Originally Posted by floridaCFII

So I've been realizing something lately, and I guess it's time to vent a bit.

We have no end to other pilots willing to buy type ratings, pay for training, pay for jobs, etc and step on the backs of those of us who are actually building our time in a legit way. But are they completely to blame? Common sense would say yes... but then again, aren't we (CFI's) their primary source of learning about aviation? Maybe we're partially to blame. Isn't it our job to teach them about not only the skills of flying, but also the aviation industry?

Over the past few months, I've had conversations with a number of my students about other people who buy their way into jobs, pay for type ratings in exchange for work, etc. I've had more than a few students tell me "Sure... I'd do that if I had the money". After explaining to them why it's a bad thing for the industry (and ultimately themselves), all of them have told me something like "Wow... I've never thought of it that way before."

If every single pilot out there started refusing to pay for jobs, training, and type ratings, then companies who need pilots would have to start stepping up to the plate.

I know that a lot of the way I fly I picked up on from my primary instructor way back when I did my PPL. If one CFI can convince one pilot that paying for training is a bad idea, then we have made a positive impact.

The moral of the story is that we have a huge influence on the way our students will act when it's time for them to become professionals. So take a minute to include some basics about the industry in your lesson plans. We're supposed to be mentoring our students about the right and wrong way to fly... let's also mentor them about the right and wrong way to behave.

If they don't learn it from us, who else is going to teach them?