Being a flight instructor - question
08-13-2007 | 06:26 AM
#11
Flying Farmer
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Turbo-props' and John Deere's
I'll 2nd all the above. Teaching is very rewarding in many senses of the word. You will gain experience, you will find yourself being able to "predict" problems and bad techniques before they happen, and you should have fun doing it all.
08-13-2007 | 06:53 AM
#12
Thread Starter
Gets Weekends Off
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I personally think that instructing is an invaluable step in the progression of any career, not just the airlines. Do I like primary students? Yes and no, I think that it can be extremely tedious to take 5 or 6 primary students in one day 5 days per week and just go out and do slow flight steep turns and stalls over and over again until they progress to the landing phase and then you just do pattern work 8 hours (logged) per day. That being said you get a tremendous feel of satisfaction knowing that everything they learn and every concept they grasp is because of you and you should feel good about that.
On that same note everything they know is because of you so it is imperative that you do anything and everything within your power to make them a better pilot then you are. Do not ever be afraid to admit your faults, I have done it many times and everytime they have been appreciative for the correction, I will call a student after I go home for the day just to tell them I was wrong so my incorrect information will not sit in their head longer than it has to.
The skils you will develop flight instructing are evident almost immediately, like others have said, every single phase of every flight you are analyzing technique and all of the four phases of flight and what they are doing in relation to your airplane at every given moment. What is happening now, what will happen if the student does this etc etc, you will be thinking two hours ahead of the airplane at all times and really feel the plane and its capabilities.
Advanced students are an easy way out if you simply skip the primary, although still rewarding you are doing a disservice by not sharing with the fledgling pilot community your knowledge to the primary students. On the same note you are still doing your part to better yourself and help someone achieve their goal and you will develop solid instrument skills by teaching others instrument, you will really start to learn the system.
As for multi students, I personally believe that no one has any place teaching in a twin until they have proven they can teach in a single. It took me 500 dual given before I was allowed to teach in the twin. Just because you have your MEI does not mean you can teach in a twin. If all is going well then you will do just fine, but what about when things go wrong..your 20 hours of PIC wont help you. There are many schools though who are hurting for instructors, to include MEI's so there is a great chance you can just walk in the door and step into the twin. Also being said there are twice as many student pilots looking for instructors as instrument candidates and so on up the list so you will be needed for everything, not just the "good stuff"
On a final note...if you kind of want to instruct but not really...honestly, just go to ATP to instruct or Ari Ben. Both of those schools hire brand new instructors, put them in the left seat of the twin immediately and then expect that you will leave as soon as you hit 400-500 hours. It is a win win situation for both of you.
Hope some of it helps in some way.
USMC
On that same note everything they know is because of you so it is imperative that you do anything and everything within your power to make them a better pilot then you are. Do not ever be afraid to admit your faults, I have done it many times and everytime they have been appreciative for the correction, I will call a student after I go home for the day just to tell them I was wrong so my incorrect information will not sit in their head longer than it has to.
The skils you will develop flight instructing are evident almost immediately, like others have said, every single phase of every flight you are analyzing technique and all of the four phases of flight and what they are doing in relation to your airplane at every given moment. What is happening now, what will happen if the student does this etc etc, you will be thinking two hours ahead of the airplane at all times and really feel the plane and its capabilities.
Advanced students are an easy way out if you simply skip the primary, although still rewarding you are doing a disservice by not sharing with the fledgling pilot community your knowledge to the primary students. On the same note you are still doing your part to better yourself and help someone achieve their goal and you will develop solid instrument skills by teaching others instrument, you will really start to learn the system.
As for multi students, I personally believe that no one has any place teaching in a twin until they have proven they can teach in a single. It took me 500 dual given before I was allowed to teach in the twin. Just because you have your MEI does not mean you can teach in a twin. If all is going well then you will do just fine, but what about when things go wrong..your 20 hours of PIC wont help you. There are many schools though who are hurting for instructors, to include MEI's so there is a great chance you can just walk in the door and step into the twin. Also being said there are twice as many student pilots looking for instructors as instrument candidates and so on up the list so you will be needed for everything, not just the "good stuff"
On a final note...if you kind of want to instruct but not really...honestly, just go to ATP to instruct or Ari Ben. Both of those schools hire brand new instructors, put them in the left seat of the twin immediately and then expect that you will leave as soon as you hit 400-500 hours. It is a win win situation for both of you.
