CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 2 - 4

CFI tools

A tale of two students
By ROD MACHADO
it WAs thE BEst of flight training and the worst of flight training and it happened to two of my Facebook friends, a Mr. T and a Mr. A. Mr. T soloed a Cessna 172 in 11.6 hours after several weeks of training for less than $2,000. Mr. A, however, spent four months acquiring more than 39 hours of training at a cost of more than $10,000 without having soloed. Given that both

acquiring the skills necessary to begin concentrated landing practice. The last four lessons were spent applying those behaviors toward learning to land. Each lesson lasted approximately 1.1 hours. Mr. A wasn’t so fortunate. His flight school has a policy of switching instructors once every three lessons. The school’s intent was to provide Mr. A with as much diversity in training as possible. The school accomplished its objective. Unfortunately, Mr. given that bOth students were highly mOtivated indi- A’s objective was to learn how to fly, not how different viduals, why did One sOlO while the Other is abOut tO instructors teach. Switching instructors durabandOn flight training? ing primary training is one students were highly motivated indiof the most destructive and least useful viduals, why did one solo while the other ideas in helping students learn to fly. It is about to abandon flight training? makes it very difficult for the student It turns out that Mr. T learned from a to have any continuity in his training. flight instructor who realizes that his priThe FAA makes this quite clear in one mary objective is teaching students how of its earlier flight instructor handbooks to fly. His instructor focused on teaching by saying, “When a student has the basic stick and rudder skills, with the misfortune to be trained at an operation first six lessons of training focused on where he is not regularly assigned to the

same instructor... the administration of a planned syllabus is almost impossible.” Making matters worse, three of Mr. A’s instructors elected to expose him to the benefits of cross-country flying, with trips lasting 4.5 hours, 2.7 hours and 3.2 hours. In the span of 39 hours over four months, Mr. A was also exposed to VOR navigation, high performance takeoffs and landings, instrument flying, night flying and so on, all without ever soloing an airplane. Our job as a flight instructor is quite clear: Teach students how to fly an airplane. Mr. T’s instructor understood this. Unfortunately, Mr. A’s instructors seemed to be more interested in providing him with more than $10,000 worth of airplane rides rather than flying skills of equal value. And we wonder why too many students never finish flight training. What a shame. Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. He has been a pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1973. Visit his website (www.rodmachado.com).

CFI tips

sean d. tucker's top-5 tips to become a better instructor
By ALySSA J. MILLER
rEnoWnEd AirshoW Pilot Sean D. Tucker is a true aviation artist, but his lesser known side is that of a teacher and mentor. Tucker, in partnership with Tutima Instrument Watches, offers aerobatic, pilot confidence, and customized flight training programs through the Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety in King City, California. As president of the academy, Tucker teaches budding airshow performers.

The performer took time out of his summer airshow schedule to fly with AOPA and share his top five guidelines for becoming a better flight instructor. Study the art form of flight. Many would consider Tucker a master of flight, but he is a continuing student of the art form, practicing his routine up to three times a day, twice in the aerobatic box at airshow altitudes: “I eat, live, breathe, and sleep airshow flying.” He is still learning

more about the art of instructing. “I’m learning from them because they know how to communicate so well. They’re truly students of the art form,” Tucker said of the instructors at Tutima. “When I grow up and retire, hopefully I’ll be as good as those guys.” Be a mentor. “You can’t reach your full potential unless you help somebody else reach theirs,” Tucker explained. Even with his hectic airshow schedule,

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CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 2