Flight Training by Habit

Habits are automatic routines. Automation is a process to reduce workload or even the brain power required. Our flying is a large part habit. The preflight is a flow or routine, the pattern work is a routine/habit, the flying and taxiing is a habit. Habits are formed during the training. Habits do not replace a lack of talent or skill.
Habits can be good or bad, but even the best habit can have flaws. Its habit when you’re at an intersection in your car to look both ways before entering, yet how many times usually because your mind was often thinking on other things that you looked but didn’t “see” that traffic or misjudged the traffic. City puts up a new stop sign at an intersection and you “forget” to stop for a time or have a delayed reaction. For us pilots a new tower opens and we forget first flights around that area. (why in part they have a “no fault but reminder” period). This is the flaw of a good habit.
Habit is a three-point cycle. A cue, a routine, a reward.


Taking off – the cue is when the plane is ready for takeoff in my training a certain feel of the plane then a check of the instrument determining that it agrees then the automatic pulling of the yoke and slight pressure of the right rudder. And that reward is the feeling of flight... is there more details? Absolutely more details of sight picture, sounds, etc... but like learning to drive most don’t think much on the details of measuring distance, judging speed in a turn etc., as they did when they first started learning.Habits are automatic routines. Automation is a process to reduce workload or even the brain power required. Our flying is a large part habit. The preflight is a flow or routine, the pattern work is a routine/habit, the flying and taxiing is a habit. Habits are formed during the training.
Habits can be good or bad, but even the best habit can have flaws. Its habit when you’re at an intersection in your car to look both ways before entering, yet how many times usually because your mind was often thinking on other things that you looked but didn’t “see” that traffic or misjudged the traffic. City puts up a new stop sign at an intersection and you “forget” to stop for a time or have a delayed reaction. For us pilots a new tower opens and we forget first flights around that area. (why in part they have a “no fault but reminder” period). This is the flaw of a good habit.
Habit is a three-point cycle. A cue, a routine, a reward.
Taking off – the cue is when the plane is ready for takeoff in my training a certain feel of the plane then a check of the instrument determining that it agrees then the automatic pulling of the yoke and slight pressure of the right rudder. And that reward is the feeling of flight... is there more details? Absolutely more details of sight picture, sounds, etc... but like learning to drive most don’t think much on the details of measuring distance, judging speed in a turn etc., as they did when they first started learning.
We as instructors must be mindful of the habits we teach. I meet many students who are checklist habit or instrument habit bound to even do a start of a basic trainer or a basic pattern wanting the “numbers” (exact speed, altitude and power settings) or unable to perform a basic stall without staring at an instrument or perform a 90 degree turn even.
Airlines teach Tasks, Flows, Checklists. Now I don’t consider that what works for airlines or military is always applicable to General Aviation, but I was taught in a very old school aircraft by similar old school instructor (yes, my dad) a similar method just didn’t give it a name. Obviously, this habit was brought from the basics that were born in general aviation and works in all genres of aviation. We checked the fuel and oil, those first tasks as usually meant getting those elsewhere or await them to be brought to us, then we preflighted the aircraft while awaiting or putting in as part of the flow, and the checklist was in hand to verify we didn’t miss something important (Cue us back to something) or if had been distracted during our flow where to start again. Checklist can be used a Cue to start a routine, but I am old school of its secondary to what I should likely have some automation in my brain to start handling allowing the brain to deal with the new stress level to then add use of a checklist to deal with something not in my habit other than a memory item. The simpler the aircraft the more I can likely keep in my brain as a habit, the more complex the process the more my habit may be limited. But basic flying skills should always be habit… Bring able to see wings level without an instrument should be automatic, your instrument scan must become automatic if looking to react quickly and subtly, which is a challenge if the layout is rarely the same between aircraft flying.
Aviate, Navigate, communicate is a formation of a good habit intention… flying the plane should be in part automatic, navigation is a form of habit once the plane is flying as desired then we must steer it as required, then we talk on the radio. On the ground we might place communication before lining up for takeoff but radio should never be first in landing or first during an emergency or deviation like a go around or aborted takeoff… as an instructor I have seen this by many pilots that trained in heavy radio required airports and heard the horror stories from many a DPE of similar actions during checkride.
Habits we all know are often hard to break. To break a habit, we have to change the routine after the cue and this is tricky in aviation as is the reward. Often, I’m changing cues as well as routine... but that old habit is often still heavily ingrained in the pilot that first habit will show first under stress but if they have practiced that new habit and there is time they will use new habit... so with that thought old habits never truly die. Imagine a pilot with a bad habit of pulling up drastically with every aborted landing, this habit unchanged could be seriously bad during a power loss during that time. Now with good practice they may learn to not pull up or they might initially start to pull but level nose on horizon, its that time frame in between the reactions that can make the difference. Some habits are just a muscle memory of reaching for a control lever in a familiar spot like flap handle yet new aircraft the gear handle is in that spot. The habit of teaching the pilot to say, touch, look/verify, then move, may prevent that simple situation from occurring even if they likely never change aircraft or seats. Much the same of not moving flaps and such till clear of runway... or until the aircraft is under control and assured stoppage and the above steps still apply. Learning new aircraft, moving up to corporate, freight or airlines is just another level of habits on top of habits already formed. Make sure your foundations are good habits.
Willpower is another subject that overlaps into willingness to practice good habits and willpower is just a muscle if is overtaxed a person will not have the willpower left to use elsewhere.  That’s a subject for another day.

