Definition
An instructor practice, listed under Instructor Don'ts, in which a flight or ground instructor knowingly assigns a task, maneuver, or scenario that exceeds the learner's current skill, knowledge, or readiness, with the predictable result that the learner will perform poorly. This may be done to demonstrate a point, to humble the learner, to justify additional training, or simply through poor lesson planning. It violates the instructor's duty to teach in manageable steps and to build competence progressively.
Plain English
Giving a student a task you already know they can't handle yet, so they fail. The Aviation Instructor's Handbook lists this as something instructors must not do.
Context Anchor
Seen in instructor professionalism guidance, especially in lists of instructor behaviors to avoid during lessons, critiques, and evaluations.
Why Pilots Care
Avoiding this practice keeps students progressing with confidence, prevents unnecessary frustration, and supports higher completion rates in flight training.
Intuition Check
This does not usually mean the instructor is trying to make the learner fail on purpose. It can happen unintentionally when the instructor gives a task before the learner has been prepared for it.
Example Sentence 1
Asking a pre-solo learner to fly a short-field landing in a strong crosswind, just to prove they still have things to learn, is exactly the kind of behavior the handbook means by setting the learner up for failure.
Example Sentence 2
Assigning a solo cross-country before the student has practiced diversions would set the learner up for failure.