The aim of this chapter is to discuss and demonstrate various risk management techniques and their application within the flight training environment. Risk assessment and management is paramount for safety both in the air and on the ground and should not be underestimated as an essential part of flight training.

Verbal and written communication forms the basis for any kind of training. We explore this topic area in-depth and discuss various methods and approaches to allow future instructors to develop solid communication foundations for teaching.

Human behaviour and its relationships towards the learning environment is examined to give students an in-depth understanding of factors that may affect and improve learning. This key topic examines a range of personality types and outlines how to develop more effective training methods for each.

Planning and effectively teaching a lesson goes far beyond simply reading from a book. This important subject area looks at the different stages of student learning, and how to prepare and plan for a variety of student personality types. This skill set is extremely valuable and will teach you how to plan lessons for a broad range of subjects. It will also allow you to know when and how to reassess those plans to cater for different student learning levels.

As an instructor or teacher, learning how to assess your students can be just as important as the teaching process itself. An effective assessment will identify areas to work and improve on, but also focus on methods of improvement, which can then allow students to develop more effectively as their learning progresses.

A Flight Instructor’s roles and responsibilities encompass many important areas. Learning about the job itself and the skills required is essential, as Flight Instructors become role models for the future pilots they are training, regardless of whether they are in the air or on the ground. Exploring this subject area outlines the need for awareness and the obvious benefits of demonstrating high standards and values in a training environment.

This topic looks at applying the teaching methods and knowledge about the learning process into practice specifically during flight instruction. We look at specific flight training events that instructors will experience whilst teaching students and also work on the best techniques to not only handle situations well when they happen but have the ability to use them to further enhance student learning.