We as instructors must be mindful of the habits we teach. I meet many students who are checklist habit or instrument habit bound to even do a start of a basic trainer or a basic pattern wanting the “numbers” (exact speed, altitude and power settings) or unable to perform a basic stall without staring at an instrument or perform a 90 degree turn even.
Airlines teach Tasks, Flows, Checklists. Now I don’t consider that what works for airlines or military is always applicable to General Aviation, but I was taught in a very old school aircraft by similar old school instructor (yes, my dad) a similar method just didn’t give it a name. Obviously, this habit was brought from the basics that were born in general aviation and works in all genres of aviation. We checked the fuel and oil, those first tasks as usually meant getting those elsewhere or await them to be brought to us, then we preflighted the aircraft while awaiting or putting in as part of the flow, and the checklist was in hand to verify we didn’t miss something important (Cue us back to something) or if had been distracted during our flow where to start again. Checklist can be used a Cue to start a routine, but I am old school as its secondary to what I should likely have some automation in my brain to start handling allowing the brain to deal with the radio, and passenger chatter, other complexities, to then add use of a checklist to deal with something not in my habit. The simpler the aircraft the more I can likely keep in my brain as a habit, the more complex the process the more my habit may be limited. But basic flying skills should always be habit… Being able to see wings level without an instrument should be automatic, your instrument scan must become automatic if looking to react quickly and subtly, which is a challenge if the layout is rarely the same between aircraft flying then you revert to flying the aircraft sower to accommodate this situation An Acronym usage is just a mental checklist to use when perhaps the hands are too busy to flip those pages (why many checklists are actually on labels in the cockpit!)
Aviate, Navigate, communicate is a formation of a good habit intention… flying the plane should be in part automatic, navigation is a form of habit once the plane is flying as desired then we must steer it as required, then we talk on the radio. On the ground we might place communication before lining up for takeoff but radio should never be first in landing or first during an emergency or deviation like a go around or aborted takeoff… as an instructor I have seen this by many pilots that trained in heavy radio required airports and heard the horror stories from many a DPE of similar actions during checkride.
Habits we all know are often hard to break. To break a habit, we have to change the routine after the cue and this is tricky in aviation as is the reward. Often, I’m changing cues as well as routine... but that old habit is often still heavily ingrained in the pilot that first habit will show first under stress but if they have practiced that new habit and there is time they will use new habit... so with that thought old habits never truly die. Imagine a pilot with a bad habit of pulling up drastically with every aborted landing, this habit unchanged could be seriously bad during a power loss during that time. Now with good practice they may learn to not pull up or they might initially start to pull but level nose on horizon, its that time frame in between the reactions that can make the difference. Some habits are just a muscle memory of reaching for a control lever in a familiar spot like flap handle yet new aircraft the gear handle is in that spot. The habit of teaching the pilot to say, touch, look/verify, then move, may prevent that simple situation from occurring even if they likely never change aircraft or seats. Much the same of not moving flaps and such till clear of runway... or until the aircraft is under control and assured stoppage and the above steps still apply. Learning new aircraft, moving up to corporate, freight or airlines is just another level of habits on top of habits already formed. Make sure your foundations are good habits.
Willpower is another subject that overlaps into willingness to practice good habits and willpower is just a muscle if is overtaxed a person will not have the willpower left to use elsewhere.  That’s a subject for another day.

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