Why do i need an instructor

[Ultralights]

the hours required for any rating, instructor, forst solo, anything is a just a number in a book, nothing more.. how many people ACTUALLY went solo in the minimum legal time? i have never seen 1. same with the Instructor rating, and the flying component is just the start of it.. I hate giving briefings, always will. i prefere sitting down with the student and going through a booklet, or drawing it out in front of them.. thats just my method. must have worked, i take great pride in knowing that some of my students, some on here, and others have gone on to bigger and better things, and others have bought their own aircraft, and can fly well and safe.

 

even as an Instructor, you are always learning, just as the student is, every student is different and learns by a different method...

 

Does the 30 hrs cover that, not a chance..

 

even after completing another course recently, a lot of stuff i thought i knew, from decades ago, and what i knew was right, was proven to be totally wrong.. Same goes for the EMT course.

 

you never stop learning... if you feel you have nothing more to learn, then get out of the game..

 

 

[M61A1]

Is that really called for? Find me a single post where any Instructor has claimed to be prefect and ill eat my hat.. People do take objection to others posting comments about the ease and simplicity of attainment, and when the comments go as far as saying you just need to pay the money and you'll have a ticket is not only insulting but does certainly qualify the "troll" description as its completely unsubstantiated and inflammatory.When anybody post's an opinion about the process or the requirements then its pretty obvious that if that person has not completed the process in question then they really are not qualified to make any sort of "educated' statement about that process. Having BEEN instructed does not qualify one to judge the EASE at which that instructor obtained their rating.

One's experiences are not limited to this forum. To my knowledge, I have only met one person on this forum who has instructed. With that in my I think I understand what he is getting at. While you may be an instructor, you are probably not the instructor he's experienced. A lot of instructors I have met, appear to have (as mentioned earlier) some sort of "God Complex", and the younger the instructor, the more they seem to think of themselves. It's not an endearing quality. It probably doesn't help that young students may see them the way they see themselves, and perpetuate the issue.

The best instructors (2 out of 6) I've had, are quiet, and unassuming. They don't run off at the mouth, they impart their knowledge subtly, and without fanfare. They are also quite blunt, and will let you know honestly where you need to improve.

 

Like pilots, some instructors are great, many not so great. Maybe you take a great deal of pride and effort in what you do, it doesn't mean they all do. So , maybe, don't take it too personally, unless you know for sure it's directed squarely at you.

 

 

[DrZoos]

I say all this not to bag those older, but to defend the young.

 

Personally i would have no problem at all with a person less then half my age at 19 instructing me or others. If he or she has the skills, knows and follows the syllabus and knows how to instruct and assess, then good luck to him...

 

I spend significant time instructing all ages and teaching people to instruct and the youth in general are extremely bright, competent and far far better then most people give them credit for. Especially the type of youth that young pilots attract, i would find extremely competent as instructors in general.

 

I would even go so far to say i think the youth of today are significantly better educated and in general brighter then the generations that have gone before them, from my 25 plus years in this field they certainly learn much much quicker in general. And many things in education that where taught only to seniors in years gone by are now firmly entrenched in early high school and in some cases primary. Also there ability to pass those skills on seems to come far more natural, because they have grown up in class rooms that are far less teacher centric. Most by the age of 12 have already done 10 or 15 speeches and several coaching sessions of there peers. By the end of high school it comes natural to most to be able to peer teach , instruct others and assess. Its littered throughout their curriculums.

 

So i will happily take an instructor without any prejudice to age.

 

And im glad there are 250 hr cpl instructors, they probably make fantastic level 1 instructors

 

 

[facthunter]

Sure, but you should acknowledge experience .In aviation it has always been a consideration for any job. Why is that so? Because it is needed as you learn from experience I think the young today are no different to what they always were. No better no worse. We don't give them too many good signals. I have no difficulty discussing most things with todays "future leaders". We just have to sort out the BS advice we have dispensed , often to explain the way we have done things. Often incorrectly.. Nev

 

 

[johnm]

a lot of times - when the conversation is getting say .............. embroiled (good word that), if someone makes a comment that you are specifcally referring to - you should mention that persons name - avatar otherwise everyone else thinks that comment is fired at them (the conversation then starts to broil)

 

even using a quote from the person may not mean you are referring to that ............ but the conversation that was generated by the quote

 

if you get my drift

 

 

[Teckair]

A lot of instructors I have met, appear to have (as mentioned earlier) some sort of "God Complex", and the younger the instructor, the more they seem to think of themselves. It's not an endearing quality. It probably doesn't help that young students may see them the way they see themselves, and perpetuate the issue.

