By Mark Murray, EAA 394454

This piece originally ran in the March 2022 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

I always enjoy hangar flying with my buddy. He’s one of those guys who can fly, and probably has flown, just about everything. His expertise is teaching tailwheel, aerobatics, and soaring. Conversely, using a letter of deviation authority issued by the FAA, I provide transition training in an experimental Challenger II. It helps students learn not only how to fly a Challenger, but also the flight qualities of what the FAA likes to call a “high-drag, low-mass” airplane. In common language, that simply means ultralight: both the aircraft that meet FAR Part 103 and also those heavier, draggy experimental airplanes that look and fly very light.

We were comparing notes. After explaining the troubles that some of my students had with the Challenger, my buddy asked a question I’ve never forgotten: “How can someone not land a Challenger? It has to be one of the easiest airplanes in the world to land.”

I was surprised by the question and honestly can’t remember my answer. On the drive home that evening, I thought about it quite a bit. It surprised me for two reasons. First, he was correct; the Challenger is an easy airplane to fly. Why do some students struggle with it? Secondly, with all his experience in airplanes all over the spectrum, why didn’t he know the answer? Since that drive, I’ve pondered that question many times over, especially when trying to help a student that is struggling to make the transition to very light airplanes.

Transfer of Learning

All certificated flight instructors have to pass a test called the Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI). As you may guess, the test-prep material is a real snooze-fest. It’s all about how people learn, how to teach, and what makes learning easy or difficult. Unless you’re into psychology, it’s not very fun.

But, over time, I’ve learned that a lot of that information is actually valid. One topic considered is “transfer of learning,” which, as you’d guess, is all about how to advance the student in an orderly, logical fashion. It also explains that the transfer, depending on the situation, can be positive or negative. For example, we’re all used to controlling a car with a steering wheel. If you try to taxi an airplane only using the yoke, your previous experience with a car will not help. Thus, this would be a negative transference. However, many small boats have throttles similar to airplanes. So, learning to use a boat throttle would actually be a positive transference. The prior experience helps with the new learning, or it does not. Many problems experienced in flight instruction are related to this concept, and transitioning to ultralights is no different.

The Same, but Different

(NOTE: This discussion is centered on fixed-wing aircraft. While rotary-wing, powered parachute, and weight-shift aircraft use aerodynamics similar to fixed-wings, there are significant differences that certainly necessitate transition training.)

If you’re considering transitioning to ultralights, here’s something to put your mind at ease, at least with fixed-wing aircraft. If you’re a pilot, you already understand how they fly. It’s not like ultralights fly with a special type of pixie dust, whereas all other airplanes fly using physics and aerodynamics. Everything you learned about the forces of flight, weight and balance, stability, etc. are all the same. And with modern-day ultralights, the controls are going to be the same, or very similar, to what you may be used to in a typical general aviation type airplane. You may occasionally run across a cool old relic from the early ultralight days with funky controls, but most modern designs are going to be stick (or yoke), rudder, and throttle. It may have flaps and trim.

The difference will come with the sensations and the feel of the airplane in flight. One common surprise I hear often is, “This thing is really responsive!” Or, “It handles like a motorcycle with wings!” I’m sure many an experienced ultralight pilot out there is laughing as they read this. Seriously? A Challenger is responsive? It depends on your point of reference. Sometimes, depending on the airplane, the amount of drag is a real eye-opener. Another big surprise is how much work it can be to keep the airplane under control in the lightest of breezes. Up to now, your student thought maintaining centerline in a Piper Cherokee was a challenge. Again, it’s all about your prior experience, and whether it’s going to be a positive or negative transference of skills.

The reality is that the vast majority of active pilots learned in airplanes that are much heavier than your average ultralight or sport airplane and much more aerodynamically clean. And that’s probably all they’ve flown since. If they are flying something different than their trainer, it’s probably faster and heavier. People rarely progress in the lighter direction. That makes for an interesting problem.

Up to that point, your transition students couldn’t think of an airplane harder to handle in a crosswind than a Cessna 150. That’s their baseline or reference point. But it’s a mastered baseline. Everything since, whether they consciously thought about it or not, has been compared to that baseline. If these students progressed beyond the 150, they went heavier and faster. Usually, with standard category aircraft, the aircraft become more stable as they get heavier, and the weight also helps to fight against the effects of wind and turbulence. So, they are becoming more experienced pilots, and at least as far as flying qualities go, the airplanes are taking less effort to fly. Shoot, some even have fancy computers that’ll fly for you.

