2nd Lesson

"Vaughn Simon" wrote in message
news
My style is to stay as "hands off" the controls as possible, (Don't
take me too literally, some things obviously must be demonstrated)

In some ways, we derive our teaching style from our own CFIs.
Sometimes the example is negative and we resolve to NOT be like our own
CFIs. When I soloed, I had never once been given the opportunity to fly
an entire flight without my CFI grabbing the controls and giving me some
"advice". Thusly, when I finally soloed, there was no way that he or I
could know for 100% sure that I was capable of putting all of the pieces
together into a safe flight. (As it turned out, I could)

For this reason, as a CFI I have never soloed a student until I have
taken at least one flight (sometimes several) with that student with my
mouth zipped shut and my hands totally off the controls. (I make notes
for a good debriefing on the ground) I never announce this in advance,
and always feel free to change my mind in mid-lesson; but if it works out
I explain on the ground that they just passed a "virtual solo".

Vaughn


God bless you. I was with a new and unknown to me CFI for an pre-rent check
sometime back. He wouldn't keep his hands off things or keep his mouth shut
long enough for me to show that I knew anything. Now this wouldn't have
normally been a deal killer but I had never flown this particular plane
before and I wasn't going to get a lot of time in it before I loaded my
family in it for some site seeing flights.

After about 30 minutes of this we were in the pattern and doing our third
touch and go that he did not let me complete and I brought the plane to a
full stop and cleared the runway. I asked him if he was the only instructor
on duty that day when he said, "No." I taxied back to the FBO hopped out and
went inside and asked for another CFI. It happened to be the owner and we
went flying for about another 30 minutes and had a nice chat while I flew
the plane.

I have no idea what the owner said to the CFI but He didn't charge me for
any of the instructor portion of either flight. I rented 4 or 5 hours from
him the rest of the week and never saw the kid again.