How to choose a flight Instructor ? Experienced or A rookie?

[Someguy123]

So far in my research, i found that experienced ones are mostly full of them selves, and don't seems to enjoy very much.

Inexperienced are very friendly and helpful, but not experienced. So, i am very confuse.

Should i pick an Instructor has 20,000 HR but no passion left, or should i pick a new rookie Instructor who is very friendly and willing to answer all of your questions.

If you know any good one around spring bank area feel free to let me know.

[cgzro]

I think a bit of variety is good. Fly with several different types.

[Adam Oke]

Try for the best of both worlds. Find an experienced pilot who is a rookie instructor.

[PilotDAR]

an experienced pilot who is a rookie instructor

is for sure your best choice. But, maybe not easy to find.

Fly with the new, enthusiastic instructor through your first solo, and a few hours past. Then seek out the jaded grey haired instructor. When I did my helicopter license, this is what I did, and it was perfect.

If, by your first solo, your enthusiastic instructor has not infected you with the joys of aviation, it's not going to happen for you. Presuming that you have been suitably infected with the joys, that's done, you don't need your ego stroked for a while - tough out the wise old owl, as you learn all the tricks. When the lack of glitter causes you to not like it, it's just a test, for those times when your piloting experience will lack glitter too!

New instructors deserve a chance, but they themselves have a lot of experience to build, before they can give you all the answers you need. In the first dozen hours, you won't notice the difference. But, as you move on, and learning the basics is behind you, you need a much deeper resource of wisdom, and that just cannot come from the new instructor. To make it worse, most new instructors I have flown with do not know they are new. With bars on their shoulders, they try to convince me that they have all the answers. They cannot - I do not!

Sure, the new instructors are really sharp with the regs and the procedures, and I listen, and indeed ask for guidance from them in these regards. But, the 500 hour pilot has a lot yet to learn about pilot decision making, making good judgements in unusual situations (like off airport landings), techniques for managing transition from type to type, and treating a plane as though you're paying for it, and would like it to last!

So get one new, and then one old, and draw the best from each...

[Shiny Side Up]

One must also remember that instructors, like every other segment of the populace, aren't just at either ends of the spectrum, you're going to have people out there all over the map.

You've also expended what can be found out about individual instructors online, at this point you're going to have to do some good ol' fashioned hanging out at the airport and talking to people if you really want to find the instructor that's right for you. Only you know what your specific needs are. Start with the people who are willing and able to fill your needs. No matter the experience of the instructor, if he/she ain't got time or don't want to help you, well no ammount of your wanting them to help them is going to make it happen. Don't waste your time if they can't help you. You'll find that there's instructors who think along your lines of how you want to do stuff and ones who don't. You'll only find that out by talking to them.

[Big Pistons Forever]

The tone of the school is set by the Chief Flying instructor. He/She should be happy to have a discussion with you about who would be the best fit for you. If they bush you off, won't engage, or appear disinterested than that says a lot about how the school is being run......

[peakbagger]

It looks like you are having a tough time trying to figure out who the perfect instructor will for you (3 threads looking for the answer). I can tell you that if you are one of the lucky students who make it through your training and become a successful commercial pilot, you will be flying with good amount of people who are far from ideal. You must adapt and succeed. Sometimes that means sucking it up and not taking it personal when your instructor tears you a new one for not knowing your briefings. You need a positive attitude and a hard work ethic. If you have that going for you, the majority of instructors should do the job. Basically, IMOH you need to quit the pussy footing around and go get your licences signed off.
Best of luck!

[rt777]

I have had both, my primary instructor for my ppl wasnt too much older than me and had just finished his instructor rating and he was great. I have also heard stories where people have had very experienced ones who are great and some who are less than great.

[Shiny Side Up]

The tone of the school is set by the Chief Flying instructor. He/She should be happy to have a discussion with you about who would be the best fit for you. If they bush you off, won't engage, or appear disinterested than that says a lot about how the school is being run......

Also, because he/she doesn't immediately take you under their wing, you shouldn't assume that they are brushing you off. Incidentally, don't assume that the CFI is the most experienced pilot at the school either.

[Rookie50]

Great thread. Tough to add. I second variety because no one knows it all.