I have also found that to be the case and it has not been confined to young instructors some people seem to think as soon as they get their instructor rating they are a bit better than everybody else and I think the worst case scenario is the parading around with epaulets. This is unfortunate and appears to have given instructors in general a bad name I hope it is not too wide spread.

 

 

[johnm]

epaulets ? - don't see them in these parts - would n't worry me

 

I guess if you want to fly that would be the least of the wearers worries ............... you can't judge a book by its cover

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Dudes. Fair crack of the whip. Some company's have a uniform standard tey expect of all employees. Very australian to have some tall poppy syndrome, I expect a uniform to be worm by my instructors ( no gold stripes) as it effects the perceptions of the instructors as being professional and stuff.

 

I'm more than a little concerned about the general perceptions of instructors that some of you have. You must have come across some wankas in your time and are now applying blanket dislike over the rest while you happily fly around with the skills and knowledge given to you by these up themselves know it all wankas ;) ;).

 

What exactly do you think instructors get out of instructing? Money? Pft... Respect?? Hardly.... Free hours ?? The good ones probably don't even bother logging the hours as they have a few log books full ;) so why do you think they do it? The prestige??? Lol, have a read of this thread and see if that's applicable.. When I read things like this thread I certainly ask myself why.

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

..... and I think the worst case scenario is the parading around with epaulets .....

I couldn't agree more. I think epaulettes have no place in instructing, and especially so in sport aviation. They should be kept where they belong, on the shoulders of the flight crew of commercial passenger aircraft only. No doubt there will be those who will argue that they are necessary for the 'corporate image' of their flying school but in fact they do nothing that business pants and a clean white shirt with a custom company logo on the pocket doesn't do, and the latter doesn't have the potential to dangerously feed the ego of junior instructors.

 

While we're on the epaulette subject, and I know it's been well ridiculed on the never ending story but I must say that I have rarely been so appalled as when I used to open the pages of the RAAus magazine to be confronted with an image of the Sport Aviation 'President' festooned with gold stripes. If ever a damaging message was being sent to people who might have been interested in taking up flying for recreation then that was it.

 

While I was composing this the two posts above were made, and the part of this comment above is not directed or in response to either of them, however, yes motz, some of us have come across the tools you describe in our time but that doesn't mean anyone is applying any blanket dislike of anyone. I think most instructors are well respected and that you're taking this very personally but I don't think it's meant that way. Nonetheless those young egotists being described do exist aplenty. I wouldn't consider doing my renewals with an instructor or school that wears epaulettes.

 

 

[ayavner]

is it the epaulettes specifically? what if they wore say a one-piece AF-style flight suit? Or a leather helmet and goggles? i don't have an opinion one way or the other, but it is interesting to see the opinions you guys do have on the subject! I personally would not wear the epaulettes under any circumstance (unless i one day became a commercial pilot, and even then only if expected).

 

As to the young/older thing, also a good debate with well-put positives and negatives on both sides (lack of experience vs. inflexible/entrenched). I have certainly had some challenges in communicating with a CFI who is 15 years my junior, and its taken effort on both sides, but as to the mechanics of learning to fly and a positive role-model for airmanship, I have been on average pretty happy. I think it is helpful, especially after awhile, to experience instruction from a variety of instructors (note I didn't say "mates") because everyone is going to impart things slightly differently and a concept might click better in one context than it did another.

 

in the end, i guess it is about gathering experience for your own toolbox. If all you have been given is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

 

 

[metalman]

Hey the guy I did a Tigermoth check ride with had a leather helmet and goggles,,,,,mmmm ,he seem okay ,,,,,,

 

I also noticed the guys in front of the 737 I was on had epaulettes ,,,,,,,mmmmmm ,bloody wankas seem to be everywhere,,,,,still if the pilots turned up wearing acca dacca t shirts I'd be a bit put off,,,,,but that's just me I guess

 

 

[fly_tornado]

inxs t-shirts are ok? what about bus drivers wearing epaulettes?

