My experience with CFIs waiting for the big iron is not that bad. Probably because that was always in a very professional structure. They all knew the boss was looking after them, and any negative report would seriously jeopardize their career. On the plus side, they were on-top with modern technology (G1000 and so on), and their skills were sharp because fresh.

The most important factor (as you pointed out) is probably motivation. A “experienced” CFI doing that because he likes it is certainly better than a “junior” just building up hours. But hopefully, there are also many highly motivated “juniors” doing that in a very good way.

You are quite right about respect. No matter what the job may be, there’s no benefit in treating people poorly. I’m always amazed at how often we seem to forget what a small this industry is. The guy who’s flying as your FO today could be the one looking at your next job application.

Already I’ve seen people I trained at my current job go on to fly with major airlines, charter companies, aircraft manufacturers, the armed forces, and in one case, NASA.

Although I fly more jets than I do propeller airplanes these days, I just finished renewing my instructor ratings last weekend because … well, I can’t imagine letting them expire. They are that important.

Unfortunately, the number of CFIs that believe those certificates represent anything more than a license to log hours are few, I think.

Your point about unhappy CFIs growing into unhappy big-airplane pilots is a great insight too. That’s exactly how I have always seen them.

Teaching is a passion, like flying. Many simply don’t have it and never will because their passion is flying. They want to drive. Watching someone else do it just doesn’t fit their mold.

One other thought just popped into my brain. It was always pretty clear when I flew with a captain who had never spent any time as an instructor. They were lousy instructors as airline/corporate pilots just like they would have been as an instructor at an earlier time.

But finally, one thing … someone here mentioned the fact that CFIs don’t get any respect.

Respect is earned. Treat people with respect and you’ll usually get some back. Treat them like they are simply a stepping stone in your life and you get what you deserve.

Stop over and visit my blog at Jetwhine.com. I try to write about a few flight training issues too. Maybe some might be interesting to you.

Keep up the nice work on this blog.

Rob Mark

I have never really understood where the contempt comes from. I came from the bottom of your list and now sit at the top but remember as clear as day what that job, teaching meant to me then.
It was my first job where I actually flew for food and I made darn sure that I gave value for money and poured everything I had into my students.
You need fear no contempt from those that have trodden your path, all roads don’t lead to the airlines. There are plenty of very fine aviators who chose not to dose for dollars and breath thin air inside stale tin. Some of my happiest memories were spent teaching people to fly. Funny thing is, I think I took away more than I taught…. if you know what I mean.

Well said!

Its about time someone stood up for a profession that has been notably lacking in people who take it seriously. I guess I fall under the “time-builder” CFI category, but I’m damned proud of the job I do. Even though I’ve only been doing it for a year and a half, I will always stay with instructing, even if it is only as a side gig.

Perhaps the reason some former instructors are so negative about the profession is that they themselves were stuck with a time-building CFI during their student pilot days. Who knows.

I’ve often wondered what my old instructors are up to these days. I think Brandon Tauer (private cert) is flying for a major airline. He left a note on the whiteboard in my office at Sunrise one day. Ironically, my current office was his office when he was my instructor. I like to joke that in 9 years I’ve moved three feet: from one side of the desk to the other. I’m not sure what happened to Jonah Hall, my instrument instructor. Perhaps you’d know what he’s up to these days?

Anyway, keep in touch! I’m glad you’re still flying.

I flew with you a few times when I was a CFI at Sunrise. You have a great website!

I’m a part-time CFI and I love it! I was hired by Mesa Airlines in 2004 but I found that type of flying stifling. I might consider corporate flying in the future, but for now, being a CFI is wonderful.

Take Care!

- Dave

One day the CFI meets a hot shot commuter airline pilot. When the young captain learns this guy is a CFI, he exclaims, “A CFI? Well hey, here’s my card. Give me a call at the airline when you get enough hours!”

The CFI replied, “Well I’ve GOT 12,000 hours; how many do you need?”

