Shoud I trust my Flight Instructor?

[keely]

Hi everyone,

I have no clue if this is where I'm supposed to post this, so sorry if I'm not in the right place! And sorry in advance for the long post.

I love airplanes. I like watching them take off and land, I like learning about the mechanics of flight, all of it is so interesting to me. However, I am absolutely TERRIFIED of flying. Last month, I had to fly to Chicago on business and I ended up driving home instead of flying back. I live in Houston. It was ridiculous.

Anyway, my dad, who used to have his private pilot's license, suggested I take a few lessons in hopes that if I do it enough, I might be able to at least fly when necessary. I have gotten so frustrated with myself about being unable to fly and missing out on fun stuff, that I made an appointment that same day for a discovery flight with a local flight training company. I didn't think I'd get anywhere close to actually getting in the plane, but long story short, I did it! It was so much fun. We flew a Piper Warrior, and my instructor was so nice and relaxed and fun to talk to. He asked if I was interested in more lessons and I said yes. I'm making an appointment to go back next week.

Here's my point. As we talked, he said he majored in Music, then made a career change. I'm pretty sure he is younger than I am (I'm 28). I did some Facebook stalking because that's what I do, and I saw that he graduated from somewhere called Aviator College. I looked it up because I'd never heard of it. I actually have a good friend who is a first officer at a regional airline, but he went to a four year school and majored in aviation. I honestly didn't even know until this morning that there was anything else. I thought you had to have a 4 year degree! My Google search of Aviator College is what led me to this message board. And the really bad reviews of it... My flight instructor has been working at this flight training place for six months. That seems like a really short amount of time.

I basically would like some feedback on whether I should trust someone who is new at this and went to a school that everyone seems to think is bad. I felt like the preflight check was super quick, too. That being said, I have no idea what to expect during that because I'm not in aviation. I'm a freaking accountant! The flip side is that he was very professional, sweet about the fact I was so nervous I couldn't even form sentences, and he seemed to know what he was doing. He was also easy on the eyes, and I'm afraid that might cloud my judgment. My problem is I have no clue how to tell a good instructor from bad. I actually thought he was great, but I am just wondering if I should be concerned about his inexperience. My main concern is less about his technical skills but about the fact that I'm terrified we will run into another plane or one will run into us, etc. I know that might seem silly, but that's just me. Anyway, the flight training place has good reviews online, for what it's worth.

I would really like to take another couple lessons and see if I can begin to get over my fear of flying, and I really mesh well with the instructor, personality-wise. I also mean no disrespect about the school or inexperienced instructors/pilots, etc. I am just a nervous tax accountant who wants to make sure everything is just so. Should I keep going? Any advice? Thanks, guys!

 

[hook_dupin]

Yes.. You absolutely should be able to trust your CFI. If that trust is ever in doubt, you should question your CFI.

Many CFIs do not have four year degrees... but neither do many cops, firefighters, and EMTs. Yet, you probably have no issues trusting the skills of the later group.

You can always shop around... You are perfectly entitled to fly with a few CFIs to figure out who you mesh with the most. You can also ask your CFI to provide referrals. As a flight student, you should understand that you are a customer first.

Finally, you may consider seeing a therapist for your aero phobia. While flying little airplanes is fun, rewarding, and challenging, I'm not sure it should be taken-on solely to overcome the somewhat different fear of airline flying. You should peruse flying lessons because you want to learn to fly!

 

[b17]

Two things you should consider, are the fact that the FAA signed him off as a flight instructor so he has to be at least somewhat proficient at flying. The second thing is that he is strapped into that airplane too, so he doesnt want anything to happen to you guys flying either.
That being said, try a couple more flights. If its working for you, stick with it. If not, shop around for another instructor like hook said.

 

[skypilot6]

Congrats on taking your first flight!

As for the flight instructor if you felt comfortable with him the first time, then keep going to him. There are TONS of schools around the country when one can learn to fly, some are 4 Year colleges, 2 Years colleges, or just a good ole mom and pop flight school. Regardless of where one goes to school he/she must meet FAA Practical Test Standards (PTS) in order to operate an aircraft. Since he is a CFI he had had to take a pass at a min 4 checkrides at this point (Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI) if he has a multi rating a CFII or MEI then even more. And most everyone will agree the CFI was the toughest Checkride or their Career (it was for me), and I have 3000TT, Type Rating, and ATP.

Also even if you found the Aviator College might not be that great, that doesn't mean he isnt. EVERY school has good people and bad in their organization. Even Embry Riddle has some bad eggs every now and again, as does everyone.

Keep going to him and if you don't feel comfortable after a few flights find someone else.

 

[adk]

You're not looking to become a private pilot. As long as the instructor makes you feel comfortable and can lucidly explain that "the airplane is doing this now because of this aerodynamic principle" you have somebody that's going to mesh well with you.

And to be honest, it may be a good thing that your instructor has a liberal arts degree. Some of the guys who went to an aviation university have extremely one-dimensional personalities and can be difficult to work with.