Hope some of it helps in some way.
USMC
Thanks for the good post! I am really not looking at simply building time, or multi-time. I AM looking for the knowledge that comes from instructing, and the consensus is that teaching Primary is not a thing to avoid. I thought that perhaps teaching the advanced stuff would be more enjoyable, as well as a learning experience, so that was one of the basic premises of my question. I am convinced now that primary is too important not to teach, at least for a while. Thanks all!
08-13-2007 | 08:24 AM
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: May 2007
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From: JS32 FO
Primary students are a love/hate relationship sometimes. If that's what you have, it's real easy to get bored of steep turns, slow flight, stalls, then landings. But you have to do the reps to let the student practice. Also, it can be really frustrating when you get to the point of saying the same reminders over again. It will happen and I know I've spent more time than I should have wondering why the student won't listen. But that is a part of the business and the reward is when the student realizes what you've been saying and starts applying it. That is one thing you'll miss with more advanced students, (especially Commercial applicants). They know the jargon, and know the key phrases and are usually capable of fixing problems quicker. But a primary student has to learn the language and that can be a challenge for you and the student.
As said earlier, MEI doesn't truly prepare you for instructing in the twin. For instance, I only need 3 hours of training to meet the qualifications for MEI since I have more than 15 hours PIC already. 3 hours isn't enough. Multi students at my school can be dangerous. They are CSEL-IA certified and think they know how to fly (like we all did). But multi flying is different and gives you more options, some of which will kill you. In the single, usually you don't have many options, but the twin can give you a false sense of confidence if you aren't comfortable with the plane and its capabilities. In that sense, I think teaching primary students is a good prep for teaching multi as well.
As said earlier, MEI doesn't truly prepare you for instructing in the twin. For instance, I only need 3 hours of training to meet the qualifications for MEI since I have more than 15 hours PIC already. 3 hours isn't enough. Multi students at my school can be dangerous. They are CSEL-IA certified and think they know how to fly (like we all did). But multi flying is different and gives you more options, some of which will kill you. In the single, usually you don't have many options, but the twin can give you a false sense of confidence if you aren't comfortable with the plane and its capabilities. In that sense, I think teaching primary students is a good prep for teaching multi as well.
08-13-2007 | 01:27 PM
#14
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Engines Turn or People Swim
One of the schools I worked would try to assign new CFI's to commercial students...that way they could practice teaching with a student who wasn't completely out of his element.
CFII is also a good way to start, assuming the CFII is actually comfortable in IMC (or stays VMC).
I would not do MEI as a brand-new CFI...that's a good way to die quickly.
CFII is also a good way to start, assuming the CFII is actually comfortable in IMC (or stays VMC).
I would not do MEI as a brand-new CFI...that's a good way to die quickly.
08-13-2007 | 04:32 PM
#15
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Left seat
I just want to chime in my agreement that MEI for a new CFI is a very bad idea for both teacher and student.
Of course, pilots being what they are (their own worst enemy), I know of few new flight instructors that would take this advice.
Of course, pilots being what they are (their own worst enemy), I know of few new flight instructors that would take this advice.
08-13-2007 | 10:53 PM
#16
Tuk er jerbs!
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: B747 Left
I absolutely echo everything that's been said about teaching in a multi as a new instructor: don't do it. Like USMC, I didn't step foot in a multi as a CFI until I had about 400 dual given in singles. Singles in general are much more forgiving of bad technique than most twins, which allows you to get a good feel for how students react to situations in an easy to fly airplane before moving into something more complex. Students under pressure are known to do dangerous things very quickly, which you as the instructor have to prevent and/or counteract.
