R. Maclyn Stringer

TASK A. EFFECTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND COMMUNICATION ON THE LEARNING PROCESS

ELEMENTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR – HUMAN NEEDS

It was a beautiful, blue-skied, crisp fall morning. With a large coffee in hand, I stepped onto the ramp, enjoying the sunrise and the view of the sun shimmering from atop the wings of our fleet with the mountains as a backdrop. I thought to myself, this scene never gets old.

I like to complete my preflight of the plane before my students arrive, checking every surface, every hinge, every fluid level. It gives me time to think, without the distractions of fellow instructors and students buzzing around: just me, the airplane, and the morning light. Today, I was checking one plane particularly closely. Cristina has a check ride today, and I want to ensure the DPE does not find anything wrong with the airplane. Issues with the aircraft can be resolved. Cristina’s knowledge and performance; that’s on her. 

After inspecting the airplane and calling for fuel, I sat on the bench outside the maintenance hangar with the sun on my face, sipping my coffee.

“Good morning, Mac.” I heard cheerfully over my shoulder.

Looking towards the voice, I saw Cristina early, as usual. She carried her headset in one hand and a backpack in the other, eyes bright with anticipation.

“Morning. You ready?” I replied.

She nodded. “Nervous… but ready.”

Moments later, her DPE arrived. They shook hands and walked towards the office. As they walked away and their voices faded, my mind drifted down memory lane. I recalled the first day Cristina and I flew together on that warm June morning. Cristina had never been in a small plane and was eager to learn. I reflected on the journey, recognizing how deeply my role as an instructor was tied to the fundamentals of human behavior: people need encouragement, tailored challenges, and the assurance that setbacks are a natural part of progress.

As a professional flight instructor for many years, I’ve come to understand that each student brings a unique story to the cockpit, although a shared dream of flight drives them all. As instructors, we often focus on airspeed, altitude, and bank angle. Our job isn’t just about teaching someone how to operate an airplane; it is also about understanding how and why people function the way they do. It’s the instructor’s job to meet them where they are, mentally, emotionally, and technically, and guide them through the psychological journey of becoming a pilot, overcoming fear, building confidence, and pushing through inevitable moments of self-doubt. Overcoming their fear of screwing up, the frustration of slow progress, and the nagging voice that says, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.” Our role is not just to keep students safe in the air, but also to help them manage what was going on inside their heads.

My teaching framework is not just a checklist of tasks. It is based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, meeting the students where they are and progressing upward from basic physiological needs to the pinnacle of self-actualization.

PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS

Every student starts with the basic needs. Sleep, hydration, and mental focus, those things matter, especially on hot summer days. Cristina was no different.

As we continued our lessons through the summer, whether on the ground or in the air, I would ensure she was in a good mental state. I recall several Saturday mornings when she seemed not to have gotten enough rest from a fun Friday night.  “Did you sleep?” “Did you eat?” “Feeling okay?” were questions often asked. Numerous mornings, I’d hand over a water bottle before we started the engine. I learned long ago that if a student is dehydrated, overheated, or distracted, they won’t retain anything. It’s a waste of a lesson and their money.

SAFETY NEEDS

I worked to make Cristina feel safe in her learning environment. We started every session with a pre-flight briefing, walked through risks, briefed on emergencies, and built confidence before departing the ramp. Stalls were her least favorite maneuver. She often said there is no good reason for a plane to fall from the sky. She clenched the yoke a bit tighter every time we set up for one. However, I made sure we practiced them every lesson, not to push her, but to make the maneuver a part of her muscle memory, thereby relieving much of the anxiety. Familiarity breeds confidence.

BELONGING AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Our flight school has something special. Management and instructors alike work to create an environment that is both professional and welcoming. It’s the kind of place where students stay to hang out after their lesson ends.

Cristina fit right in with her bubbly, charismatic, and naturally social demeanor. I encouraged her to chat with other students and instructors in the lounge, to compare notes, and to hang around for debriefs that weren’t her own to learn from others. The mentally challenging world of aviation can be lonely, with many hours spent away from others as we study, but a strong peer network can carry us through.

SELF-ESTEEM, PERSONAL GROWTH, AND RESILIENCE

Cristina enjoyed celebrating both big and small wins. Her first butter landing and when she finally nailed a crosswind touchdown in gusty conditions, she all but high-fived herself on rollout. When she struggled, got frustrated, and became impatient, we tackled things in smaller pieces. I’d set up manageable challenges, such as simulated engine failures or working simple navigation under the hood. Every success rekindled her confidence.

A defining moment for Cristina, like most others, was the completion of her first solo flight. Standing on the runway, I watched her plane touch down smoothly. When she shut down and stepped out, her eyes were wide. “I did it,” she said, almost in disbelief.

“That you did,” I said. “This is your moment, now let’s get a picture.”

I admit, there is a lot of pride in being an instructor when a student first solo’s.

COGNITIVE AND AESTHETIC

As training continued, I watched her focus shift from simply rote memorization and learning how to perform tasks to wanting to know why they mattered. Her cognitive needs grew, sparking intellectual curiosity about procedures, aerodynamics, and weather. She wanted to learn the “Why?” in what was being learned.

Cristina connected emotionally with flight. For her, a smooth landing wasn’t just a technique. It was poetry. For her, a perfect turn was a choreography. Her aesthetic need for compliments wasn’t ego-driven, it was affirmation that she was mastering both form and function.

It took me several years as an instructor to learn that being complimentary and affirming to students helped improve their mental state and enhance their learning. As flight instructors, we need to transform lessons from technical drills into meaningful, personal experiences by addressing cognitive and aesthetic needs. This approach produces more capable pilots and fosters lifelong learners who find joy and purpose in aviation.

SELF-ACTUALIZATION, MILESTONES, AND BREAKTHROUGHS

Around lunchtime time Cristina stepped out of the airplane with a large grin on her face and confidently walked towards me. “Who’s the newest pilot?” she said, pointing her fingers at herself.  She looked proud, resilient, and transformed. She was on top of the world, as if she had reached the peak of her journey and stepped into what she was truly born to do. To fly the majestic skies free as an eagle.

A LESSON IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Upon Cristina receiving her private pilot certificates, I reminded her, “Every flight teaches you something, not just about flying, but about yourself. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep flying.” Flight training had changed her, not just in the air, but in life. She became more patient, deliberate, and far more confident in her abilities.

As for me? I felt the deep satisfaction that comes from doing this job right. It’s not just about creating pilots. It’s about helping people discover the strength they didn’t know they had. And as I watched her take off on her first flight as a certificated pilot, I smiled. Although I may have been the instructor, I learned just as much from the journey.