KNOWLEDGE Vs. SMARTS
Flight Instructors attempt to give students knowledge by giving them experience on a one-to-one basis. This for most students is unusual, because most of their previous learning has been in group situations (class). We have Practical Test Standards by which we measure the students. We have Standard Operating Procedures (“rote”) for standard conditions which we use as a teaching tool to create a foundation. We have oral and written tests to determine if “understanding” exists and finally we have the practical test which demonstrates “application”. Where do we achieve and how do we measure the highest order: “Correlation”?
Experience is not enough. For many, experience merely gives them the ability to recognize a mistake the second time they make it. What must be added into the mix is “Situational Awareness”. A pilot must be able to sort out what is different about the current situation and recognize what standard procedures might be undesirable. For example, something as simple as recognizing that your approach path and/or ground speed are too low and therefore choosing to not use flaps until needed. A good pilot guides the aircraft through and modifies what is happening as needed. Others spend full time correcting what just happened.
It is said that if you don’t know history you are bound to repeat it. Communication among aviators allows us to learn from the mistakes of others. However it is often a challenge to sort out the interesting but useless information. For instance how would you use knowledge of the distance of the Wright Brothers first powered flight compared to a 747 wingspan? Pilots who can quote a lot of trivia appear to be smart. Some Flight Instructors support their status this way. Ask them for the relevance of the trivia they just quoted and avoid them if they are unable to answer with logic. Learning to fly involves experiencing a large variety of situations backed up with communications that include a large variety of scenarios.
“Situational Awareness” involves gathering a lot of information then sorting out that which is pertinent by applying experience and/or logic to it. This gets more difficult if you include all the information a modern glass panel is capable of providing. Difficult in that it is easy to get overloaded. If this happens, get rid of the trivia, look outside and “Fly the Airplane”.
Dave from O’Regon
The flying No Spin Zone
Regarding the above article:
As an example here is some interesting trivia on another subject that will add to your overall knowledge. The challenge is to find even one item that you can use for any purpose other than to appear “smart” in a conversation.
INTERESTING
GEOGRAPHY
Alaska
More than
half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska.
Amazon
The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply. The
Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that, more than one
hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river; one can dip fresh water out of
the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next
eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all
rivers in the United States.
Antarctica
Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country.
Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica. This ice also represents
seventy percent of all the fresh water in the world. As strange as it sounds,
however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total
precipitation is about two inches Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it,
i.e.), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet; with an absolute humidity
lower than the Gobi desert.
Brazil
Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.
Canada
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian
word meaning "Big Village."
Chicago
Next to Warsaw, Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.
Detroit
Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, carries the designation M-1, named so
because it was the first paved road anywhere.
Damascus, Syria
Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was
founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in
existence.
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de
Porciuncula --and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.
New York City
The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who
used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore, to play New
York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple. There are more Irish in New
York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome,
Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ohio
There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio, every one is manmade.
Pitcairn
Island
The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia, at just 1.75
sq. miles/4,53 sq. km.
Rome
The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome, Italy in 133
B.C. There is a city called Rome on every continent.
Siberia
Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.
S.M.O.M.
The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military
Order of Malta (S.M.O.M.). It is located in the city of Rome, Italy, has an area
of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 people less than
the Vatican. It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the
Vatican is.
Sahara Desert
In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Tidikelt, which did not receive a
drop of rain for ten years. Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in
the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island. There has been no rainfall there
for two million years.
Spain
Spain literally means 'the land of rabbits.'
St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota, was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre
"Pig's Eye" Parrant who set up the first business there.
Roads
Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A.: 1%, in Canada: 75%
Texas
The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas. It is as deep as 20 empire
state buildings but only 3 inches wide.
United States
The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one-mile in every five must be
straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or
other emergencies.
Waterfalls
The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet
(979 meters). They are 15 times higher than Niagara Falls.
So, didn't it feel good to learn something new today???
It is always said you should learn something new every day to balance the things
you forget as you grow older.