looking for advice on picking flight school or instructor

Sport aviation is growing rapidly. But the new sport pilot / light-sport aircraft rules are still a mystery to many flight schools and instructors. To locate a flight school offering sport pilot training and/or light-sport aircraft rentals, click on the "Flight School And Rental Finder" tab above. This is a great place to share ideas on learning to fly, flight schools, costs and anything else related to training.

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jnmeade
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by jnmeade »

My observation on getting an older CFI to train you is that the risk/reward for the old man is not so favorable as for the young one. A twenty-one year old CFI trying to break into the aviation business needs the money and will take about any flight he can. He has very little to lose. Every flight equals PIC time plus income plus experience plus contacts and so forth. The 65 year old CFI no longer needs the flight time, the contacts, the experience and maybe not the money. He may have a house, savings and other valuables at risk if he is sued.
From the older CFI perspective, instruction is not so attractive as it is for the younger man.
How do you get the older CFI to train you?
Maybe some of you would have some comments.
I pretty much give BFR and otherwise train established pilots. I'd give primary in pretty rare circumstances.
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drseti
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by drseti »

jnmeade wrote:I pretty much give BFR and otherwise train established pilots. I'd give primary in pretty rare circumstances.
That's pretty much where I had arrived, two decades ago, Jim. I was only doing flight reviews and instrument proficiency checks, plus the occasional tailwheel or complex aircraft checkout (all to licensed, experienced pilots). Then, the LSA movement came along, and changed my perspective completely. Instructing Sport Pilots (especially the older, retired ones who are finally pursuing a lifelong passion, have plenty of time and disposable income, and a wealth of life experience upon which to draw) is a different world from circuits and bumps in a 152 with a smart-ass kid who sees himself becoming a s#!t-hot fighter jock. This new portal of entry to GA was crying out for professional curriculum development, and one hates to let decades of accumulated experience simply go to waste. Add to that the fact that, being retired myself, I don't worry so much about income and don't have to compete for students with Downtown Jet Academy, and primary instruction becomes an incredibly enjoyable experience.
jack tyler wrote:Paul describes two ends of a wide continuum.
Yes, Jack, I realize that I painted that one in monochrome. You're blessed with a wider range of options there in Jacksonville than we are here in Amishville. When there are only two flight schools in a region, they tend to gravitate toward opposite poles. DeGol Jet Center (no foolin', that was actually their name) chose the barber pole, so I went for the stripper pole. :wink:
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
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langj
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by langj »

I got my training from a very experienced safe pilot. He does not own his own airplane (well he owns a trike I never flew it) the planes were owned by the school. They started with one light sport and at one point had four. However, students are hard on planes and maintenance sometime had the planes down for weeks. Right now they are down to 2 planes due to wrecks. I did my training when they only had one plane. The downside to a single aircraft school is when you are at your solo stage. The priority goes to the instructor with his student, it can be hard to get in to do your solo time. Which often leads you to flying later in the day in bumpy air. A school with multiple aircraft usually have a plane available to fly. Nothing against single plane schools but something to consider when your finding the best match for you.
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drseti
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by drseti »

langj wrote:The downside to a single aircraft school is when you are at your solo stage. The priority goes to the instructor with his student, it can be hard to get in to do your solo time.
I prioritize a little differently. The closer you get to your checkride, the higher up the list I move you. My students understand this, knowing that, when they get close to being done, the newer students will defer to their scheduling needs. (That's another reason that I will only take on four primary students at a time, so everyone can get both adequate attention and reasonable aircraft availability.)
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
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Jack Tyler
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by Jack Tyler »

Paul doing his thing on a stripper pole... Now that's an image one shouldn't be given before breakfast. <g>
Jack
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David
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by David »

drseti wrote: so I went for the stripper pole. :wink:
Jack I agree with you, Sorry paul TMI :lol:
N918KT
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by N918KT »

drseti wrote:
newamiga wrote:seek out a flight school where... they have more than one LSA if possible.
Full disclosure notice: I run a small, one-airplane flight school, so my opinion here is probably not totally objective.

