Originally Posted by
Cubdriver
I fly with too many mediocre, officially-certified FAA instructors in my present line of work to really think the civilian system produces pilots to what I would call a satisfactory skill level. Too many of them make me wonder if they could get a piston airplane out of a spin, fail to trim the airplane properly, fail to show an acceptable degree of skill in radio calls, do not know how to properly correct for crosswind in the flare, and are unsure of how some or many of the instruments work or even seem to have a realistic plan for an off-airport landing in the case of an engine out. They invariably come from FAA-approved 141 and sometimes 61 programs that do not include any sort of apprenticeship with an advanced pilot. The FAA primary flight training system is set up to pass students without it, and unless the student makes an individual and independent effort to seek out the association of an advanced aviator, they will not and do not find it a part of their training. Such apprenticeship will not occur until the cockpit of an airliner years later for many. Not to thread drift, but I think this is what drives the impending change in minimum hiring standards for airlines to ATP mins.
In agreement with you, but be careful not to paint with a broad stroke. I see the same thing, and I am a 141 instructor (although I had a mixed background between 141 and 61, and paid for my CFI by flying jumpers). What you say is true, but some of us work very hard to free ourselves from the perception that is all too often given to us. For instance, I encourage my students to read such books as "Fate is the Hunter," etc, to try to bring in some experience that I lack due to my inexperience. I also talk about things as choosing a company to work for, and not going to the lowest paid, bottom of the bucket companies. You can have some good discussions with students over lunch at a cross country destination.
Bottom line is that myself and many of my CFI colleagues (especially the younger ones) are all too aware of the stigma that is associated with us, and work very hard to ensure that we are competent and making competent students,
in spite of our glass cockpit aircraft.