temptation to operate from a strip that's "probably fine".

Draw — list the genuine threats for this flight:

Ask — apply TEAM to each: Transfer · Eliminate · Accept · Mitigate.

For a marginal strip, the honest answer is often Eliminate — choose a longer runway, a cooler time of day, or a lighter load. Model that the safest short-field technique is sometimes not operating from the short field.

Airmanship emphasis — the go/no-go decision

This lesson's emphasis: the performance numbers are a decision you make on the ground, not a hope you fly.

Ask — "What's our committal point on the take-off — the spot by which we must be airborne, or we stop?"

Expect — a nominated point along the runway (and the decision to reject and stop if it's not made). Draw it on the strip.

Ask — "On the landing, what would make you go around — and how late can you decide?"

Expect — too fast / too high at the boundary, a balloon or bounce, any doubt about stopping. The go-around can be flown right down to the ground; reinforce early and unhesitating.

Rehearse the recovery — say it out loud now: engine failure on the best-angle climb → nose down immediately, glide attitude, land ahead. The slow, steep climb is close to the stall, so the reaction must be faster than from a normal climb.

The first time the steep climb or the low, slow approach feels unusual is normal — flying the target speed precisely is what keeps the margin.

Questions, then fly

Ask — "Any questions before we head out?"

Quick recap as you pack up the whiteboard:

• The numbers say go / no-go — we decided on the ground
• All runway · full power · to the obstacle · flap up after
• Minimum safe speed at the boundary · aim point · max braking · go around early
• Engine failure on climb-out → nose down first

Confirm who handles the taxi and the radio, and go flying.