At my stage I like older, tougher guys ( on me -- don't wish to be babied) -- hopefully with some past commercial type experience. Then we can move beyond theory and how it's actually done. That was really good during my IFR training. Now I find myself shifting more towards VFR, varied experience is great as people have had different experience and you meld it.

For primary I still like a slighter older IP -- I had a good one that took the time and answered my endless questions -- perhaps more patient.

[RyanHealy29]

The tone of the school is set by the Chief Flying instructor. He/She should be happy to have a discussion with you about who would be the best fit for you. If they bush you off, won't engage, or appear disinterested than that says a lot about how the school is being run......

+1.

I'm a brand new student, so take my opinion for what it's worth, but I booked a meeting with the CFI at my flight school and asked him a bunch of questions and told him what I was looking for in an instructor and he immediately had someone in mind and got me set up with the right person. Definitely glad I went that route rather than just randomly picking someone based on a bio or # of hours.

[captcrunch2013]

Most new instructors have a low probability of any genuine desire to instruct.

It generally breeds a resentful bitter instructor who can't wait to take that multi-ifr job with next to no
real experience. If he or she gets to be a Class One instructor they too can pass on the same negative attitudes and ideas.

Pilots as a breed tend to have a lot who are full of themselves, but there is also a wealth of those who love aviation and enjoy passing on their enthusiasm and experience. The problem is, skill, experience and ability to instruct are not necessarily connected.

Talented instructors come at all stages, from a raw instructor rating to someone with tens of thousands of hours and anything in between.

The most experienced most suitable instructor is probably there because he loves flying, is more concerned about quality than quantity, and, you may seem him sitting quietly on the side watching everything carefully
without any newcomer having the faintest idea of who he or she is.

More experienced instructors may be a little more abrupt but not always. Passion is also not necessarily limited
to experience in an inverse order.

At the end of the day, it like looking at a rank full of cabs and deciding that you will walk the rank and decide which driver and cab and cab company you will chose.

Some schools have instructors each operating their own flying school with a variety of standards. The busiest instructor is often in demand for good reason but instructors who fly maximum hours and beyond aret likely to be at a risk of burn out, but that does not happen a lot.

Choose your school on the professionalism you see.

Find out who the instructors are, and make sure you pick someone you are compatible with.
If you weigh 180 pounds, you might be better getting a skinny runt of an instructor if you want some climb performance in a Cessna 150.

For passion, one sure sign of passion is some Aerobatic experience, Tailwheel experience and or "real experience". Where did the instructor learn to fly? If he is just another instructor from the same school whose instructor was trained by the instructor before him or her, then you have an incestuous training system
that breeds out experience.

Do you your research, find out about the backgrounds and go from there. If you get bad vibes, then change instructors and if you have too, change schools. Just make sure that the problem is with the
instructor and not of your own making.

[NAT2]

Try for the best of both worlds. Find an experienced pilot who is a rookie instructor.

So I gotta know, how in the world would you lure an experienced pilot into the world of flight instructing?

[Colonel Sanders]

They're about as common as free-range unicorns in the wild.

[Bede]

Try for the best of both worlds. Find an experienced pilot who is a rookie instructor.

So I gotta know, how in the world would you lure an experienced pilot into the world of flight instructing?

Have a cool plane and let your instructor fly it.. I still instruct on a Citabria on floats/skis. I still like instructing too.

[NAT2]

You wild, free range unicorn, you! Actually that makes sense and its nice to hear people doing that kind of thing, however rare it may be.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Going from zero to "a good pilot" involves more than a good instructor. Successful instruction is a team effort. The instructor brings knowledge,skill,enthusiasm and a genuine desire to see the student succeed, the student brings an open mind, a strong work ethic, and a desire to excel.

Unfortunately there are many "bad" instructors out there, but there are also many, "bad" students. They are lazy, unmotivated, cheap, ungrateful, and only want to meet the absolute minimum standard that will allow them to scrape through the flight test. Good instruction is wasted on these students

I guess I could be considered to fall into the "free range unicorn" instructor category. But I only instruct part time and carefully select my students. I still find instructing can be enormously satisfying when you see a keen and enthusiastic student making big leaps in skill and confidence. I started my flying career as a full time instructor but after 2.5 years I was burnt out. What did me in was not the delivery of flight instruction, it was having to deal with the "bad" students, an inevitability when working at a full service FTU.

