AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2019 - 22

FLYING LIFE

Youth movement

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

Newly minted instructors-should we be worried?

NATALIE BINGHAM
HOOVER has given
thousands of hours
of flight instruction
and currently serves
as assistant chief for
the second busiest
flight school in the
state of Mississippi.

22 | AOPA PILOT June 2019

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I can remember sitting in a church
pew with my parents waiting for the wedding of a
family friend. "Dad," I whispered, "who do you think
I'll marry when I grow up?"
"I have no idea," Dad said, "but I can promise you
this: No one is ever going to be good enough for my
little girl." Fast forward 20 years and I can happily say
that I did marry a man who was good enough. Dad
would have loved him.
This year, when my little brother asked me to help
pick out a flight school where he lives, I think I understood a little bit of what Dad was feeling that day. How
could anyone be good enough for my brother? That
flight school and instructor would be holding his life
in their hands, responsible not only for his safety but
also the future success of his career in aviation. All
of a sudden that old model of flight training, the one
where newly minted flight instructors teach what they
have just learned to the next generation of student
pilots, just didn't seem adequate. New flight instructors barely have any real-world flying experience. On
top of that, they often carry with them the naïve recklessness of youth. The very best I could hope for my
brother, I thought, was to find a grizzled old flight
instructor, who had maybe lost an engine or two, or
been shot down over enemy territory-someone who
could make my brother into the best possible pilot version of himself.
However, in today's aviation climate, it is rare to find
a flight instructor with even two years of experience.
As soon as CFIs meet their minimum time requirements, somewhere between 1,000 to 1,500 hours, they
are moving on to better-paying airline or corporate jobs.
So, when my brother told me he would be working with
a young instructor about his age, it was with extreme
self-control that I kept my mouth shut. And when he
called me after his first few flight lessons to report on all
he'd learned, I did my very best not to critique his flight
instructor's approach or ask if they'd performed clearing turns or done a 30-minute debrief, or done any of
the other things I have come to believe make up a good
flight lesson.
It was on one of these long phone calls that I was
surprised to realize the young instructor, the one I
was so determined not to trust, did something for my
brother that I could not. He imparted a love and passion
for aviation that can only come from one for whom

the shiny newness has not yet lost its luster. If I were
the teacher, I would have been busy making sure my
brother understood risk management, regulations, and
emergency procedures. I would have sucked all the fun
out of the process in the interest of safety.
Don't get me wrong. I have no doubt those things
will be covered, but perhaps they don't have to be the
initial, primary focus? We've all heard the hangar talk:
no stick and rudder skills, children of the magenta
line. I'm not the only one who is wary of the new
guy. There is often a critical "kids these days" mentality when we consider the relative inexperience of
today's generation of instructors. However, because
of my brother's positive results-and because of what
I see in checkride applicants nearly every day-let
me take a second and defend that brand-new flight
instructor. He has far more to offer than I originally
gave him credit for.
Besides the fact that new CFIs are generally more
energetic and positive about their job, they also know
their stuff. Because they are so fresh from the flight
training environment, the many details of aviation
knowledge are still in the forefront of their minds.
How many seasoned instructors can still spout off the
lift equation or remember all the finer points of stability and controllability? Also, new CFIs are up to date on
modern technology and understand the finer workings
of the latest GPS. They can recommend the newest
study aids and online resources to make training simpler for their students. Another factor to consider is
that new CFIs still remember what it was like to be a
student, so they can relate to the various difficulties
that pop up during the training process.
Here's what I've come to realize: That young
flight instructor is not responsible for teaching his
students every single thing they need to know about
aviation. What we know as pilots will come from our
experiences in the airplane, what we study, and the
vast variety of other pilots we meet along the way.
So, to my little brother's instructor, please allow me
to apologize for my initial trepidation. I can only say
thank you for the incredible work you have done so
far. The best teachers do not necessarily impart the
greatest amount of knowledge to their students. They
offer something much more valuable-a love for the
subject they teach.
AOPA
myaviation101.com

http://www.myaviation101.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2019

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