Instructing and ‘Studenting’ like a Pro

The CFI is expected to prepare, demonstrate, supervise, observe, and evaluate the student both on the ground and in the air, eventually setting them free to aviate on their own. The student is expected to prepare, observe, practice, and master the tasks in the appropriate Airman Certification Standards (ACS), all the while demonstrating an ever-increasing ability to make sound decisions.

Oh, and did I mention, most of this complex interaction between student and instructor takes place in a cramped and noisy cockpit “classroom,” in turbulence, and in a busy air traffic environment? All the while, the Hobbs meter is merrily counting down the hundreds of dollars that change hands each lesson. Piece of cake.

Not really, of course. Getting the whole instructing and “studenting” thing just right is one part discipline, another part chemistry, and finally just a lot of plain old hard work. So, let’s get started. 

OK, for the record, I am not sure that “studenting’ is really a word. Wikipedia is really unhappy with my spelling, and my spell-check program is absolutely losing its mind, but you get the picture.

In my experience as both a classroom teacher and flight instructor, I have seen how the most successful students pursue their aviation dreams, and how less successful fledgling aviators have fallen short.

First, we ought to admit that the cost and complexity of flight training has increased dramatically. Gone are the 1970s when the author learned to fly in a 25-dollar-an-hour (wet) Cessna 150, with a single radio at a nontowered airport in rural Virginia.

Today, a single flight lesson at a university, flight school, or FBO in a major city may cost as much as a flat-screen TV, and the complexity of the airspace and procedures would be breathtaking to that student of 50 years ago. So, what is a student to do? 

These days an average flight lesson can cost upward of $300. Before I spend that much money on anything, I spend a little time on research and study to get the best buy.

However, way too many flight lessons start with the question, “What are we doing today?” This is simply too late to prepare properly. The most successful students spend at least an hour or two on the ground reviewing the maneuvers to be performed, checklists and flows, airspace and radio frequencies, and the aircraft maintenance status before slipping the surly bonds into the practice area.

Just as airline pilots practice their flows on a flight deck diagram, and military pilots “chair fly” their missions ahead of time, student pilots need to show up prepared and practiced for the day’s tasks. The five P’s—“Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance”—is the antidote to time-consuming and expensive repeated lessons. 

Fly early and often: Flying can be expensive, especially if lessons are needlessly repeated. The simple act of flying early in the day, and as often as possible, will reduce overall costs.

Generally, flying in the morning hours reduces the likelihood of weather cancellations, and the cooler air increases aircraft performance and student comfort and comprehension. Flying more frequently increases upfront costs, but in the end, reduces learner regression, repeated lessons, and overall costs.

So, set the alarm clock early and go fly as much as possible. 

Reduce your reliance on the flight instructor: Flight students respect their flight instructors and value their praise and reinforcement. However, this can go too far.

If the instructor smiles or nods approval, the student is happy to continue. If not, they begin to question themselves. In the beginning, this kind of reinforcement can be a good thing, but eventually, students need to make decisions on their own.

For the flight instructor’s part, they welcome this level of independence as they sign off their students for solos, solo cross-countries, and their eventual check ride. So, start making your own decisions early and often. 

‘Make your weak point your strong point’: This quote from Air Force First Lieutenant Sterling Stephens many years ago struck a chord. While I reveled in my successes, instead of despairing in my weak points, I took his advice and simply placed them at the top of my list for improvement.

One unexpected benefit of this approach appeared later on in life. Once I became an instructor, I noted that I tended to teach the areas I had the most trouble learning better than those I mastered easily.

The extra effort trying to understand why I was having trouble, and what to do about it, helped each of my later students. 

Find the right CFI: Most of us who have been flying for a while remember a flight instructor who made a difference in our flying lives.

For me, it was a gentleman named Fred Broce who took a floundering pre-solo flight student and encouraged him to become a successful pilot. Today, the membership rolls of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) and National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and the many highly regarded FBOs and flight schools around the country are graced by experienced professionals like Mr. Broce.

While these CFIs come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, they are each focused on student success and flight safety. Find one of these folks and you’ll be in for a great ride. 

