Frustrated Student Pilot About to Quit

"Litwin" wrote in message
om...
1. I have a competent, patient, and otherwise very good CFI. However,
he can never be on time, and as a busy professional, and despite many
discussions, I cannot live with this. Not 10 or 20 min late, but 1 to
2 hours late, and frequent.

As you've already figured out, this is just plain unacceptable. Even 10 or
20 minutes late, if on a regular basis, would not be reasonable. But being
hours late is downright absurd.

He is the only CFI at this airport.

Which airport? As others have pointed out, it would be *highly* unusual for
it to be the case that this is the only CFI there, and certainly for him to
be the only one within a reasonable distance. Where are you exactly, that
this lone CFI has the corner on the market?

[...] Besides, untimely and tardy CFIs are a
common disease in GA so I hear.

I suppose "not rare" is a fair statement. I wouldn't go so far as to say
"common". There are a large number of CFIs who act professionally,
including being on time.

2. GA seems economically distressed. The aviation company that
employs him has junk equipment, 2 days in a row now two different
planes would not start. And never mind the lack of money to plow snow
or remove compacted ice on the runway. I just don't want to spend my
money in what looks to me to be a distressed industry that may not
even have a bottom line in some sectors.

Yup, GA is distressed. But still, most operations have airplanes that work
reliably. The company you're talking about doesn't sound typical to me.
Keeping an airport clear of snow is harder, and that might be an issue where
you are. You'll need to find a different airport if that's truly a
continual problem.

3. Living in the Great Lakes area, just how practical is all of this,
with 5 to 6 months of crappy weather being typical. It is perpetual
IFR, lots of icing, and when the plane will start, crosswind 2x or
more the POH limitations, and headwinds that leave driving a car
faster. Even scheduling 2 to 3 times a week, maybe only 50% of my
lessons could go forward, and even those sometimes were marginal
conditions. I am disappointed that this is not more practical.

I can't speak for the weather in your area. I live in the Seattle area,
rumored to be equally rainy and unflyable during the winter, but it turns
out that many more days even during the winter are flyable than one might
imagine. Keep in mind that, especially during the early parts of training,
a good instructor will want to make sure lessons happen in reasonably good
weather. That doesn't mean you'll always be similarly restricted. It just
means that, for now, you need good enough weather than you can focus on the
fundamental tasks at hand, rather than worrying about the weather.

Later in your training, the poorer weather will provide some good experience
that will keep you in good stead in your future as a pilot.

[...] The best of
luck to those of you who have better circumstances, I am really sorry
to have to give it up.

Sorry, your subject line implied that you hadn't quit yet. But now that I
reach the end of your post, it appears you have already quit.

Many people across the country, and indeed around the world, have learned to
fly under conditions at least as bad as what you're dealing with. You DO
need a new CFI, one who will treat you with more respect, and you DO need to
find a place to rent airplanes that keeps them better maintained. But
otherwise, there's no reason you can't complete your training, not if you
really want to.

Pete