Advice for the New Student: How to Maximize Your Training and Minimize Your Cost

Part 3: Choosing an Instructor

By Gene Benson

Getting a good flight instructor is one of the bigger challenges in beginning flight training. Like most things in life, there are great instructors, mediocre instructors, and poor instructors. A further complication is that choosing an instructor is kind of like choosing a pair of shoes. A style that suits one person may not be an attractive style to another person. One must find an instructor whose personality and teaching style work for the individual student.

Let's begin by debunking one myth. The more flying experience an instructor has, the better the instructor. That couldn't be farther from the truth. A primary flight student needs an instructor who can relate to the initial tasks. I'm not saying that experienced pilots make inferior instructors. I think it relates to the kind of experience that the instructor has. In my case, my career circumstances caused me to go through a period of about fifteen years during which I did only advanced instruction. I did lots of instrument training and I trained more than two hundred flight instructors for their initial certification. Somehow during that period, my ability to effectively teach a primary student was diminished. I would still consider myself competent to do it, and I did successfully train a primary student up through his Private Pilot Certificate last summer. But, I know that I am not as an effective primary instructor as I was when I had a only couple of years experience under my belt. I seem to have trouble remembering to discuss some of the real basic issues. I just take too much for granted. On the other hand, I believe that I am a very effective instrument instructor because I am able to draw on so many real-world experiences. So, to simplify matters, my recommendation is to choose an instructor by criteria other than the amount of his or her total flying experience.

Most instructors, especially the younger ones, are instructing to build flight time so that they can move on to something else. Most older instructors are instructing because they like to do it. The instructor's motivation shouldn't be the deciding factor in choosing the person to provide instruction. I have seen excellent instructors who were counting the flight hours until they could move on and I have seen lousy instructors who did it for the sheer enjoyment. Go figure.

So far, this article hasn't been of very much help. All I've done is tell how not to choose an instructor. Maybe it's time for some recommendations. The best advice I can come up with is for the prospective flight student to interview the prospective instructor. I believe that developing a rapport with the instructor is extremely important. After a fifteen-minute discussion, personality dynamics will take hold. If the "vibes" aren't good, that should be sufficient indication that the instructing experience won't be positive.

How does someone come up with instructors to interview? The flight school will suggest an instructor, probably based on availability. This is a good place to start. A prospective student should make an appointment to meet the instructor and have an informal discussion. If the end result is anything less than total enthusiasm for the individual, another instructor should be requested and the process should begin again. If the entire instructing staff is rejected, so be it. There are more instructors at other flight schools. Naturally, the instructor's schedule must be consistent with the students availability. The two most compatible personalities in the world won't produce a successful pilot if they can never arrange a training schedule.

In closing, let's kill one more myth. "My friend flew with instructor X and really liked him so I want to fly with instructor X." Just because one individual had success with a particular instructor doesn't mean another individual will have the same success. Remember the pair of shoes analogy? Just one more thing needs to be stressed. Just as lots of people don't do a perfect job the first time in choosing a doctor, lawyer, or even a mate, the first choice of a flight instructor might not be a good one. any student should have an absolute right to change instructors if necessary.