Hey Trainers.

[Latrobe]

Scheduled Training events sound like it would be a lot of fun! I think I remember something like that being done a few times in the past. One of the trainers posted on the forums that on a specific day at a specific time that they were going to do a training event in the TA that all are welcome to join. I don't know how many turned up for it. Maybe they didn't get the turn out that they were hoping to get and the idea eventually got scrapped afterwards. I'm not sure how one of these events would go. Would the trainer have everyone up a plane with him and have them follow him through maneuvers? Would they use the God mode view to watch? Trying to teach a large group sounds like it'd be difficult with everyone learning in different ways at different speeds. Would the whole group be held up while the trainer tried to explained something to one person who was having trouble understanding?

It sounds like a really fun idea, like a flight training school! Though it sounds like it would require a lot of work from the trainer(s) to teach a large group all at once.

[PFactorDave]

One of the trainers posted on the forums that on a specific day at a specific time that they were going to do a training event in the TA that all are welcome to join. I don't know how many turned up for it. Maybe they didn't get the turn out that they were hoping to get and the idea eventually got scrapped afterwards.

I have attended a few of those type sessions over the years.  All of the ones I went to were very well attended.

The best ones that I have attended usually begin with the instructor talking through whatever the topic is on the ground.  The Trainees are typically not allowed to use voice comms, all questions are entered into the text buffer.  After Ground School, everybody takes off in the designated airframe and the Trainer, often with the help of an assistant, demonstrates the topic.

These classes generally seem to work best with ten or less students, the really large groups seem to get a bit unruly.

[FLS]

I haven't seen any problems with larger groups. We've never limited attendance to clinics.

[PFactorDave]

I haven't seen any problems with larger groups. We've never limited attendance to clinics.

I recall being in a clinic where there were a lot of folks who probably didn't need to be there.  I remember them all darting this way and that during the flying portion.  It was incredibly distracting and made it difficult to even see what the instructor was demonstrating.

I was pretty new at the time and recall thinking that I would probably learn more if the Instructor didn't have so many "helpers".

Not saying that they are all like that, just throwing it out there as something to consider.

[FLS]

It sounds like people were trying what the instructor was demonstrating. Generally everybody at a clinic "needs" to be there as much as anyone else. If someone is a problem we have tools for that.

[PFactorDave]

It sounds like people were trying what the instructor was demonstrating.  

That's not how I remember it, but if that's how you want to perceive what I am saying...  More power to you.  Far be it from me to offer my perceptions as a new guy from way back when.

What I recall is trying to watch as a Trainer demonstrated a High yo-yo while some dipwad was doing barrel rolls around me.  Said dipwad was also very vocal, adding "his wisdom" to the text buffer the whole time.

Sometimes I think the experienced really do forget what it is like to be new.  And yes, I include the trainers in that sweeping generalization.  

[FLS]

Players giving advice beyond their experience is very common.

[Big Rat]

Normally if one of us is volanteering to do a clinic, one or two of us will play referee, to try and keep things in order.  I can remember a few boots that the class never even realized occured.  If there's a problem in a class, check the roster and see what other trainers are playing ref and send them a pm about it (we can't see everything, like most refs lol), we can normally take care of the situation.  After all you attended to learn, and that's what we want you to do.

 
BigRat

[9thAFE]

I think part of it though is actually getting the new guys to see it. Yes post it in here if your going to do it and explain the kind of people that should be there and what to expect, but like I said doing some sort on live arena message in the arenas prior to the start to pick up those new guys that may not even know the forum exists, let alone look for something in the forum. If you post a arena message just prior to the start though you might get their attention and maybe some other people too.

I figured that it had been done before I just never noticed anything since I have been here (not that long little over a year). Just something to really target the new guys and trying to dumb down the game a little. I know some of them have seen some of the videos by the TC and pages there and even some have seen Vids by Latrobe or Vudu all of which help. I just think really trying to be present within the MA's and letting people know that you are doing a training session just prior to it starting might actually grab up some of the new people.

