Instructor is John Burt, Naval Aviator: 7 Years, Airline Pilot: 12 Years, CFI: 36 Years, Flight Experience: 20,000+ hours
Obtain the weather, copy it down on paper / notes / knee board.
Set your radio with weather on one flip/flop and comms on the other.
Set the altimeter to field altitude, and check the pressure reading matches the weather you just copied down.
Put the check list away when you taxi, don't look at the list while driving around.
Check your brakes, and the parking break.
Right has the right of way.
Nose wheel right on the yellow line all the time.
Hand on the throttle and controls all the time while taxiing.
Instructors will let big things slide if you do the little things right.
Take your time with the mag checks, do not accidentally turn the engine to OFF. (can do bad things)
Flight controls three cycles to be sure free and correct.
Artificial horizon piper right on the horizon.
Set your navigation radio to put in the VOR frequency, center it with a TO indication.
Directional to magnetic compass.
Birds will avoid landing lights
Use every inch of the runway, right to the edge, you never know when you're going to need it all.
One hand on the yoke, one on the throttle.
Left leg, put it down on the floor during climb, you only need right rudder and that will emphasize it.
Trimming the airplane is everything
Trim is a poor mans autopilot. You work a whole lot less if you trim properly
Adverse yaw, so rudder the direction you want to turn. Once established, rudder out. Don't be bashful with the rudder.
Always work the trim. There should be no pressure on the stick.
500 feet per minute descent. Be at pattern altitude when you enter it.
Do the simulator every day. CFI has things for the student to do.
Read the section on adverse yaw. Understand adverse yaw from day one to be a better pilot
For landing: Push, Pull, Turn, Trim
Straight in approaches are BAD, have had two mid air collisions right at the intersection of base / straight in.
After touchdown, hold the yoke all the way back and tap the breaks. Keep the elevator pulled back to add drag and help slow the plane down aerodynamically.
Never read a checklist while taxiing.
Flow pattern to clean up: flaps up, back to taxi, lean mixture one inch, carb heat in, landing lights off, reset trim. 1,2,3,4,5: 1) flaps up 2) mixture lean 1 inch 3) carb heat off 4) landing lights off 5) reset trim