At the advanced stage there is very little that is new in terms of controlling the aircraft or monitoring events. The emphasis now is on how to apply these skills to the whole flight. The difference between an advanced student and a solo one is usually the willingness to take responsibility for a flight, not the exercise of skill. This can be a discouraging time for students as the stress builds up. Basic flying skills can deteriorate when students are trying to react appropriately to the situation and communicate with the instructor. Again, humans have limited capacities in these conscious exchanges. Often experienced instruction is required to ascertain if basic skills have been compromised and in need of review, or are merely lost a bit in the shuffle. For the latter case, the approach will be to help students better organize their activities so that there is sufficient time left for the fundamentals when required. While criticism at this point is necessary it should also be measured against the significant progress that must have been made to get to this stage.
Students should feel that they control the flight and that they have at least some ‘Green’ zone tasks. This can be promoted particularly on soaring flights, or in the absence of such conditions, high tows. Students should learn not to panic when difficulties arise with ‘Red’ zone situations. This includes thermalling in small gaggles, being able to select alternate runways, performing crosswind and downwind landings, and safely handling low level rope breaks. The big difference from the previous two stages is that advanced students should take responsibility for each of these situations as they arise. They should actively pursue the good habits that will allow them to free up their conscious memory when the ‘red’ conditions arise.