I’ve got to make one clarification here. I’m not implying that pilots taught by more conventional means are any less skilled or that their airplanes are less capable. All of that will ultimately depend on the pilot, airplane, conditions, and objectives. Obviously, some airplanes and pilots are better suited for certain missions than others. My point is that even the most skilled pilots are not fully experienced until they can also master a very light airplane.

With that prior baseline, typical general aviation pilots are not going to be prepared for an ultralight. They will quickly learn that there are airplanes more difficult to control in a crosswind than the 150, and that their landing technique is going to need some adjusting. My experience has been that the realization that they need a new baseline is what sets the stage for the training to come.

Most students struggle a bit, but they want it bad enough to spend the time to figure it out. Generally, military pilots are excellent learners. They’ve usually been through several transitions before, and they know the drill. General aviation students who have only flown one make and model for hundreds or thousands of hours can have a tough time of it. They are no doubt very good at what they fly, but that baseline is strongly entrenched. Their muscle memory is very locked in, and it can be difficult for them to fly an ultralight smoothly. Especially when things are happening quickly, such as during the landing phase, when you have to react instinctively. The hardest to teach are those who decide that the problem isn’t them, it’s the airplane. They will blame the airplane for this or that, usually indicating that there needs to be modifications made. What they are actually saying is that it doesn’t fly like their baseline airplane. No, it doesn’t. That’s why we need transition training. Unfortunately, those pilots usually wash out.

The Principal of Primacy

Another topic covered prepping for the FOI is the “principal of primacy.” That simply means that those skills learned first are usually best remembered, and make the biggest impression. This is closely related to the transfer of learning concept.

Remember my friend’s question at the beginning of the article? In short, why do experienced pilots sometimes have trouble flying light, super-simple airplanes? Let’s consider my buddy’s background under the light of the principal of primacy and the transfer of learning concepts,

Guess what type of airplane he started with? Yep, an ultralight. Eventually, he progressed through several ultralight makes and models, light, and not-so-light experimentals, with lots of general aviation airplanes and high-performance airplanes along the way. And, he loves gliders. So, his primary learning was all done in very light aircraft, airplanes that demand strong stick and rudder skills and an understanding of winds and turbulence — at least they do if you want to fly them well. And, he didn’t mind trying new airplanes, so he couldn’t let the fact that one was somewhat different from the next (transfer of learning) keep him from finding what was needed to fly it. In short, he had a great baseline, and so the progression was easier.

That’s why he couldn’t understand why other pilots would have a problem with an airplane like a Challenger. Basically, a Challenger would have been a minor stepping stone for him as he gained experience, not a major reset of the baseline like it would be for someone who started in something heavier.

How does one make sure that the transition from one design to the next is done safely? A little common sense is in order here. For example, a low-time pilot will need some transition training when moving from the Cessna 150 to the Cessna 172, or anything else, for that matter. An experienced, high-time pilot could probably transition to the 172 with little or no instruction. However, that experienced, high-time Cessna pilot shouldn’t expect the transition to something like a Pitts to be quick and easy. Its qualities — powerful and nimble and the taildragger configuration — are going to be significantly different than what he’s use to. Transition training is in order, even for the experienced Cessna pilot.

We see the same issues in the ultralight/sport world. An experienced Phantom pilot should be able to transition to a Flightstar II relatively easily. Why? They are basically the same platform: high-drag, low-mass, tractor-mount engine, nosewheel. But if that same pilot moves over to a Challenger, they’ll be in for a surprise: still low mass but less drag, pusher configuration, and somewhat less stable. Yes, transition training is in order in this case, also.

That being true, transition training is extremely beneficial when transitioning from GA to ultralights or light-sport aircraft. Your landing gear (and wallet) will thank you for it.

By the way, I was one of those who started with the heavier baseline, a good old Cessna 150. Yep, I struggled to reset my baseline, but a little time in a Quicksilver did the trick. And honestly, I think I’m a better pilot for it.

Make me king for a day, and we’ll all start out in light airplanes. Who needs fancy computers anyway?

Mark Murray, EAA 394454, of Georgetown, Georgia, was always fascinated by airplanes. He discovered ultralights thanks to an article published in National Geographic in 1983. In 2008, he earned his light sport repairman maintenance rating and turned his hobby into a business.