Hence why starting in a multi is not a wise idea: you have no idea what to prevent them from doing if you've never been an instructor before. After several hundred hours of dual given in a C172, you'll know exactly where to place your hands during various phases of flight in order to effectively guard the controls. You'll know when to expect them to do funny things like adding flaps above Vfe or "forgetting" to flare. You'll already have a bag of tricks to draw out of.
This all is a positive transfer for when you start teaching in the multi. Guarding controls is the name of the game here, as students can not only hurt you, they can hurt the airplane in a number of ways if you're not doing your part to prevent it. An example would be positioning your foot over the correct rudder pedal before you pull the engine to prevent them from stomping on the wrong one. Another would be keeping your left hand on or very near the throttle quadrant during single engine ops, especially when they're going through a simulated feather or troubleshoot. These are things that are honed as a single engine instructor, and give you a great head start before you start teaching in the twin.
Hence why starting in a multi is not a wise idea: you have no idea what to prevent them from doing if you've never been an instructor before. After several hundred hours of dual given in a C172, you'll know exactly where to place your hands during various phases of flight in order to effectively guard the controls. You'll know when to expect them to do funny things like adding flaps above Vfe or "forgetting" to flare. You'll already have a bag of tricks to draw out of.
This all is a positive transfer for when you start teaching in the multi. Guarding controls is the name of the game here, as students can not only hurt you, they can hurt the airplane in a number of ways if you're not doing your part to prevent it. An example would be positioning your foot over the correct rudder pedal before you pull the engine to prevent them from stomping on the wrong one. Another would be keeping your left hand on or very near the throttle quadrant during single engine ops, especially when they're going through a simulated feather or troubleshoot. These are things that are honed as a single engine instructor, and give you a great head start before you start teaching in the twin.
08-15-2007 | 02:04 AM
#18
Tuk er jerbs!
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: B747 Left
By the way, I haven't taught much except for instrument since I started instructing. I've had a total of two primary students, and all of the rest being a mix of 90% instrument and 10% commercial. I had the choice of working a day shift with lots and lots of pattern flights, or a night shift with lots and lots of instrument approaches. I took the night shift, and I've been very happy with that choice.
No, I don't have a whole lot of experience with teaching landings and stalls and all of that, and frankly wouldn't know what to do with a new pre-private student right now. But what I do have a solid amount of experience doing is teaching instrument, and since the good majority of my flying these days is in the multi, I do a lot of night multi IFR instruction. A lot of IFR cross countries mixed in there in a variety of weather, too. It's been good experience I feel. On the other side of the coin, it's not easy. The students get burnt out really easy, and there isn't a whole lot of a feeling of accomplishment if they get their rating. And since most of my flying is done at standard rate with tight tolerances of what you can and can't do, I'm not very comfortable doing certain things that others might be. Cross controlled stalls and night VFR XCs freak me right out.
But honestly, if you are thinking of moving on beyond the CFI ranks, who is going to be more prepared for an interview? The guy flying slow flight and steep turns all day, or the guy teaching approaches all the time? I felt very at ease during my AirNet interview, mostly because of that teaching experience. Something to think about. I'd try to get a bunch of instrument students, but then again I'm biased.
No, I don't have a whole lot of experience with teaching landings and stalls and all of that, and frankly wouldn't know what to do with a new pre-private student right now. But what I do have a solid amount of experience doing is teaching instrument, and since the good majority of my flying these days is in the multi, I do a lot of night multi IFR instruction. A lot of IFR cross countries mixed in there in a variety of weather, too. It's been good experience I feel. On the other side of the coin, it's not easy. The students get burnt out really easy, and there isn't a whole lot of a feeling of accomplishment if they get their rating. And since most of my flying is done at standard rate with tight tolerances of what you can and can't do, I'm not very comfortable doing certain things that others might be. Cross controlled stalls and night VFR XCs freak me right out.
But honestly, if you are thinking of moving on beyond the CFI ranks, who is going to be more prepared for an interview? The guy flying slow flight and steep turns all day, or the guy teaching approaches all the time? I felt very at ease during my AirNet interview, mostly because of that teaching experience. Something to think about. I'd try to get a bunch of instrument students, but then again I'm biased.
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