The “1500 hour rule” is a well-known barrier for aspiring airline pilots. What nobody seems to be talking about is the detrimental effect it will have on the flight instructor community. Read more →
Tag: CFI
Learning to Fly — Without An Instructor?
Just how important is the instructor when it comes to learning to fly? That might be a surprising question for an CFI to ask, but the longer I teach, the more cognizant I become of the many ways in which an instructor can function as a barrier to the student’s progress. And apparently I’m not the only one who feels that way.
Last month, Paul Bertorelli penned (keyed?) an editorial about simulator maven Redbird stepping into the training void created by Cessna’s shift away from the piston market. What caught my eye about the piece was this line: Read more →
The Third Rail
With a student dropout rate of 80%, something’s clearly not right in the flight training sector. Cost and CFIs are the usual suspects, but in my opinion there’s a third-rail here: the student and their attitude toward training. Those who are more proactive in managing their aviation education seem to be more successful, and here’s why. Read more →
Teaching a Spouse to Fly
Learning to fly is a worthy challenge for any individual. When one is married to a CFI, the question arises: should an instructor teach his or her spouse to fly, or is that just asking for trouble? Read more →
On Instructing
Many people harbor disparaging attitudes toward instructing, but I feel it’s high time CFIs get the recognition & respect they deserve. Read more →
The Ninth Circle of Hell
To me, a career flying for the airlines looks a lot like the ninth circle of hell. Only worse. Read more →