The majority of current CFIs in today’s aggressive airline pilot market are newly minted CFI/IIs who are instructing to build time toward the required hours for an ATP. These bright, young folks, having just emerged from their own training, are masters of the new technologies  and have the benefit of their quick minds, and even quicker reflexes.

In return, the simple act of flight instruction is excellent preparation for the duties of an airline first officer. Right-seaters in the regional or corporate jets are expected to be an independent set of eyes on the flight deck. A year or two spent as a CFI/II provides the vital experience that simple time building cannot.

After the required 1,000 to 1,500 hours, these young instructors have learned to anticipate problems before they arise, communicate clearly and professionally, and understand that the  occupant of the left seat is not infallible. All great lessons to carry into an airline flight deck.  

Everyone in aviation has their own answer to this question, so what follows is my own thoughts on the matter.

The Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (AIH), Flight Instructors Refresher Course (FIRC), and  Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) have some very detailed descriptions. However, let’s look at a few major points that the best CFIs seem to have in common. 

Have high standards, a plan to achieve them, and a healthy dose of patience: Setting high standards is what the student desires and the industry demands. However, the best CFIs seem to have developed a methodical building-block approach for each skill or maneuver.

At the same time, they understand that students learn at different speeds and often progress and regress. Thinking through how a student will understand and absorb the knowledge needed to learn a task is a bit of an art.

However, the well-prepared CFI will use, or develop, a syllabus, communicate the steps to student proficiency, and be a little patient as the student climbs the ladder to success. 

A professional pre- and post-flight briefing: A complete preflight brief and postflight critique is the key to making the best use of each minute spent in the air.

These briefs, initially conducted by the instructor and then by the student, are time well spent whether you are flying a Cessna 172 or as a member of the Blue Angels. The goal is to establish a positive briefing habit in the student.

Pilots are endlessly in search of the perfect flight, never achieving it, and thus a mental critique of each flight is critical. And the sooner the student takes the lead on this, the better. 

Never let the student take you anyplace from which you cannot recover: Professional instructors should have a set of limits that they never exceed. The emphasis here is on the word never.

While these may change over time, they generally become more conservative as the CFI gains experience, not less. While we want the student to recognize and recover from poor situations, once it appears that the CFI is about to “boldly go where they have not been before,” it is time to take the flight controls and reset the situation.

Flight instruction is quite a bit safer than the whole of general aviation flying. However, too many flight instruction incident and accident debriefs start with the sentence, “ I was waiting to see if the student would recover.” 

Ask good questions: While early in the flight training process it is often necessary to direct the student’s performance, as they practice and gain experience, the student pilot will often learn better if the instruction comes in the form of thoughtful questions.

This allows the budding aviator to process the question, think about the best solution, and act instead of simply reacting to the CFI’s commands. The sooner we stop directing the movement of the new pilot’s hands and feet, the sooner they develop their own thought processes.

As baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball (or in our case, flying) is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” Maybe Berra’s math skills were a bit lacking, but he gets it right. A series of thoughtful questions and timely directions may develop the pilot’s mental skills.

Students learn about 20 percent by listening and 80 percent by watching: As CFIs, we pride ourselves on our ability to talk and fly. However, putting aside our silver-tongued instructions, students learn much more by just watching how we behave and the decisions we make.

If we are occasionally impatient, disrespectful, impolite, or tend to cut corners, darn if those pesky students don’t follow suit. Like it or not, CFIs live in a fishbowl. Our every action and reaction is eagerly noted and filed away for later use by the students.

So, go take an honest look in a mirror and figure out where you stand as a role model for the next generation of pilots. 

Best student-instructor relationships: The relationship between flight students and their instructors is a special one. Classroom lecturers speak to tens or even hundreds of students who may or may not be very engaged.

But a working CFI and student enjoy a one-on-one relationship that is quite special. And each shares in the success of the student as they climb the ladder toward becoming an aviator.

It takes both the instructor and the student, working together, to make the magic happen. When one party or the other is not prepared, it can be a miserable experience. However, when it is working, it is a beautiful sight to see.

Fly safe!