Improve the planning of student pilots’ flight schedules

The Finnish Aviation Academy issues aircraft for up to eight hours to pilots on its courses. This causes unnecessary haste and puts undue pressure on them to complete several successive flights within the time allotted. The time allotted to the student pilot should always be utilised in the most efficient manner in order to build up their hours as pilot-in-command. By changing the daily flight schedule so that it alternates between several students it would be possible to generate the same number of flight hours per student – perhaps even more. It is also likely that this would improve the learning results because the student would have more time to digest the events of a completed flight and, if necessary, prepare for the next flight.

Safety Investigation Authority Finland recommends that the Finnish Aviation Academy improve the planning of student pilots’ flight schedules by principally eliminating successive flights with the very same student, with the exception of separately assigned longer cross-country flights.

The Finnish Aviation Academy issues aircraft for up to eight hours to pilots on its courses. This causes unnecessary haste and puts undue pressure on them to complete several successive flights within the time allotted. The time allotted to the student pilot should always be utilised in the most efficient manner in order to build up their hours as pilot-in-command. By changing the daily flight schedule so that it alternates between several students it would be possible to generate the same number of flight hours per student – perhaps even more. It is also likely that this would improve the learning results because the student would have more time to digest the events of a completed flight and, if necessary, prepare for the next flight.