 

 

[Teckair]

you can't judge a book by its cover

You can and you do every day. More accurate would be to say 'you can't always judge a book buy it's cover'.

 

 

[facthunter]

They wear them everywhere today. Buses, The fella's who carry your bags in Hotels . I think, years ago, I expressed the view somewhere like here, that it seemed a bit over the top in RAAus, and I still feel the same.

 

In an airline there are times when people would like to be able to tell who the Captain is, (Fuellers, despatch people maintenance, etc ) and by then the said person would have put in a fair amount of effort to earn them. Flight attendants need to know who the senior is when crews change and often they have not met each other before.

 

When I was training and instructing I wore a one piece Khaki( zippers and pockets everywhere) ex service flying suit as protection for normal clothes because you got oil and scratches from unlined cockpits.and a cloth helmet and my own gosport tubes in the Tiger Moth. Never saw any epaulettes. I don't really care actually. As for wanka's in the front of the 737, you won't find many airlines where they don't have them, so I wouldn't get too anti there. Some of the uniforms (particularly in the tropics) get pretty informal. No tie , short sleeves and short pants . Otherwise they probably hark back to Navy more than anything else..Nev

 

 

[metalman]

They wear them everywhere today. Buses, The fella's who carry your bags in Hotels . I think, years ago, I expressed the view somewhere like here, that it seemed a bit over the top in RAAus, and I still feel the same.In an airline there are times when people would like to be able to tell who the Captain is, (Fuellers, despatch people maintenance, etc ) and by then the said person would have put in a fair amount of effort to earn them. Flight attendants need to know who the senior is when crews change and often they have not met each other before.

When I was training and instructing I wore a one piece Khaki( zippers and pockets everywhere) ex service flying suit as protection for normal clothes because you got oil and scratches from unlined cockpits.and a cloth helmet and my own gosport tubes in the Tiger Moth. Never saw any epaulettes. I don't really care actually. As for wanka's in the front of the 737, you won't find many airlines where they don't have them, so I wouldn't get too anti there. Some of the uniforms (particularly in the tropics) get pretty informal. No tie , short sleeves and short pants . Otherwise they probably hark back to Navy more than anything else..Nev

I should put smilies up when I'm piss taking,,,,,

 

 

[ayavner]

you'll find it rarely helps

 

 

[M61A1]

epaulets ? - don't see them in these parts - would n't worry meI guess if you want to fly that would be the least of the wearers worries ............... you can't judge a book by its cover

I can honestly say I've never judged an instructor by his/her epaulettes, but I usually know, within a few minutes of meeting one, what I'm dealing with. It's one of the reasons I don't ring up and book, until I've dropped in and had a look and a talk.

I went to a GA school once, with an idea of doing some "unusual attitude recovery" training, or whatever they call it these days, was asked what my flying experience was,

 

"I've been learning to fly ultralights" says me.

 

"I'm sorry to hear that" he says.

 

I turn and walk out the door.

 

 

[johnm]

when I worked in nz as a loader driver for aerial topdressing .......... 2 planes working the one strip that day - i can always remember the 2 fletcher pilots talking about some previous summer they both worked a strip together in the 'nude' - a very informal dress standard (I assumed they where in separate aricraft when this occured)

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Are there really raa schools rocking the gold bars? Seriously?

 

 

[fly_tornado]

uncle eugene

 

 

[motzartmerv]

No!!!! You jest????

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Any Australians?

 

 

[facthunter]

He might have been joking. (I hope so). I found very early on that all kinds of experience add up. R/C models etc. A mate of mine went up in a DH 82 with me. He put his lunch all over the floor, but barring that he would have soloed in about 3 hours as he did everything bar the landing by himself.

 

Anyhow I'm sceptical about all the bars on the epaulettes, in RAAus but like you say you will still easily pick someone who knows his stuff, regardless .

 

This is another of my posts that has hung up for hours so it may seem out of context,,Nev

 

 

[fly_tornado]

whats the prognosis

 

 

 

 

[djpacro]

He looks more important than I.

 

Female peering over my shoulder simply remarked "dashing". I wouldn't know.