CFI TIPS Because things change, Joe also taught me to always have a pen in my hand. Clearances change, things happen, and being able to write it down quickly was essential. This was before electronic devices were the norm, but it is so ingrained in me that I still never fly without a pen or pencil in my hand or within reach. The things I learned from Joe are easily transferred to all types of flying. Thinking at least two steps ahead is helpful on instrument approaches as well as in the pattern on a VFR day. Take time to enjoy the view, but never let your mind be idle. The next time you fly with a client, whether she is an instrument student or not, ask questions that make her think two steps ahead. If you do that often enough and if you're lucky, she will apply that lesson on each flight for the rest of her flying days. That's the gift of a great CFI. Kathleen Vasconcelos is the Senior Director of Communications for the AOPA Foundation. She is an instrument-rated flight instructor, and a commercial pilot with multiengine and instrument ratings.