 

[keely]

Hi hook,

I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I know I should be able to trust my flight instructor in theory, I was basically asking if my current one was worthy of my trust.

I have definitely considered seeing a therapist for my fears, and I may still go through with that. I also got some anti-anxiety medication from my doctor, but that doesn't really help, considering I can GET somewhere, but it's the constant worrying about the flight back that causes me to have a bad time on my entire vacation. I also do actually have an interest in flying. I know that sounds weird, given that I'm terrified of it, but I could sit and watch planes at the airport all day. It's a big interest of mine, but it just so happens that my personality is such that I'm just constantly waiting for the worst to happen. Flying yesterday made me feel really good about myself, like I accomplished something really major. Who knows, maybe I will come to enjoy it. I do believe it's a control issue, though. Sitting in the back of a plane, not knowing if the pilots are up there freaking out over something I don't know about yet, etc., drives me crazy. Being able to stare at the guy while he flies us around made all the difference in the world. I know when we're banking, we're not about to plunge into the ground, etc. I also know all my fears are totally irrational! I know most pilots are professional, well-trained people, who do their jobs well just like I do. Again, my instructor was nothing but awesome, it's just me being a crazy person that leads me to question his skills, not anything he did while I was there.

I am going to take everyone's advice and go for another lesson. Thanks, guys!

Yes.. You absolutely should be able to trust your CFI. If that trust is ever in doubt, you should question your CFI.

Many CFIs do not have four year degrees... but neither do many cops, firefighters, and EMTs. Yet, you probably have no issues trusting the skills of the later group.

You can always shop around... You are perfectly entitled to fly with a few CFIs to figure out who you mesh with the most. You can also ask your CFI to provide referrals. As a flight student, you should understand that you are a customer first.

Finally, you may consider seeing a therapist for your aero phobia. While flying little airplanes is fun, rewarding, and challenging, I'm not sure it should be taken-on solely to overcome the somewhat different fear of airline flying. You should peruse flying lessons because you want to learn to fly!

 

[stormchaser]

My instructor was so nice and relaxed and fun to talk to...I did some Facebook stalking...He was also easy on the eyes...I actually thought he was great...I really mesh well with the instructor, personality-wise...Being able to stare at the guy while he flies us around made all the difference in the world... Again, my instructor was nothing but awesome.

We all know what you are REALLY asking. It's nothin' to be alarmed about really. We pilots ALL have that gift on women.

Just marry him and be done with it.

 

[hook_dupin]

Hi hook,

I think you misunderstood what I was saying.

I think I get it... My wife suffers from anxiety. You should totally learn to fly! It's worth it in so many ways. Just make sure that, in the process, you tackle the real problems.

You see, with a private pilot rating, you'll hate airline flying much more than you already do.

 

[Pachong]

Yeah, you sound kinda crazy.

 

[Goonie]

6 months used to be a salty vet in the CFI world.

And the short preflight is because it was probably a disco flight and he was getting paid $10 for that flight.

Just being honest.

 

[keely]

Yeah, you sound kinda crazy.

Gotta love the internet!

And yeah, when you work with a bunch of accountants who remind you of the stapler guy from Office Space, you don't mind hanging out with a cute pilot every now and then!

And thank you, hook, for the advice. You are definitely right, it's going to take a combination of things to get me over my flying fear.

 

[n57flyguy]

Hi hook,

I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I know I should be able to trust my flight instructor in theory, I was basically asking if my current one was worthy of my trust.

I have definitely considered seeing a therapist for my fears, and I may still go through with that. I also got some anti-anxiety medication from my doctor, but that doesn't really help, considering I can GET somewhere, but it's the constant worrying about the flight back that causes me to have a bad time on my entire vacation. I also do actually have an interest in flying. I know that sounds weird, given that I'm terrified of it, but I could sit and watch planes at the airport all day. It's a big interest of mine, but it just so happens that my personality is such that I'm just constantly waiting for the worst to happen. Flying yesterday made me feel really good about myself, like I accomplished something really major. Who knows, maybe I will come to enjoy it. I do believe it's a control issue, though. Sitting in the back of a plane, not knowing if the pilots are up there freaking out over something I don't know about yet, etc., drives me crazy. Being able to stare at the guy while he flies us around made all the difference in the world. I know when we're banking, we're not about to plunge into the ground, etc. I also know all my fears are totally irrational! I know most pilots are professional, well-trained people, who do their jobs well just like I do. Again, my instructor was nothing but awesome, it's just me being a crazy person that leads me to question his skills, not anything he did while I was there.

I am going to take everyone's advice and go for another lesson. Thanks, guys!

Why are you really afraid of flying?

If you are identifying a control aspect, that might allude to an anxiety over chaos. You are attacking this the best way, by immersing yourself in this new realm. That is essentially self therapy, the best kind, and forced only by you. Good on you, and no, you are not crazy, yet courageous enough to attack such a hindrance.

 

[USMCmech]

We all know what you are REALLY asking. It's nothin' to be alarmed about really. We pilots ALL have that gift on women.

Just marry him and be done with it.

