Part I of this series featured an actual person—Clyde Cessna. In Part II, we honor a group of people: Flight Instructors. Except for the early aviation pioneers who had to teach themselves how to fly, nearly every pilot flying is indebted to one or more of their flight instructors. If you have a true passion for aviation, then you should consider becoming one too. We’ll discuss how to become a CFI in a moment.
his flight instructor.
“My first flight instructor, L.T. Cook Jr., was a Civilian Pilot Training Program instructor during World War II, a real gentleman and a stick-and-rudder man. He was a cropduster and had his own grass strip in rural Texas. In 1967, I paid $6 an hour for the airplane and gas and $3 an hour for his time. Among the thousands of cards I received [after the ditching], I discovered one from his widow. She wrote, ‘L.T. wouldn’t be surprised, but he certainly would be pleased and
proud.'"
CFIs are always proud of their clients’ accomplishments. Reaching each goal is a shared experience. Even today, when I solo a student for the first time, I’m nearly as excited as him or her. It’s both satisfying and fun to guide people from having no knowledge of an airplane to watching them fly on their own.
The Role of the CFI
Most CFIs I know care deeply about aviation and about transferring their skills and knowledge to others. Most also recognize the almost sacred trust inherent in this teacher-student relationship. They do the best possible job inculcating their clients with the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate changing environments and consistently make the best possible decisions.
Flying is one skill you don’t want to learn entirely on your own or just through a correspondence course. It requires practicing under the guidance of a trained individual who can guide you through the learning process while keeping you safe as you gain the required skills
Are their problems in the flight training industry? Certainly. Is every flight instructor doing the best possible job? Certainly not. But generally speaking, CFIs make a huge contribution to the industry which is way out of proportion to the small recognition they receive. Yet they continue to strive to help their clients achieve excellence. They are the backbone of the general aviation industry.
Becoming a CFI
Getting a CFI rating is unlike any other certificate or rating. Instead of being evaluated on the performance of a series of maneuvers, you are evaluated on your ability to teach those maneuvers. Requirements include:
- Being at least 18 years old
- Holding at least a Commercial certificate and, to teach in airplanes, an instrument rating
- No minimum number of hours of flight training
- Passing two knowledge tests and a practical test
Here's a list of books that I recommend to anyone interested in becoming a CFI. The most important preparation is that you practice teaching to anyone that will listen. Often that will be a family member or an interested friend. When you know your subject matter thoroughly, can teach it effectively, and can proficiently fly the maneuvers from the right seat of an airplane, your CFI will recommend you for the checkride. When you get the rating, you may discover that teaching flying is even more fun that flying itself. And perhaps you’ll become the hero for one or more of your students.
Our focus this week is on General Aviation heroes. The articles are not yet complete, so please suggest one or more candidates for inclusion in the series. Simply click on Comments at the bottom of this article or send me an email.
General Aviation Heroes
Part I -- Clyde Cessna
Part II -- Flight Instructors
The Amazon widgets you use for the books only seem to work in Internet Explorer. Firefox in Windows, Linux and Macintosh all show periods with no indication of a book. Otherwise this looks like a great starting point. I'm hoping to have my Private check ride in the next few weeks, and am thinking of going for Ground Instructor ratings before moving on to Instrument and Commercial, and eventually CFI.
Posted by: Jake | March 31, 2009 at 09:07 AM