Teaching your kid?
 

I’m thinking about dusting off my CFI certificate (still current, but haven’t actively instructed since 1999) and teaching my son, probably just thru his private. I’m interested in hearing from those of you who have done this, particularly those who did so after a long hiatus from instructing. How did you prepare? Would you do it again?

Re: Instructing
 

There are advantages and disadvantages to doing this. You have a vested interest and will bring more experience than a freshly minted CFI. An area that seems to be overlooked in primary flight instruction is a good briefing prior to flight. You could really improve the learning curve giving a good briefing. You have to ask yourself if your expectations will be higher because your teaching someone you know. I think if you cover the ACS thoroughly you will be fine. It could be a great experience for both depending on how well your son responds to your advice. I have two teenagers and would not even think about giving flight instruction to my oldest one because we are way too much alike and personalities would not mesh. Good Luck and have fun if you decide to do it.

Yea I could never do that with my kid. Tried it before with dad long ago and didn’t work out the way I thought it would. I’ve seen a father son combo buy a plane together and hire out a CFI, that worked out for them, but to each their own.

I have heard that having another CFI teach your kid is the best way to go, so there is no bias involved.

With any family member, have a professional CFI you trust do stage checks at key points. This is a good idea with any student, but especially so with friends/family.

Whether it's a good idea to teach family depends entirely on the two people in question.

My dad tought me how to fly through the private. There was a little but if added stress, but overall it was an ok experience. He was a little harder on me than other students, I guess that could be a positive and a negative. It was nice having someone to talk to and answer questions, basically 24/7 access to a ground instructor. The only negative was that all the paying customers came first, so by the time we got to my lesson he was tired, work out, and irritable ... and occasionally would fall asleep during cross countries.

He might have more experience than a freshly minted CFI, but a freshly minted CFI is probably a lot more knowledgeable about the things actually being taught for a private pilot certificate. Not that he can’t regain that knowledge, but it will require some studying and some practice flying light aircraft if he hasn’t done so in a while.

I just ‘supplemented’ and let the CFI do the bulk. It worked out fine.

This ^^^
Maybe some pattern flying for hints and tips and a second eye on things.
Take care of the night and/or the 3 hr instrument requirement when it’s appropriate.

Your 11000 hrs widebody don’t transfer to little airplanes if you know what I mean. It’s a different universe.
Let a young enthusiastic kid, a peer teach him. Don’t over mentor or over coach.
When I was a CFI I had a student with a “mentor” who was nothing but a pain in the behind. Came in demanding why his protege hadn’t soloed yet in 8 hrs?!
Well....how about he’s not ready and this isn’t the 60’s anymore.
We actually have a syllabus and things we need to accomplish.