How to find a really great Flight Instructor (CFI)
New year. New you. Maybe it’s time for a new Flight Instructor (CFI)?
Other than yourself, no person could be more detrimental to your becoming a really great pilot than your first (or current) Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI). The traditional and maybe mystical process involves walking into your local flight school and being assigned an instructor with whom you have no history or context for their past liabilities, good or bad. Oh how I wish that I had had a guide!
In that interest, I’ve outlined some questions and techniques to guide you in finding a reputable CFI:
Interview
When you walk into your first flight school you’ll be assigned a CFI. On what criteria? …who knows?! Does the flight school make a bigger margin on the person they assigned you? Do they assign their best and brightest to the walk-in or do they reserve their best for the guy who’s got a bigger pile of cash? I’m not meaning to paint all schools with a broad brush, but some diligence would be prudent. So, for starters, know that you don’t have to accept who you’re assigned. I highly recommend interviewing them. Invite them to lunch or coffee, I’ve found this informal time to connect a great way of assessing who they are and how your personalities fit.
A teacher at heart
Sometimes we ask experts to be teachers. But that’s an erroneous assumption, subject matter experts are not always great teachers. Someone who has been trained in the learning sciences and integrated these fundamentals into their approach is always going to be a better teacher. Ask your future CFI how she/he applies behavior theory and learning sciences to their teaching methodology. Another simple question you might ask is what he’ll do when you reach a learning plateau.
Goals
What is their goal with aviation? There’s an unfortunate mantra among some, “the slower you go the faster you get there”, meaning the slower you train the faster you build the required hours to get to the airlines. Are they using your hard earned dollar to only better their career outlook? Look for a CFI that shares your motivations (simple love of flight, right?!) and respects your financial goals.
Pass rate
What’s their pass rate? This means of the students they send for checkrides (practical tests with FAA an examiner) how many pass? You might ask a few CFI’s and compare rates.
References
What are others saying, ask her/him for a references. Current or past students will be an excellent barometer to how a CFI is liked and respected. A CFI should be ready and willing to give up a few names and numbers for references.
Reputation
Ask other CFI’s about their reputation. This might seem a little sneaky but with no context some sleuthing is in order — I have dodged, to my benefit, some CFI’s due to “the word on the street”. And these days there might be no better place to find out who someone really is by checking their social feeds.
Benchmarks
So what does a great CFI look like? They are professional above all else, they respect the learning process and are dedicated to helping others achieve. Here’s some of my favorite resources:
Jason Miller (learnthefinerpoints.com)
Jon Kotwicki (Fly8ma.com)
What’s in their library
Sure, it’s a loaded question but shouldn’t a great CFI have at least a few aviation books that she just can’t resist talking about if questioned?
Do they smell funny
No I’m not joking. Ask yourself if you’re comfortable rubbing shoulders with this person for a long time in a confined space. Do not overlook personal hygiene! After an hour in a small cockpit in the hot summer with someone who doesn’t share your appreciation of a good bath and deodorant you’re going to be too distracted for any real learning to take place. Money wasted. Choose smartly! Pull that chair real uncomfortably close to them during your initial interview and breath in deeply. You can thank me later.
To you, the student: don’t assume every instructor is at home just waiting for a student to call. Keep in mind that a good flight instructor likely has their pick of students. Be a person they would want as a student — hard working, on time, teachable, have goals and please take a bath.
In closing, here’s three tip offs you might have a less than stellar instructor:
They don’t conduct pre or post flight briefings
They yell at you
Constantly checking their phones during lesson
Further reading: