I'm not sure who said it to me, but I remember understanding what it meant back in the early 90's when I took up hang gliding. Hang gliding is a difficult sport to learn because learning the body movements needed to control the aircraft and accumulating a meaningful amount of air time and experience with flights as short as 15 seconds without killing yourself in the process seems to take forever.
My friend Russell and I bounced around the usual group lessons offered by hang gliding schools but it wasn't until we met "Ray" and worked out a program of customized, semi-private lessons that we began to make real progress in the sport. Within a year we were taking our first mountain soaring flights. Ray was young, enthusiastic, experienced and a good teacher. And, he was new enough to the sport that he could still appreciate the struggles of a beginner.
I've been searching for the right flight training instructor. Over the past month I've flown with four different instructors at three different schools. All were good with unique strengths. One was young and new -- working to accumulate hours for an airline job. One was a retired physicist who'd been flying for nearly 50 years including time as a bush pilot in Alaska. One was a full-time instructor and part-time corporate pilot and one was a flying enthusiast who loved teaching.
One of the flight schools was clearly setup to serve the growing market of student pilots in Asian countries -- India and China mainly. These countries have rapidly growing aviation industries but very little training infrastructure. This school offered flight training as an "FAA Part 141" school. Part 141 schools have a very structured curriculum and course syllabus as opposed to "FAA Part 61" schools who are granted more flexibility in how they train. The advantage of Part 141 schools is that you can complete the course with fewer flying hours and graduate with the testament of the school's examiner. That is the theory. In practice, students usually require more than the minimum number of flight hours to achieve their private pilot certificates. Regardless of which type of school you choose, you still have to pass the same FAA tests and demonstrate the same capabilities.
Another option was a local flying club. The flying club's charge for a Cessna 172 was about $81 per hour compared to $116 per hour at the school I chose making it by far the least expensive option. But because it is essentially a not-for-profit organization, the availability and consistency of aircraft and instructors is a bit hit or miss. A great option for some, but ultimately not for me.
I settled on a flying school based at our nearby airport whose overall mission is teaching flying for the fun of flying. Their operation and team of instructors reflects this goal. Despite having among the most expensive aircraft rental rates of the schools I tried, I think I've made the right choice. While I may spend a bit more over the course of my training, I think I'll enjoy the experience. Like most things, you get what you pay for.
Here is what I like about them:
- Great attitude and overall vibe of the people, instructors and the owner
- Focus on people like me who want to learn to fly for the fun of it -- not an airline career
- FAA Part 61 training offers more flexibility -- including the option for me to do a home study ground school
- Late model, well maintained, fuel injected Cessna 172SP. The 172 is a popular choice for students like me and this one is the by far the youngest I've seen around
- Instructor and aircraft availability -- for the most part they have been able to accommodate my schedule requests
- Emphasis on safety, organization and high standards for maintenance and instructor performance
- Big variety of airplanes to fly -- beyond the Cessna 172, they offer a variety of tail draggers and other aerobatic airplanes that just look like a ton of fun to fly someday
I have found a good teacher.
Finding a good teacher, involves learning how to spot a good teacher. Thanks for sharing your thought process.
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