Instructor question

[Guest Jimmy80]

Hi I just went through Stalls with wing drop

 

Lots of fun but my question is ( is it better to stay with the same instructor or have a different person from time to time ?

 

 

[facthunter]

IF you are happy, stick with the one as long as possible. All instructors have differences and coping with them is an added load and often some confusion. All exeriences aeronautical add to your skills base even if some of them are of the "I hope I'm never as bad, stupid etc as THAT", kind... Nev

 

 

[ayavner]

I would agree, however I have been with 4 different instructors now and I do feel that I have gotten something beneficial out of each one of them. The down side is it does set you back a bit as it takes time to learn what they are looking for. I think I would be done by now if I hadn't kept getting bounced around.

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Instructor variety from a students viewpoint can be varied, as long as there is core consistency looked for and prompted by each instructor then the student can only benefit from the varied focus of each individual teaching style. We generally try to keep most students predominately with one or two core teachers, but towards solo some variety in styles can help round out the students learning. 'lll often swap myself out if I feel a student is struggling or to get a different viewpoint in some instances.

 

Students tend to look for rapid progress all through their training, and this seldom happens, remember we expect young drivers to do 100 logged hours minimum to drive, yet in an infinitely more complex environment we can see pilots solo in a quarter of this time. Flying progress shouldn't be rushed or pushed, the hurdles along the way will end up being your best lessons in many ways.

 

I was too young for my first solo in gliders many years ago so the pressure was off, I had nearly 15 instructors in 3 years and yes while I gelled with some more than others I can honestly say that I learnt something from every one of them. The harder ones often proved to be the better instructors but this wasn't evident till many years later.

 

Enjoy the journey, there will be times when you miss having him or her there in times to come!

 

 

[ayavner]

I think if the young drivers were paying by the hour, they would appreciate rapid progress as well :-) That said, speaking for myself as a "mature" student - I think the key is more "progress". I try not to worry if it is "rapid", but if I get put off for a couple months because the instructor has other commitments, or the weather, or whatever, and I then have to pay for 2-3 more lessons to catch up, that is not progress. Yes each hardship or obstacle has its own lesson, but that works both ways - of course it shouldn't be rushed or pushed, but there should always be an eye towards moving the ball down the field. The school should conduct the business for which I have contracted them without having to climb their legs every other week, and if that is necessary, it shouldn't be construed as being impatient or wanting "rapid progress" - just prudent time and money management.

 

But I will reiterate what I said in my original post - yes it can add time to the process, but the experience gained from each one will provide a solid foundation AS LONG AS the ball moves down the field. Its your money.

 

 

[ben87r]

I think it depends on the student and how quickly they can adapt to a new instructor, im doing my CPL at the moment and have had a few instructors all with their strengths and weaknesses as well as their priority with what they find important and learning from all of them i find i get a broad cover of instruction..... In saying that, rather then convert my RA cert over i have taken a 150hr course starting from PPL and have had one instructor for AB, One for GFPT, one for NAV ect. I dont not recommend being thrown around during you training ie different instructor every flight and think that it would be a major setback. And like i said it depends on the student, if it takes them 3 flights to get used to another instructor then wouldn't be any advantage.

 

PS just my 2 cents lot more knowledgeable people on here then myself!!

 

 

[turboplanner]

Jimmy, a bit depends on how many hours you've done, but if it's only a couple and the instructor is one of the few who think it clever to scare the sh$t out of a new student with severe wing drop before he's even given you the basics of control, then just remember, you're the customer and you can walk.

 

Having said that, I'm in no way implying that you shouldn't be able to pick up a wing in the stall - it's something you have to learn to do to ensure safe flying once you go solo, but you certainly can build up the degrees of wing drop a lesson at a time as long as you carry the exercise right through to the accepted standard before going solo.

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

I think if the young drivers were paying by the hour, they would appreciate rapid progress as well :-) That said, speaking for myself as a "mature" student - I think the key is more "progress". I try not to worry if it is "rapid", but if I get put off for a couple months because the instructor has other commitments, or the weather, or whatever, and I then have to pay for 2-3 more lessons to catch up, that is not progress. Yes each hardship or obstacle has its own lesson, but that works both ways - of course it shouldn't be rushed or pushed, but there should always be an eye towards moving the ball down the field. The school should conduct the business for which I have contracted them without having to climb their legs every other week, and if that is necessary, it shouldn't be construed as being impatient or wanting "rapid progress" - just prudent time and money management.But I will reiterate what I said in my original post - yes it can add time to the process, but the experience gained from each one will provide a solid foundation AS LONG AS the ball moves down the field. Its your money.