[gaamin]

Going from zero to "a good pilot" involves more than a good instructor. Successful instruction is a team effort. The instructor brings knowledge,skill,enthusiasm and a genuine desire to see the student succeed, the student brings an open mind, a strong work ethic, and a desire to excel.

Unfortunately there are many "bad" instructors out there, but there are also many, "bad" students. They are lazy, unmotivated, cheap, ungrateful, and only want to meet the absolute minimum standard that will allow them to scrape through the flight test. Good instruction is wasted on these students

I guess I could be considered to fall into the "free range unicorn" instructor category. But I only instruct part time and carefully select my students. I still find instructing can be enormously satisfying when you see a keen and enthusiastic student making big leaps in skill and confidence. I started my flying career as a full time instructor but after 2.5 years I was burnt out. What did me in was not the delivery of flight instruction, it was having to deal with the "bad" students, an inevitability when working at a full service FTU.

+1

[Shiny Side Up]

but there are also many, "bad" students. They are lazy, unmotivated, cheap, ungrateful, and only want to meet the absolute minimum standard that will allow them to scrape through the flight test. Good instruction is wasted on these students

[Gasp!]

How dare you Big Pistons! How dare you! The outrage!

Students are people with dreams! There are no bad students, only good students and good students that have special needs! There are only bad instructors, and of course bad Chief Flight Instructors that manage bad instructors. Any instructor that doesn't meet all of a students needs are disrespecting them as a customer. That means all of their needs, all of the time. The bad instructors infringe on every students right to get a license to fly.

[Big Pistons Forever]

[Gasp!]

How dare you Big Pistons! How dare you! The outrage!

Students are people with dreams! There are no bad students, only good students and good students that have special needs! There are only bad instructors, and of course bad Chief Flight Instructors that manage bad instructors. Any instructor that doesn't meet all of a students needs are disrespecting them as a customer. That means all of their needs, all of the time. The bad instructors infringe on every students right to get a license to fly.

[sidestick stirrer]

They're about as common as free-range unicorns in the wild.

I guess that makes me unuck, unigue, agnog, eunuch...special?

[triplese7en]

and treating a plane as though you're paying for it, and would like it to last!

Sigh. I wish all pilots were taught that. It annoys me when I see pilots literally slam the power levers through their range of motion to check freedom of movement and that the cables are attached. You don't need to do that! And you also don't need to check that before every single flight. And they wonder why the controls don't stay rigged properly for long...

Unfortunately there are many "bad" instructors out there, but there are also many, "bad" students. They are lazy, unmotivated, cheap, ungrateful, and only want to meet the absolute minimum standard that will allow them to scrape through the flight test. Good instruction is wasted on these students

What did me in was not the delivery of flight instruction, it was having to deal with the "bad" students, an inevitability when working at a full service FTU.

+1

[Panama Jack]

Not to take away from anything anybody else has said here, but instructors are essentially contractors who provide a service. How do you select any other type of contractor who provides a service? Well, nobody so far has answered asking around, checking for referals, etc. Both the good and the bad tend to become known after a while.

[Beefitarian]

Who do you ask Jack?

Last century I only ever heard other pilots talk about two things regarding flying schools. How incredible their current school is even if it was well know as the rip off place. Or how bad a place they just left was.

A CPL student telling me how great his school was around 1992 actually bragged, "They lend me money matching how much I put on account at 18 or 20% interest!" I had a credit card then that charged much less. Student loans were around 6%. Back then you could still get grants that were basically a government gift.

Working construction by then I could never qualify for bank loans. Made too much money to be eligible for student loans/grants and never had a long enough single run with one company to qualify for a regular loan. I alway hated borrowing money for things anyway. Saving up is better or I would just fly when I had some money.

I had quietly listened to many angry rants about the club I happily trained with for years taking my PPL.

I have had two instructors during my flight training that stand out. The first I did not like when I met him hanging around the club. He just had a personality that gave off a bad first impression. I was unhappy when the school booked me with him one time due to availability. After I flew with him twice I requested him and he finished my PPL.

The second was at another school I had switched to. He was one of the best fits for me. My skills improved noticeably and the way he challenged me worked very well. He of course moved on to another job. I found him simply by starting CPL training at the school he happened to be working at.

That school had a reputation at the time for being the best in my region. They then changed CFIs several times and the instructors were mostly ok. Usually fresh from the local college and many moving on as quickly as they could.