» By Steve Lundin PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS ROSE Your fri right s eat d in the en A CONSIDERING THE CFI FACTOR certificated flight instructor (CFI) is probably the most influential element in a student pilot’s flight training experience. A recently released AOPA study found that a vast majority of student pilots drop out, citing the perceived value of training, quality of instruction, and relationship between student and CFI as critical determinants for success or failure. All CFIs don’t teach flying in the same standardized format; they bring differing perspectives to the art of instruction. A variety of factors—including education, personal experience, and logged hours—serve to craft each CFI into a pilot maker or a pilot breaker. JANUARY 2012 FLIGHT TRAINING / 31