For me, I’m torn. I know I’m going to get my CFI and II, mainly because I love to fly and truly enjoy teaching people. As you said, during primary training you bring a helpless student and turn them into a knowledgable and safe pilot. One day in the near future I’ll have to make a decision as to which path to take; to continue with college and then get me a nice ole FAA job as a controller, keep instructing, or instruct with the intentions of moving on afterwards.

I greatly enjoyed your post and as Zach said, bravo to the career instructors. I wouldn’t be a pilot without ‘em.

But at the same time, when that cockpit door shuts behind me, I’m pretty happy.

Being able to do what makes you happy is what makes life fun. Being paid for it is a bonus.

I’m glad you’re doing what you love to do, Ron!

I’ve had the same experience with cars, and aircraft.
The Honda looks great. I hope it serves you half as well as the Eclipse apparently did!

When I was getting out of school and starting to look at careers a bunch more told me to look into other fields (graphics design, advertising) if I could avoid architecture any way I should.

No one told me that about programming, another thing I have looked into and brushed against on occasion. Architects are extremely frustrated artists.

Oh, and about that ninth circle, personally, I was pretty happy to hear that the road to Hell was paved. I was sure it would be bumpy, potholes and all that.

I also require my students to at least recover from the incipient stage of a spin before they solo. If the airplane allows though (usually gyro issues) we do fully developed spins so they get the experience. None have told me so far that they thought it was a wasted training excercise. Its one thing to watch videos and talk about it, and quite another to actually do it.

Who do you think would react quickly and be less likely to panic in the even of a windshear, wake turbulence, or other unusual attitude encounter if they found themselves more inverted than upright? I think the aerobatic pilot — the guy who’s been there before — would respond properly. The pilot who’s never seen that attitude before would be less likely to respond properly.

Keep in mind that in your G1000 Skyhawk, being inverted probably means charts, pens, flight bags, cups, Jepp books, jackets, dirt from the carpet, and other items are now flying around the cockpit, and the belts, which were not designed to hold you inverted, are allowing you to fall toward the ceiling more than you’d like. It’s a panic-prone scenario, especially when its advent is unexpected.

In addition, your aerobatic flying experience has certainly engendered a greater understanding of aerodynamics and a better overall control feel for the aircraft. You’d be surprised how many pilots don’t have much of a feel for the airplane’s energy state.

I certainly wouldn’t want to imply that aerobatic and/or spin training makes a pilot some sort of superman. Far from it. As always, flight safety is mostly a matter of quality PIC decision making. But based on my own experiences an a pilot and instructor, I find a higher quality of aviating and understanding from those who’ve had acro experience.

I always teach them about the many factors which affect spin characteristics and recoverability. CG location, prop gyroscopics, control surface size and range, power, and so on. Even among aerobatic airplanes, spins can be unrecoverable if the CG is too far aft, power is left in, improper recovery technique is used, etc. Even an idle RPM stop which is too high can prevent spin recovery.

I make the point that they’re only going to see normal, power off, upright spins. There are many spin modes. Inverted, flat, upright, crossover, accelerated, and so on. The basic spin training is not meant to be permission to spin airplanes on their own, even though spinning approved airplanes doesn’t legally require any further training.

I wasn’t aware of the spin statistic showing that spin trained pilots don’t have a better safety record than non-trained pilots. I can only think of a couple of reasons for this. One might be that the spin training is poor. The other would be that spin trained pilots are doing intentional spins, whereas those without the training are not, so it’s natural that the spin trained pilots would have a higher accident rate since they’re the only ones doing them intentionally.

Think of it this way: single engine pilots probably have a better multi-engine accident rate than multi-rated pilots. But that’s a statistical inaccuracy. Non-multi-rated pilots don’t fly multi-engine airplanes, so it only makes sense that their accident rate would be an impressive-looking zero.

I make spin training an option for student pilots, yet I’ve had multi-engine students who had previously undergone spin training who were unconvinced that entering a spin in a multi-engine aircraft would be at all dangerous. Some of them seemed convinced that they could get any aircraft out of a spin. While I like your suggestion about finding the right instructor and the appropriate airplane. I just hope that those instructors who specialize in spin training are stressing that, depending on the aircraft, intentional spins can be deadly, or in the case of the Cirrus, very expensive.