The Gemini Training Program

As reprinted from AOPA

Now let's talk about primary students. Large flight schools and colleges like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University call it the Gemini program where two people benefit from the same process; a student and instructor sit in the front and a second student sits in the back. Ken Doucette, chief flight instructor for ERAU's Daytona Beach, Florida, campus, says the Gemini concept has been a longtime staple of the school, and they push students to use it as often as they can from private pilot all the way through flight instructor candidates.

Cessna Aircraft was very aware of this concept when it restarted single-engine production in 1996 after a decade-long hiatus. Many were wondering why the company didn't bring back the 152. Cessna figured it would cost just as much to build the 152 as the 172, and flight schools wouldn't have the option of putting an observer in the backseat.

But the motivation isn't always educational at Embry-Riddle. Daytona Beach International Airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the United States. Doucette says that by having two students on board they can share the responsibility of arrival and departure procedures and, along with the instructor, can use three sets of eyes to look for traffic. For those who want to pursue professional pilot careers, this is the beginning of crew resource management (CRM). On the ground students also work on group projects. Increasingly, Embry-Riddle is using flight simulator technology to enhance learning. In twin-engine models, for instance, students can occupy both front seats.

So how do we apply all this on the local level? Ardnt said that it works best when two students have similar learning styles and are at the same stage of their training. This might not happen every day at the smaller flight schools, but Ardnt suggested that the instructor should ask each student separately about flying together so as not to put either on the spot. For glider operations, involving students can be as simple as having them work the flight line. As for instructor candidates, you may have to look a little farther over the horizon, especially to find people at your stage. But if you can at least get some people together to work on lesson plans, it will pay rich dividends during the oral exam.

There are situations, however, where this might not make sense. A student might get queasy in the backseat during unusual-attitude or steep-turn training. Ardnt personally doesn't like to take another student along during light-twin training, which can be among the most demanding and riskiest of flight instruction.