An interesting flight training concept on the AOPA web site

querist

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Here is an interesting article on a fascinating concept in flight training: "katas".

For those of you not familiar with the term, "kata" is the Japanese word for what we in other martial arts call a "form": a prechoreographed sequence of techniques used to help the student learn the techniques as well as learn how to transition between them. They are often learned in a particular sequence, in order of increasing difficulty of the techniques involved.

Frank and Niklas Nierhoff (father and son) created three katas for gyroplane flight training to help teach all of the maneuvers and techniques on the checkride as well as other maneuvers that one should know for safety reasons.

Here is a second article where the pilot who was working on his gyroplane add-on rating describes how it all fit into obtaining his add-on rating.

My Google-Fu seems to be weak at this point and I am having difficulty finding the contents of these three katas. Does anyone have any ideas or know of any sites where one can find this information?
 
Well the article must be written by someone who has "ageism" :)
Look:
"Other than a few notable exceptions such as golf, most people learn sports when they’re young. They play in youth soccer leagues and Little League Baseball. They take skiing lessons when they’re 4 years old and turn into downhill missiles. Have you tried to pick up a sport as an adult? It’s humbling."

Just kidding. I learned and played Squash in Pakistan going all the way to semi pro (under 19 state team and state collegiate team) and yes I completely agree. Physical side of flying is very similar to learning a new sport
 
Katas appear to me to be the same candy bar with a different wrapper.

All of the flight instructors I know break a pattern down to specific actions and work to improve those actions.

A pattern consists of the takeoff, the climb out at a specific indicated air speed (plus or minus five knots) the ninety degree cross wind turn, leveling off and maintaining pattern altitude (plus or minus 100 feet) at a specific speed (plus or minus ten knots), turning ninety degrees downwind maintaining speed and altitude, turning base ninety degrees, turning final ninety degrees, reducing power and descending at a specific air speed (plus or minus five knots) the round out and touch down.

Each of these actions can be broken down into specific parts.

None of my clients have choked on the check ride and all of my add on clients are at less than twenty hours of dual instruction.
 
Well the article must be written by someone who has "ageism" :)
Look:
"Other than a few notable exceptions such as golf, most people learn sports when they’re young. They play in youth soccer leagues and Little League Baseball. They take skiing lessons when they’re 4 years old and turn into downhill missiles. Have you tried to pick up a sport as an adult? It’s humbling."

Just kidding. I learned and played Squash in Pakistan going all the way to semi pro (under 19 state team and state collegiate team) and yes I completely agree. Physical side of flying is very similar to learning a new sport
I understand, and I am fortunate to have started my martial arts training as a young teen, and at 57 I still train regularly, so I do not anticipate much difficulty picking up new physical skills as I frequently cross-train (train in other martial arts), but controlling an aircraft is a different type of skill. As soon as my medical comes through, I intend to start my flight training. Then we'll see how it goes.
 
Katas appear to me to be the same candy bar with a different wrapper.

All of the flight instructors I know break a pattern down to specific actions and work to improve those actions.

A pattern consists of the takeoff, the climb out at a specific indicated air speed (plus or minus five knots) the ninety degree cross wind turn, leveling off and maintaining pattern altitude (plus or minus 100 feet) at a specific speed (plus or minus ten knots), turning ninety degrees downwind maintaining speed and altitude, turning base ninety degrees, turning final ninety degrees, reducing power and descending at a specific air speed (plus or minus five knots) the round out and touch down.

Each of these actions can be broken down into specific parts.

None of my clients have choked on the check ride and all of my add on clients are at less than twenty hours of dual instruction.
Understood. I like the idea of having the "katas" as a plan so you can simply say "OK, I'm going to practice the katas today" and have a clear plan for a practice session that includes reviewing things with which you may already be comfortable. Just like in martial arts training, we start off with our forms and then go on to practice specific drills, techniques, etc. I see it as a training aid.

Also, congratulations on your success with your add-on students. I hope your record is similar with initial training for those who stick with it.
 
Understood. I like the idea of having the "katas" as a plan so you can simply say "OK, I'm going to practice the katas today" and have a clear plan for a practice session that includes reviewing things with which you may already be comfortable. Just like in martial arts training, we start off with our forms and then go on to practice specific drills, techniques, etc. I see it as a training aid.

Also, congratulations on your success with your add-on students. I hope your record is similar with initial training for those who stick with it.
When I was receiving flight instruction I did best when we had simple lesson plans with specific goals.

There are things in the practical test standards that need to be learned and refined.

All of them have ways to quantify the performance.

We focus on flying and the standards come.

The ground is a large part of reaching and exceeding those standards.

Most of my lessons are between eight tenths of an hour and an hour and have specific performance goals.

In the end they blend together and I try to keep my clients aware of where we are on that larger field.
 
...Frank and Niklas Nierhoff (father and son) created three katas for gyroplane flight training to help teach all of the maneuvers and techniques on the checkride as well as other maneuvers that one should know for safety reasons.

Here is a second article where the pilot who was working on his gyroplane add-on rating describes how it all fit into obtaining his add-on rating.

My Google-Fu seems to be weak at this point and I am having difficulty finding the contents of these three katas. Does anyone have any ideas or know of any sites where one can find this information?
querist: See this AOPA Pilot Video explaining the gyroplane flight school in Costa Rica called "Fly With Us". The introduction is by Ian J. Twombly, who wrote those AOPA articles re: his flight experiences as he learned to fly a gyroplane.