That's funny right there

 

[keely]

6 months used to be a salty vet in the CFI world.

And the short preflight is because it was probably a disco flight and he was getting paid $10 for that flight.

Just being honest.

Thanks for saying. Yeah, I wasn't expecting anyone to take the plane apart in front of me or anything. What's a disco flight?

 

[GypsyPilot]

I've flown with many people that went to Aviator for flight training, and all were good sticks. As with most stuff, it comes down to what the person got out of it.

 

[broncoav8r]

Thanks for saying. Yeah, I wasn't expecting anyone to take the plane apart in front of me or anything. What's a disco flight?

Discovery flight, some schools don't even pay the instructor for the flights since they see them as a way for them to recruit new students.

I did the same thing on my discovery flights when I was a CFI, and while it may seem like a lot to you, once you have done the preflight on the same plane about a hundred times, you know what you should be looking for, and they pick up quickly. If it wasn't for the bigger footprint, I could preflight the regional jet I fly now faster than a cessna.

Congrats, and hope the flights work out for you. if you don't plan on getting the license right away, start picking places to go. I'm sure your CFI will know of a couple fun ones...

 

[Fearless]

Hi Keely,

It sounds like you're on the right track by taking flying lessons to deal with your fear of flying. I'd also encourage you to stick with your present instructor. If he has a professional attitude and is sensitive to your concerns about flying, then he's exactly the right person to work with. I wouldn't be too worried about where he did his training or what he studied in college. A lot of what you accomplish in aviation (and in other areas of life) depends on your level of motivation - there are plenty of good pilots coming out of mediocre schools, and vice versa.

I was briefly concerned when you said that the preflight inspection seemed "quick". This may or may not indicate a problem. When I was doing a lot of introductory flights, I generally tried to "keep it simple" - check everything, but explain only the major points to the student. As an instructor, you'll quickly discover that there's a time and place for everything. It's easy to overwhelm a new student with too much detail. The best strategy is to explain the basics, demonstrate a maneuver or procedure, let the student practice it a few times, and then dive into the details on subsequent lessons. I hope your instructor's decision to keep the preflight inspection short was a deliberate choice and not due to a lack of care.

Regarding your fear of flying, I suspect a lot of it comes from a lack of information or experience with aviation. The best antidote for this is knowledge and training. You seem to be "detail oriented". This is normally a good thing for a pilot, but it's all too easy to take a legitimate concern (say, the possibility of a mid-air collision) and dwell on it until it becomes an unreasonable fear. This is actually a really important part of your training: to understand what the real risks are, what you can do to control them, and what resources are available. As a student, you'll master about 80% of the physical skills involved in flying in your first 20 hours. Learning to make good decisions under pressure takes much longer.

Take a few more lessons and let us know how it went. Have fun!

 

[block30]

KISS Keep it Simple S... Your instructor is probably trying to not overwhelm you with minutiae at first.

My biggest frustration when I was a new and youngish CFI was people got so hung up on doubting me. They prattled on and on about my age, and how long I had been instructing, none of which was safe in their mind. So they showed up to lessons to basically not listen to me and just do stuff they heard and saw from old Bob who has a plane and took them up once. That attitude made my job ten times harder and their training take much longer. As for preflights, I once had first flight lesson student demand I stand outside in about 0 degree F weather and give him the mother of all preflights, practically an annual, just to prove I wasn't a dumb kid.

As someone else said, six months was damn salty as a CFI about four years ago....I'm talking chief flight instructor salty. Besides the preflight, what did you do on your lesson? Maybe that was a rant, but I think relaxing a bit is important. If you need to shop around, by all means, do. I didn't see anything concerning in your original post, though.

 

[trafficinsight]

Kinda late to the party, but from your description of the flight, and his attitude, he sounds just fine to me

 

[zmiller4]

Here's my point. As we talked, he said he majored in Music, then made a career change. I'm pretty sure he is younger than I am (I'm 28). I did some Facebook stalking because that's what I do, and I saw that he graduated from somewhere called Aviator College. I looked it up because I'd never heard of it. I actually have a good friend who is a first officer at a regional airline, but he went to a four year school and majored in aviation. I honestly didn't even know until this morning that there was anything else. I thought you had to have a 4 year degree! My Google search of Aviator College is what led me to this message board. And the really bad reviews of it... My flight instructor has been working at this flight training place for six months. That seems like a really short amount of time.

I basically would like some feedback on whether I should trust someone who is new at this and went to a school that everyone seems to think is bad.

First off, I think it's awesome that you're addressing your phobia this way. Understanding the basics of how an airplane works--even if it weighs less than the engine on an airliner--should really help you on commercial flights.

Please don't be worried about where your instructor did their flight training or what their degree was in. Six months is plenty of time to weed out someone who sucks--if students had problems with them or they had real safety issues, I'd bet they'd be exposed by then, so I wouldn't worry about it.

He passed a checkride with the FAA to become a flight instructor, and those aren't necessarily easy. If he's conscientious enough to be patient with you and really work to make you feel comfortable, it sounds like he's a good one.