Originally Posted by
FloridaGator
I recieved all my ratings in college while getting a four year degree in Aeronautical Science. Afterwards, I had no intention to participate in "pay for training" at the regionals so I applied to Air National Guard Units nation wide while flight instructing and charter flying (135).
I consider myself a hybrid and I can make these observations from my experiences.
1) Military equipment is the best. Aircraft, Simulators, etc. Military Instructors are typically only 18 months removed from their first flight as a student (200 hours TT) and are building thier own careers... not necessarily gifted and talented educators. Instrument training was VERY weak.
2) Civilian equipment is terrible. GA aircraft are not sophisticated enough or fast enough to really provide a perfect educational experience. Civilian Instructors were EXCELLENT from my experience. Guys with a Thousand hours or so. Instructing 6 to 8 hours a day. People who really liked teaching. The guys who were not gifted instuctors typically did not make it through the CFI program and ended up building time by flying banners or traffic watch.
I ended up having to teach my entire Flight Instruments because the "Blue Suits" did a crappy job and the FAIP's knew little more than what the students were reading out of the book. NONE of the instructors had ever been in IMC. Please understand that the Military is great at Formation flying and "Contact" or aerobatic flying.
If Flight Schools could ever put Civilian Instructors in T-38's and T-1's you would have the perfect training ground for the Airlines.
I disagree with your assessment of IFR training. You also make it sound like every instructor is a FAIP with 200 hours. The IRC program and Advanced Instrument School get more in the weeds (to the point you just want to die) about everything IFR than anything you could get in the civilian world without being a FAA inspector.
Sounds like you got stuck with a crappy flight when you went to UPT. I remember teaching FAIPS a few things as well. The true knowledge comes from the attached Reserve instructors and AD C-130/141 guys. Hand-flying a BeechJet at FL260 while flying raw data on airways down to a full-procedure ADF circling approach was better than any IFR training a civilian school could hope to advertise.
Ask any regional check airman who has flown IOE with a new hire that flies in the Guard/Reserve.
Originally Posted by
FloridaGator
NONE of the instructors had ever been in IMC.
Come on, that's total B.S. Maybe a FAIP or two on a whole base could make it through a year at Laughlin/Vance/Columbus, then go to Randolph and still not experience IMC, not likely, and definitely not an entire flight of instructors.
I know you're trying to stick up for the quality civilian instruction you received. I have fond memories of blasting through the soup with my CFII in a 172. I'm dismayed about the dismantling of University flying programs, it can't be good for a profession that seeks to raise its image to have its collegiate programs marginalized as ''trade schools" and separated from the University experience.