Viperdoc wrote:
I agree with the challenges faced by professionals trying to learn flying. I
got my PPL and IFR ratings while doing research, but now, with 60 hour work
weeks, on call during the weekends, working as a colonel in the Air National
Guard, coaching and playing hockey, and running a research lab, there is
precious little time to get an advanced rating. I still somehow log around
150-175 hours a year, a lot of real IMC or acro. Still, would like to do
more and get the commercial ticket and instructor ratings.

One solution is that we pretty much live at the hangar on the weekends and
summer- all of our friends are involved in aviation, and this has been the
only way to keep the hours up. I even got my 11 year old son to clean the
entire hangar floor for $20 bucks!

The other hang up is that it is difficult to fly with a 20 year old
instructor with less hours and experience than me, and have him tell me how
to fly the plane.

What happened to all the old grey haired curmudgeonly flight instructors
that actually have some experience?


My wife says you can find at least one of these old characters out in
the back in about an hour doing yard work :-)

On the young CFI vs the ATP dual situation;

This is an old issue and in fact requires some degree of tact on the
part of a young CFI. I've actually included this aspect of flight
instruction in several lectures I've given to CFI's in the past.

Without going into a lot of unnecessary detail here, I'll simply say
that when young instructors are required to fly with highly experienced
pilots where that flight involves the instructor's professional role,
the situation requires some degree of tact. It does NOT however, require
an atmosphere of subservience on the part of the instructor.

The bottom line on dealing professionally with experienced pilots as a
young instructor is that before you ever get to the airplane, the
instructor MUST establish a MUTUAL respect with the pilot involved. If
this is not done correctly, the purpose of the flight will be defeated
before the wheels leave the ground.
It's up to each instructor to take the time to analyze a highly
experienced applicant correctly as to potential personality conflict and
deal with it professionally during a carefully conducted pre-flight
discussion.
Any CFI worth the title, regardless of age and experience, should be
able to deal with this issue professionally and tactfully. As a young
instructor, you should NOT be intimidated by more experienced pilots.
Conversely, you should NEVER, as a CFI, make any attempt to intimidate
another pilot.



--
Dudley Henriques