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Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 10:45:05 -0600
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Subject: Re: Need Beginner Advice---how to choose CFI
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Craig Cameron wrote:

> Please advise serious method of choosing good instructor. (...) I
> have several instuctors in mind, just seeking possible interview
> questions to help make final decision. 

This is a question which comes up over and over again.  We really
ought to have a FAQ.

Personal opinion: finding a good CFI, especially one who will be
                  there throughout your training, is THE hardest
                  part of learning to fly.

The "kicker" is: one person's "good CFI" might not suit you at all.
Teaching styles vary.  So do learning styles.

I think the best interview question is one you ask yourself.  How
do you learn best?  Do you prefer to take things one step at a time,
with details added as you progress?  Do you prefer to figure things
out for yourself, with minimal input?  Or do you prefer to know what
you're going to do in advance?  Get detailed explanations of what
you should do when?  Are you a person who prefers self-study or a 
lot of one-on-one guidance?  Do you want to work from a syllabus?

That figured out: IF you're the sort of person to whom explanations
are important, the best suggestion I've heard for choosing a CFI is to
ask a question about something you've read (and have some clue about),
but don't fully understand.  An example might be "what is a forward
slip, how is it done, and when is it used?"   You might find a lot
of CFIs skip right over the question "what is a forward slip" (a
maneuver to lose altitude without gaining airspeed), and instead
go right to a detailed explanation of how you get in one.  Others
might launch into a detailed explanation of the aerodynamics of slips.

Pick someone whose style of explaining things is compatible with
your style of learning them, and whose reaction to the sort of
questions you ask is to keep trying to teach/explain rather than
become defensive.

Other good questions to ask are procedural: how much time does this
CFI recommend spending on pre and post flight briefings?  A CFI
should be paid for ground time, but sometimes CFIs skimp on these
because they don't get paid or find their students don't want to pay.

IMO you won't be getting your money's worth from each lesson if you
don't get a good explanation of what you're going to do, beforehand,
and a good assessment of what you did and what to work on next,
afterwards.  So I would avoid a CFI who is noncommittal or suggests
that no briefing is really necessary.  On the other hand, I prefer
self-study and feel 10-20 minutes of briefing per lesson accomplishes
what is needed, so I'd also avoid a CFI who wants to spend hours
per lesson going over what I've studied.  That's a personal choice.

Whenever I've skipped this sort of CFI assessment, or overlooked
clues that the CFI in question and I weren't compatible in teaching/
learning style, I've regretted it.  Treat finding a good, compatible
CFI as the most difficult part of learning to fly, and give it the
time and attention it deserves.

my $0.02,
Snowbird


