If I was interviewing potential instructors....

killbilly

killbilly

Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
Yep. I know. Everyone says "find a CFI you're comfortable with." But just because he's likeable doesn't mean she/he is a good instructor.

I realized the other day that in my limited experience, I really don't know the difference between a good instructor and a bad one. Every CFI I've been up with has been assigned to me for a Discovery flight. But I've never sat down and really interviewed an instructor with the exception of a chat I had with RyanMickG one day. And I got the impression that he wouldn't actually have been my CFI if I'd set up at Skymates.

So. How do you, as a customer, actually evaluate the instructor you might work with?
 
You do just exactly what you did... interview them.

I interviewed 3 different instructors at two different flight schools for my PPL. I found the one that matched most closely what I was looking for in an instructor.

Many larger schools will "assign" you an instructor... and that's well and good if that's their policy... AND... you two work well together.

IN the beginning though... you should sit down with that instructor and firstly hear what he/she has to say about their instructional style and their expectations of you as a student... then you reciprocate by telling them your expectations as well.

However... if things are not meshing down the road... and you are dissatisfied with the student-instructor relationship then the first thing to do is have one last "heart to heart" talk with the instructor to see if things can be worked out to the benefit of both of you. If not... then it's as simple as asking for another instructor that you think would better suit your learning style.

Regardless of being at an FBO or a large flight school... you are still the customer. You are paying for a professional service... and you rightfully should have expectations that allow the learning process to grow.

Bob
 
Bob - just out of curiosity - if you don't like the instructor you've got at ATP, can you get another one?

I'm starting to look a bit...cautiously...at getting ramped up to do some of this. A few things in life seem to be very possibly settling into place, but I ain't gonna jinx it with details here. :)

I am surprised at just how hard it is to find a good place to train in Dallas. As much as I would like to train someplace like Skymates, GKY is just too far from home. Monarch in Addison is ideally located, but their rates are kinda high, too. So I've been toying with some alternative ideas, and wondering how I'd go about really interviewing an instructor.
 
killbilly said:
So. How do you, as a customer, actually evaluate the instructor you might work with?
Click to expand...

I don't think it's really possible. The customer lacks the knowledge to properly evaluate instructor candidates. And the answers the instructors give might have little relationship to what life would be like as his student.
 
killbilly said:
Bob - just out of curiosity - if you don't like the instructor you've got at ATP, can you get another one?
Click to expand...
The scenario that I described above where a flight school or larger FBO "assigns" an instructor to you is pretty much what you would do if you got an instructor at ATP you didn't mesh with.

I can understand the commute situation... remember from an ATP perspective... housing is provided... so you wouldn't have to commute every day if you didn't want to.

Otherwise... I think it's simply harder to find a decent flight school/instructor in DFW because there are almost too many choices and it can feel a bit overwhelming. If you are not in a hurry... then one solution would be to maybe visit one school every weekend and get a feel for it... talk to the instructors... students... management... etc. Eventually you will find a place that just "feels" right. It may not be "conveniently" located either.

I interviewed an instructor in Limington Maine... a good 45 minute drive from PWM... I actually liked the guy... and the airport was smack in the middle of the mountains & lakes region of Maine... a truly beautiful place to fly. I was actually willing to make the drive because I liked the airport and the instructor... until I flew a 1 hour intro flight with him. I asked if we could head over to Portland... and he said... "Well... that's Class C airspace... and it's kind of a pain.". Well... since I was interested in becoming an airline pilot... I knew I'd need to know and feel comfortable flying into controlled airspace... so that took the warm fuzzy out of learning to fly out of a beautiful one strip mom & pop airport with only one instructor.

I still believe to this day... that if he had said... "Sure, no problem... (key mike) Portland Approach... Cessna 10750..." then I would have made the commute to get my PPL there.

Bottom line... you gotta be comfortable... and willing to take it upon yourself to make the appropriate changes you need to ensure you are feeling "right" about the education you are receiving.

tgrayson made a good point too about not having the knowledge initially to properly evaluate an instructor from a "flight training" perspective. But... there are many other perspectives that you can rely on... and of course... the more you know going into it... the better off you'll be.

Bob
 
tgrayson said:
I don't think it's really possible. The customer lacks the knowledge to properly evaluate instructor candidates. And the answers the instructors give might have little relationship to what life would be like as his student.
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Right!

So. Here I have a forum full of smart CFIs who are going to be willing to help me put together a sort of "CFI-vetting Interview Script" or something along those lines. Right? Right?

Look at it like this. Your son/daughter/mom/dad has decided to seek out a CFI who isn't going to be you. How do you evaluate and help them evaluate the qualities of a good CFI for primary training?
 
another thing.....

My pet peeve question from prospective students/customers....

How many hours do you have? I want to make sure I dont get a "low-timer."

Hours have no bearing on if an instructor will be good or not. I have seen alot of great "low-timers".

A GOOD QUESTION!

"Are you gonna be leaving anytime soon?"

If they are honest, and tell you they would not complete your training because they have job interviews lined up, it would save you the trouble finding another instructor half way through.

Eh, actually I havent had a PVT student in a while. Might be refreshing.
 
ryanmickG said:
another thing.....

My pet peeve question from prospective students/customers....

How many hours do you have? I want to make sure I dont get a "low-timer."

Hours have no bearing on if an instructor will be good or not. I have seen alot of great "low-timers".
Click to expand...

I'm sure you have. The issue is that prospective students/customers simply don't know this. They tend (and you can't blame them for this) to equate time with quality of the instruction/experience. They want the best quality they can get - it's not malicious, they just don't know any better. I will admit that until I did a lot more research, I had the same perception.

A GOOD QUESTION!

"Are you gonna be leaving anytime soon?"

If they are honest, and tell you they would not complete your training because they have job interviews lined up, it would save you the trouble finding another instructor half way through.

Eh, actually I havent had a PVT student in a while. Might be refreshing.
Click to expand...

PM sent. :)
 
killbilly said:
Right!

So. Here I have a forum full of smart CFIs who are going to be willing to help me put together a sort of "CFI-vetting Interview Script" or something along those lines. Right? Right?

Look at it like this. Your son/daughter/mom/dad has decided to seek out a CFI who isn't going to be you. How do you evaluate and help them evaluate the qualities of a good CFI for primary training?
Click to expand...


Take this with a grain of salt... there has recently been a thread about the actual vs. quoted cost of obtaining a certificate. One thing I would want to hear from a CFI is what the cost will be based on the average student (ie, not $5k). I try to be honest with potential clients. It goes a long way.
 
moxiepilot said:
Take this with a grain of salt... there has recently been a thread about the actual vs. quoted cost of obtaining a certificate. One thing I would want to hear from a CFI is what the cost will be based on the average student (ie, not $5k). I try to be honest with potential clients. It goes a long way.
Click to expand...

I ALWAYS tell them that the average pilot gets the license in 50-60 hours, and to base the cost accordingly. I also tell them that the more often the fly, generally, the more money they will save in the long run.

I have flown with about 10 different instructors, and you can tell right off the bat if you click with them or not. If you don't feel very comfortable with their style before your wheels even leave the ground, it is time to find a different instructor, if possible.
 
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