In many cases, the very best instructional experience will be to fly with a dedicated, experienced flight instructor, who takes on one student at a time (maximizing individual attention) in his or her own (or the flight instructor's own) aircraft. Probably an older guy or gal, retired and teaching for the love of it. This is a completely different learning experience than what can be gained studying at a large flight school, with a flight line full of aircraft and a stable full of CFIs aspiring to become airline captains, any one of which (airplane or instructor) may be assigned to you for a given lesson. The large or the small flight school may work better for you, given your personal learning style. But if you go the small school route, the aircraft options will probably be limited.

So, what is the advantage of the one-airplane, one-instructor approach? You become an apprentice, learning at the foot of the master, rather than just another student. If it's a good fit (and it doesn't always work out that way), you might develop a close personal relationship with your instructor, which can last a lifetime. Especially if the CFI instructs in and also maintains his or her own plane, you will get to work on the plane alongside the CFI/mechanic whenever it goes down. So, you'll be getting training not just to be a pilot, but to be a knowledgeable aircraft owner some day. And, if you're the only student, the plane won't go down as often as you think, unless you do something wrong (and that, too, is a valuable learning experience).

If your goal is to get your license as quickly as possible, at the lowest possible cost, go to an assembly line type pilot factory, with lots of planes, lots of instructors, and maybe a simulator or two. If you want to be the best and safest possible pilot, find a master whom you respect, and work closely with him or her, for as long as it takes to learn as much as you can. In other words, fly with Mr. Miyagi.

Here we have yet another example of a basic truism in aviation: one size does not fit all.

Addendum: Sometimes, that close, personal relationship with a flight instructor lasts beyond a lifetime. See, for example, my Avalon Eden stories:

http://avsport.org/publicat/index.html#avalon
Paul, your idea of an old retired freelance instructor who acts like a mentor or master to the student pilot is very fascinating. I don't know if this is a temporary phase or a permanent dream but after seeing pictures and videos of flying old taildraggers like the Piper Vagabond, I actually do want to learn to fly in a very simple aircraft like the Piper Vagabond. I realize that airplanes with glass, gizmos, and gadgets do not interest me. Do those kind of retired experienced CFIs who own a very old simple airplane exist? I was thinking of finding a CFI and airplane like that in the future maybe.
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RyanShort1
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by RyanShort1 »

N918KT wrote:Paul, your idea of an old retired freelance instructor who acts like a mentor or master to the student pilot is very fascinating. I don't know if this is a temporary phase or a permanent dream but after seeing pictures and videos of flying old taildraggers like the Piper Vagabond, I actually do want to learn to fly in a very simple aircraft like the Piper Vagabond. I realize that airplanes with glass, gizmos, and gadgets do not interest me. Do those kind of retired experienced CFIs who own a very old simple airplane exist? I was thinking of finding a CFI and airplane like that in the future maybe.
Kevin,
I'm doing basically the same kind of stuff down here. They do exist, and not all of them are old and retired. ;-) (I'm about 30)... In the Cub at Boerne, you can get 20 hours of flight time for 2K including the instructor (not including ground).

Ryan
Independent Flight Instructor at http://www.TexasTailwheel.com. Come fly tailwheel LSA's.
jnmeade
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by jnmeade »

I flew a Citation I into Boerne Stage a few years ago. Are they still flying gliders there?
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RyanShort1
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by RyanShort1 »

jnmeade wrote:I flew a Citation I into Boerne Stage a few years ago. Are they still flying gliders there?
Yessir.

Ryan
Independent Flight Instructor at http://www.TexasTailwheel.com. Come fly tailwheel LSA's.
Bani
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by Bani »

I just want to say Thank You to all of you for your great advice and also wanted to apologize that I haven't replied to your posts in such a long time. I had to leave the country for a few months for business and thus have not been able to start my flight training yet, but I am hoping to start it later this year. Thanks again and next time I promise to respond quicker.
Jack Tyler
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Re: looking for advice on picking flight school or instructo

Post by Jack Tyler »

This short article - IMO - offers a series of important, practical considerations for picking the right flight school. The only major missing ingredient that comes to mind is to consider the number of training a/c available for the license you want to pursue.

http://learntoflyhere.com/2013/03/19/ch ... t=LTFHblog
Jack
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Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
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