GA1401

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19th March 2026

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Poor airmanship of student pilot observed by more experienced pilot

Initial Report

I have recently had to have words with a student who was about to start his machine in front of the hangar while the doors were open! I was rather perplexed when I asked what he thought he was doing, the reply being rather vague that he wasn’t aware of the damage that could be done by such actions.

I made it very clear that this behaviour was not acceptable and requested he move his machine.

After he had departed, I was further amazed to see that he had just kicked the chocks from under the wheels and left them on the apron.

My main thought is that these actions are really basic airmanship points that just aren’t taught anymore – the airfield is becoming like the roads where everyone thinks that they are the most important and entitled and as long as they are ok then nothing else matters.

CHIRP Comment

There is a fine balance to be struck when deciding how to respond when witnessing was is regarded as ‘’poor airmanship’’ at GA airfields such as described above. More experienced aviators may have seen it all before, and therefore have little patience when seen again, but many of those just starting their aviation careers may not have had the best of starts in terms of opportunities to learn good airmanship practices and habits from others, such as from mentoring, or ample time to discuss matters of airmanship in crew rooms etc. More experienced aviators could use the opportunity to educate and pass on their hard-earned experience, and importantly, doing so by explaining what the hazards are and not simply being critical. That way the less experienced person may just remember what was said!

Key Issues relating to this report

Human Factors Considerations

The following ‘Dirty Dozen’ and Human Factors were a key part of the CHIRP discussions about this report.

Positive factors when learning is prioritised:

Safety mindset – constructive reflection and learning attitude following the event
Communication and knowledge sharing – willingness to use personal experience to promote safety awareness among others
Training application – effective use of incidents and near misses as a teaching point
Self-awareness – recognition of contributory factors such as lapse, distraction and time pressure
Defensive behaviours – proactive reinforcement of safe habits around aircraft