Top-down Approach
A “top-down” approach, on the other hand, starts by showing students the “big picture” (Merkt,
2013). Rather than beginning with underlying causes, one can unravel basic principles of flight
by starting with top consequences such as aircraft performance. This approach is analogous to
that of physiologists studying animal locomotion. Physiologists start by measuring performance
power curves of animals running on treadmills or flying in wind tunnels at different steady
speeds (Schmidt-Nielsen, 1972). The physiologist’s top-down approach is thus exactly opposite
to that of design engineers. After all, physiologists begin their studies with a “finished product,”
namely a live, performing animal. They start at the “top” energy level and work their way
“down” to elucidate how animals move (Merkt, 2013).
Similarly, one can use power-required and power-available curves to start unlocking the
mysteries of mechanical flight (Merkt, 2013). Like physiologists, pilots have to deal with a
“finished product”—a functioning airplane. Merkt (2013) named this top-down method of
teaching basic principles the operator approach (Figure 1). The bottom-up approach has been
useful in teaching the theory of flight to engineering students, but the opposite approach may be
better suited for teaching the same principles to student pilots (Merkt, 2013).
By focusing first on top-level energy concepts, students can learn a great deal about flight
without having to dig down too deeply into complex underlying mechanisms (Feynman, 1942, p.
12). Should there be a need to dig down, the top-down approach guides students through distinct
explanation “levels” (Figure 1)—each containing the underlying elements that explain the next
level up. By starting at the top, students only need to focus on the level immediately below to
begin their search for explanations. These underlying principles, however, only emerge in the
context of the big picture. Students view relevant components within a meaningful context and
begin to appreciate how these concepts apply to real flight situations, such as slow flight, which
they can then practice with an instructor during flight (Merkt, 2013).
Conclusion
Compared to the traditional approach, an operator, top-down approach may be a more effective
way of teaching the fundamentals of flight in the classroom. The top-down approach can serve
not only as a practical guiding tool in course design, organization, and delivery, but also as a
powerful learning tool to help pilots develop a correct mental model of how the airplane works
right from the start (Merkt, 2013).
References
Dole, C. E. (1989). Flight theory for pilots. Casper, WY: I.A.P., Inc.