How to find the right flight instructor

If you have just decided you want to learn how to fly you want to find a good flight instructor, someone who will teach you all the required skills without empting your wallet. The problem is that there are usually a lot of instructors to choose from and someone with little to no flying experience cannot tell until well into their training if they have a good flight instructor. I will share my personal experience on this subject. I have had four instructors total and until I found a good one I had no idea that the others were subpar. So I will discuss this subject from the student perspective as well as the perspective of a flight instructor.

First thing when you are looking for an instructor is look at his qualifications. You may see something like this around his name CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI so on and so on. Since most new pilots have no idea what these mean I’ll explain. CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) if he does not have this rating he cannot training you period dot. CFII (Certified Flight Instrument Instructor) an instructor needs to have this rating in order to train you for an instrument rating. It comes after a private pilot’s license if you decide to continue your aviation education. MEI (Multi-engine instructor) not huge for a beginning student. AGI (Advanced Ground Instructor) do not be fouled and think that because an instructor has this he or she must be super awesome. All that is required for this is a written test, no teaching is needed. Instructors get this license because it never expires unlike a flight instructor’s license which has to get renewed every 2 years. There is something that you can look for under his credentials that will tell you if he has been a successful flight instructor so far. If it says he has a gold seal on his instructor’s license or you ask and he says he has it. It is a very good sign. It means that he has recommended at least 10 applicants for a license and at least 8 have passed, so he has an 80% pass rate in a 24 month period. Another qualification is called Master Flight Instructor. It unfortunately is not run by the FAA which handles the gold seal and all of the other licenses, this one is held by the NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors) and this person has to be a flight instructor for at least 4 years and submits an application which is reviewed by the association before it is awarded.

After making sure they have the proper qualifications you need to ask the instructor some specific questions. First always ask for the rate of ground and flight time with the airplane. Make sure you budget for at least 60 hours of flight time (should include rental for the airplane plus the cost of ground instruction) and 60 hours of plain ground instruction also you need to know the cost of any kits and materials you need in order to complete your training. You can definitely shop around for prices every flight school I have been too has a different price, only problem is you have to use an instructor from their school to get their rates. After you have asked all of the financial questions you need to ask some questions of your specific flight instructor. How long has he been an instructor is a common question but hard to make any definite judgments based on that fact. Many starting instructors are very gun-ho and are more motivated that instructors who have done it for many years. A better question is to ask your flight instructor why he became a flight instructor. Some people become flight instructors to gain hours for the airlines, which is not a bad reason it just means that they did not become a flight instructor because they enjoy teaching which is what you want in a flight instructor. Be sure to ask about their method of teaching. I for instance like to teach with a white board or a model airplane. Some like to use PowerPoint slides or other aids. Some people just like to discuss it and using the kit do not feel anymore instruction on the ground is needed. Check to make sure that their style of teaching will work well with you. Second always ask when they are available. Make sure your schedules can work together. Flight training takes a lot of time and if you and your instructor can only meet once a month it will hinder your ability to complete you license effectively.

Lastly once you have gone up and flown with a flight instructor you should be looking at some of the things he does to see if he is a good instructor. A good instructor lets you fly the plane and should never make you feel uncomfortable. I’m not saying that he will let you land it on your first flight but most of the time you should be flying and having a lot of fun. He should be able to answer your questions concisely and effectively or wait and discuss it on the ground. Being a new student you are going to make mistakes, that’s why your flight instructor is there to make sure you get the airplane back on the ground safely. Some instructors can get very nervous when flying with students always looking like they are on edge and constantly correcting the littlest things. On your first couple flights comments like “we are in a turn why don’t you level us out” or “lets go more over that way” are good things you should hear a lot. Stuff like “Wahoo you kinda scared me a little there” or “What are you doing we are in a turn” should never be said on a first flight. They are usually signs that the instructor is nervous and it will tend to make flying less fun and seem more like work.

Finally flying is supposed to be fun and with a little practice it can become a lot of fun. Flying over huge waterfalls, or national monuments or the chance to go somewhere for a day that would have taken you hours in traffic to drive too. Picking the right flight instructor is the first step, and always if you find out later you do not like your flight instructor just ask to be reassigned no flight instructor should take it personally since we all have different teaching styles.