Sounds like your issue is with your instructor setting the timing for your lessons, this is a different matter completely, and I totally agree long delays caused by schools are not acceptable and can affect your progress. On the issue of driving- many individuals have to pay for driver training as part of their licences, my son included, who I pay for lessons for him as I'm teaching students to fly when he is free. As long as what you pay for is productive and professional then it should be good. I Hear your frustration though.....

 

 

[rankamateur]

The driving comparison is not entirely a fair one, because in NSW at least, a serious amount of time is trimmed off the 120 hour requirement since professional driver training is counted three to one compared to going shopping with mum. If your mum could teach you to fly you might very well take sixty or eighty hours to reach a standard acceptable to a CFI to sign you off.

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

The driving comparison is not entirely a fair one, because in NSW at least, a serious amount of time is trimmed off the 120 hour requirement since professional driver training is counted three to one compared to going shopping with mum. If your mum could teach you to fly you might very well take sixty or eighty hours to reach a standard acceptable to a CFI to sign you off.

So 40 hours with a professional driving school vs mum/ dad , still a lot more than average RA times- why would anyone worry if it took 40 plus to get their RA pilot cert? Expectations vs cost i should not be the criteria for safe competent pilots.

 

 

[rankamateur]

Only ten hours can be converted to thirty hours counted this way, Jasmine is a current learner but I had to look it up on the web because she hasn't had and won't be having professional lessons until she learns to fly.

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

Only ten hours can be converted to thirty hours counted this way, Jasmine is a current learner but I had to look it up on the web because she hasn't had and won't be having professional lessons until she learns to fly.

Your a tough man but a caring father- good one !

 

 

[ayavner]

Thanks BP, I wasn't having a go honest! :) Appreciate your understanding, it does get a bit frustrating, and I have to keep reminding myself I was getting into this for FUN!

 

 

[Guest nunans]

I see you're at aldinga, When I trained there I was lucky enough to fly under the instruction of four different instructors in the same week.

 

They all spoke the same language so to speak which was great and meant swapping from one instructor to another allowed me to learn different things from each of them.

 

The only time it gets harder is when different instructors teach conflicting lessons and you can't remember which way you're supposed to fly for which instructor.

 

 

[flyerme]

IMO ,I found that different instructors ment different opinions,different teachings,different interperations, etc..etc...

 

I found this to be confusing ,soon found my own way..

 

example= cfi 1 "on final approach from 500 ft kill throttle and glide in ..(this could save your life if an engine out on approach)

 

cfi 2 " what are you doing? your to high?? go around... now come in lower and set 3500rpm,fly her down dont let her drop?")

 

but on the other hand a new CFI can be a good thing , cfi 3= yeh you have a good handle on everything but to let you know and save you some funny looks, We dont do a "ALL stations call anymore,!!!!!! woops" and we don,t use morse code either.. "

 

Ok so i lost the "all stations" but hey sorry guys my "all traffic #$%$#" Just seems to flow so well... bloody old school pilots

 

 

[Sapphire]

Hi I just went through Stalls with wing dropLots of fun but my question is ( is it better to stay with the same instructor or have a different person from time to time ?

If you are a difficult student, the instructors many decide that for you.

 

 

[poteroo]

Yes, I had trouble connecting the wing drop recovery with changing instructors too. Please explain.

 

happy days,

 

 

[turboplanner]

Bugger, sucked in again

 

 

[spacesailor]

And I gave up!

 

spacesailor:scratching head:

 

 

[68volksy]

The best approach in my opinion is to fly with a few different instructors in the first few hours to get a feel for the one that you prefer. Then up until just after first solo stick with the same instructor if you can. If things aren't working or you're not learning at an appropriate pace a professional instructor will look for assistance from other instructors and maybe get you to do a lesson or two with others in case they're missing something. That's what you pay the instructors good money for.

 

Then after first solo if you have the choice then fly a few hours with one or two highly experienced and mature instructors. They're all individuals and all will teach you to look at things a different way. I did half a dozen lessons with an older guy who had 30,000 hours on light aircraft under his belt. Whenever he touched the controls it really showed me just how nicely it was possible to fly an aircraft. He also had a very kind way of treating the Warrior that I think came from the 20,000-odd hours he had in Warriors and Archers.