A MONTH SELDOM PASSES without someone asking me to recommend a flight school. I typically respond saying that the school is not as important as the instructor. Unfortunately, I usually cannot recommend a good instructor either. Although I am acquainted with many CFIs, I have not flown with them as a student and cannot judge their effectiveness as teachers. One way to find a good instructor is to ask other students. Another is to ask a designated pilot examiner. A DPE can rate instructors based on how well their students are trained. A significant difference between good and not-so-good instructors is that an ineffective instructor is a commander who issues orders. He demonstrates a maneuver and then has the student repeat it over and over until the student gets it right. The best instructors, though, analyze the needs of their students and modify their teaching methods accordingly. Consider, for example, a student having difficulty judging height above the runway when landing. Some instructors simply have the student perform circuits and bumps until the student finally gets it right. Such learning by rote, though, can be frustrating and take excess time.
展开▼