Like I said before you guys do a good job im not trying to knock that by any means and I know its not easy for you all to be on all the time that's for sure I get that. I was just tryin to think outside the box a little with some different ideas.

[Thruster]

Wow, clinics, scheduled training events, referees....Guess it's who you know. I remember my first year or so. Had a squaddie that seemed to have all the dot commands, ballistic arcana and other sundry facts and specs right at hand. Never would say where to find it. I figured I'd be able to cobble together the same kind of knowledge base just by keeping my ears/eyes open and following the few links and such to the off-site advice and comparison pages....

Not so much. Like I said earlier never seen a trainer. Probably walk right past on on the street and never know. I've heard of tools available in the TA to aid in targeting. THAT would have come in handy a few bazzilion times. And of course all the game specific quirks that substantially affect performance. But in most cases I have no idea why I do what I do. I just happen to have found out it works...sorta. I did find a comparison chart for aircraft. That was/is helpful.

Maybe by better incorporating the MOTD the word could get out.. It's abundantly clear AH is looking for films. I bet some nfg's would take advantage of the opportunity. 

[Patches1]

I signed up some years ago, got zero response to the one request I floated and I've never seen a "trainer" in the TA. Not once. Now I'm by no means a regular. I used to go there to answer questions that came up in game since the dynamics seem closer to the MA than at the DA. It's not a new issue. There's probably only a few guys anyhow and since they seem to be giving time away it makes sense that they would be hard to find. You'll find some guys in the MA that seem pretty generous with info.

Wow, clinics, scheduled training events, referees....Guess it's who you know. I remember my first year or so. Had a squaddie that seemed to have all the dot commands, ballistic arcana and other sundry facts and specs right at hand. Never would say where to find it. I figured I'd be able to cobble together the same kind of knowledge base just by keeping my ears/eyes open and following the few links and such to the off-site advice and comparison pages....

Not so much. Like I said earlier never seen a trainer. Probably walk right past on on the street and never know. I've heard of tools available in the TA to aid in targeting. THAT would have come in handy a few bazzilion times. And of course all the game specific quirks that substantially affect performance. But in most cases I have no idea why I do what I do. I just happen to have found out it works...sorta. I did find a comparison chart for aircraft. That was/is helpful.

Maybe by better incorporating the MOTD the word could get out.. It's abundantly clear AH is looking for films. I bet some nfg's would take advantage of the opportunity. 

I've been here nearly ten years and have never had any difficulty contacting a Trainer, or arranging a private time for Training. Early on in my AH career I used to haunt the TA and was never at a loss to find a Trainer.

[Thruster]

I'm sure we're all very happy for you. Since we don't all have the same experience maybe you can contribute something besides a vague contradiction.

[Traveler]

An observation from someone that has been here for a long, long time (14 years or so with no gaps and I'm on EST).  I try to drop in on the TA a few times a week.    I can count on one hand the number of times that I have been in the TA and found a trainer conducting training.   From my reading here and on other forum pages it appears that the official trainers of AH are all on individual schedules with no collective organized training schedule shared by the trainers.  That there is no collective effort to schedule a clinic on a weekly basis, that for the most part the trainers wing it, they do not follow a formal training plan, so someone flying with trainer one, and someone flying with Trainer two may receive totally different instructions for the same subject.   

[Sunka]

   From my reading here and on other forum pages it appears that the official trainers of AH are all on individual schedules with no collective organized training schedule shared by the trainers.  That there is no collective effort to schedule a clinic on a weekly basis, that for the most part the trainers wing it, they do not follow a formal training plan, so someone flying with trainer one, and someone flying with Trainer two may receive totally different instructions for the same subject.   

Or trainers willing to do this.

[FLS]

I'm sure we're all very happy for you. Since we don't all have the same experience maybe you can contribute something besides a vague contradiction.

He pointed out that he contacted a trainer when he wanted to see one. This generally works better than hoping to run into one.