Quote:
Originally Posted by Sid  Hi,
I would just like to get an idea as to what is the hardest part of flying or what students have a hard time learning from an instructor's standpoint. This will help me prepare well before I arrive. Like I'm sure Instrument Flying is hard in itself. Is there anything else? Steep turns? Any flight concepts?
Since I will mostly be going on with my instructor ratings and then teaching, what should I keep in mind to become a first class FSI instructor and live up to the school's reputation  .
Sid. |
Sometimes the hardest part of flight training is remembering to have fun! Checkrides and exams can seem stressful at times, but if you prepare well and step back to truly enjoy the great moments (i.e. first smooth landing, initial solo, initial solo xc, etc) the experience will be that much more fulfilling.
As for becoming a "first-class instructor"...I can go on forever about what I think makes a truly great flight instructor, but I'll give you a few examples I consider very important:
- Never feel that you've learned it all. You can always learn new things and/or reexamine topics for greater mastery. Your students will benefit (and hopefully emulate!) your hunger for knowledge.
- ALWAYS be willing to seek out the advice and assistance of other instructors...preferably those you look up to for their experience and knowledge. Never allow pride or your eventual mountain of experience to prevent you from conferring with other instructors for help with your own knowlege, or for strategies to teach a challenging student. If you work at a place like FSI, then the check airmen and chief pilots can be excellent resources for teaching techniques.
- Don't just focus on getting the knowledge...also learn how to TEACH. You can start this process on day one! Teaching is very different from just telling them about a topic/maneuver. Teaching involves using every resource at your disposal to help them truly understand the topic at hand. This means getting creative and presenting knowledge in a way that builds from what they know into what they don't know. Look at it this way, if you can eventually "teach" your instructor about the topics he/she covers with you throughout training, then oral and written exams should be pretty easy, right? The key ideas you will need to focus on to be a good teacher are these:
Always take students (and yourself) from...
1. Known-to-unknown
2. Simple-to-complex
(Note: These concepts become familiar to you when you tackle "Fundamentals of Instructing" in initial-CFI groundschool. The reason I bring this up before you've even started primary training is because these concepts can also help YOU learn all the material you will eventually teach. Learning is best accomplished when built upon previous knowledge, and tackling complex topics by first addressing them as smaller blocks of knowledge.)
You don't have to wait until CFI training to get yourself in a good mindset for being a teacher. Start building your CFI lesson plan binder from day one. If you are unfamiliar with this, then ask your instructor. See if he/she can give you guidance for creating this valuable tool from day one.
Last, but not least, if you are not already a patient person...become one
I know this is a long post, but hopefully it will help you start this endeavour. I treat the job of a CFI very seriously because I was actively teaching for six years, and now fly in the regionals with the products of both good and poor teachers.
Best of luck to you!!!