He said he knows both Nierhoff's very well. The father is seen wearing suspenders shortly after the video begins. Ian tells us in the video that he did most of his training w/ the son, Nicolas. I believe the father/son team who run the school there are who you are seeking info from re: the Katas method applied to flying:

It is only some 1,100 miles from Miami, FL to San Juan, Costa Rica. A short flight compared to flying across the US. Isn't Texas almost that (800 miles) across the state?
 
querist: See this AOPA Pilot Video explaining the gyroplane flight school in Costa Rica called "Fly With Us". The introduction is by Ian J. Twombly, who wrote those AOPA articles re: his flight experiences as he learned to fly a gyroplane.

He said he knows both Nierhoff's very well. The father is seen wearing suspenders shortly after the video begins. Ian tells us in the video that he did most of his training w/ the son, Nicolas. I believe the father/son team who run the school there are who you are seeking info from re: the Katas method applied to flying:

It is only some 1,100 miles from Miami, FL to San Juan, Costa Rica. A short flight compared to flying across the US. Isn't Texas almost that (800 miles) across the state?

I honestly do not mean to be too critical but maybe Ian would be much more convincing about the serious training he received if he knew in his video that the pre-rotator is actuated via "pneumatic" not "Hydraulic" means on a MTO Sport or if during pre-flight while checking the main bearing condition while free throwing the rotor around, he remembered to take rotor brake off first so it could actually make a full 180 - 360 degree turn.

Also the you pre-rotate to a min RRPM, release pre-rotator, stick back and apply full throttle and hang on. Well that works on a 912ULS on a grass strip. Try that at 200 RRPM on a nice tarmac runway with a 915iS and see yourself coming close to danger specially one up.
 
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I honestly do not mean to be too critical but maybe Ian would be much more convincing about the serious training he received if he knew in his video that the pre-rotator is actuated via "pneumatic" not "Hydraulic" means on a MTO Sport or if during pre-flight while checking the main bearing condition while free throwing the rotor around, he remembered to take rotor brake off first so it could actually make a full 180 - 360 degree turn.

Also the you pre-rotate to a min RRPM, release pre-rotator, stick back and apply full throttle and hang on. Well that works on a 912ULS on a grass strip. Try that at 200 RRPM on a nice tarmac runway with a 915iS and see yourself coming close to danger specially one up.
Yea--- the POHs I've read for various gyros are all pretty clear about putting the stick forward again once the front wheel has come up to balance on the mains.
 
Yea--- the POHs I've read for various gyros are all pretty clear about putting the stick forward again once the front wheel has come up to balance on the mains.
I would say more than just putting it forward you are bringing it from the rear toward the forward area. It’s actually more like floating the stick to keep the nose wheel just barely above the runway. Then when the mains lift you let the nose dip and accelerate to your best climb airspeed and gently move the stick rearward and establish a climb that maintains best speed to do so. All of this while keeping an eye out for a landing spot in case the engine quits.
 
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Yea--- the POHs I've read for various gyros are all pretty clear about putting the stick forward again once the front wheel has come up to balance on the mains.

Well I am sure he knows to put forward pressure on stick and all that. My point was on the put full throttle and bang.
That is actually how AutoGyro CFIs were teaching people to fly gyroplanes. I personally know that. That is DEAD wrong. It can work in limited circumstances but not always. That is the definition of a rote procedure. You can do that or you can increase power to an intermediate cruise power (like 4500 RPM on a Rotax engine) but the main thing is your rotor RPM have to steadily increase as you accelerate and you either know that by feel or you glance on your rotor RPM to make sure it is increasing till at least the front tire lifts up and the rotor has some loading. Whatever you do, that check is the key or one day things will be different, the wind gust will shift for 10 seconds and you will have a blade sailing/flap.
I would only go to full power when I am performing a performance takeoff because of limited runway or I have to clear an obstacle. I would however, watch my rotor RPM to make sure it increases as I accelerate. It is not hard to do if you get into that habit and learn your panel. With time you will feel the rotor RPM increase and won't have to look
 
Yea--- the POHs I've read for various gyros are all pretty clear about putting the stick forward again once the front wheel has come up to balance on the mains.
I feel putting the stick forward again may be a poor choice of words.

The forward motion of the cyclic should only be enough to keep the nose tire just off the ground.

In my opinion if I put the nose tire back on the ground I have gone too far forward with the cyclic.

Too far forward with the cyclic will put the nose tire on the ground and stop accelerating the blades.

Soon I will have too much airspeed for the decaying rotor rpm and I will stall the retreating blade.
 
I feel putting the stick forward again may be a poor choice of words.

The forward motion of the cyclic should only be enough to keep the nose tire just off the ground.

In my opinion if I put the nose tire back on the ground I have gone too far forward with the cyclic.

Too far forward with the cyclic will put the nose tire on the ground and stop accelerating the blades.

Soon I will have too much airspeed for the decaying rotor rpm and I will stall the retreating blade.
Good point, and that was what I meant - moving the stick forward from the previously back position, not necessarily moving it forward of neutral.
 
Good point, and that was what I meant - moving the stick forward from the previously back position, not necessarily moving it forward of neutral.
I feel this is a teachable moment for a future CFI as to how important a word picture is and how careful a CFI needs to be with their words.
 
I feel this is a teachable moment for a future CFI as to how important a word picture is and how careful a CFI needs to be with their words.

It is a bit different in reality. What takes 1 page to describe here properly. Takes 2 minutes for a CFI to show you in person. That is why a lot of this pre discussion of actual physical flight actions for new pilots is a bit inefficient on forums. Just as in any sport, the physical part is learned by doing it much faster than reading
 
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