Aviation Forum / General / Learning / September 2008

One of the more frustrating things for me as a CFI is the soled
student who doesn't fly solo. Once a student is solo we go out and
introduce maneuvers that the student is expected to practice on his
own. Many times I'll find that the student has almost no solo in his
log. The syllabus I use will spell out solo flights between
instructional flight and includes objectives, goals, etc. That just
means that I need to sit with the student has he practices what he
could be doing on his own. It’s like taking piano lessons and never
practicing. I guess this is good for the full time CFI who wants to
bill hours but for me its a wasted trip.

As far as ground work is concerned I approach it this way. I recommend
several good home ground courses that the student should work on. Our
flight syllabus expects students to have certain ground knowledge at
certain phases of the training. I always allocate time to review these
items during a lesson but if the student has not done their home study
material I just go over the entire material and they end up having to
pay me to teach them something they could have done on their own. This
usually encourages them to study ;) As an independent CFI I'm more
expensive than the FBO charges students so it probably makes more of
an impact.

-Robert,CFII

The very nature of the flying equation dictates that there is no ideal
student. There are limitations on the negative side that could
preclude a specific student from becoming a pilot, but proceeding
toward the positive side, all one can do is laundry list potential
assets that might make one student a better student than the next one
so graded.
Instructors should be capable of weeding out the chaff as we have
discussed in the prior thread, but aside from that, any CFI worth the
title should be able to take ANY student possessing normal assets and
take that student through the program using a teaching method that
capitalizes on what  each specific student brings to the learning
table.

I've never had a "perfect student". Each one was different and unique;
bringing completely different talents and skills to me to mold and use
as the limits of my ability to teach allowed.

If I had to pin down an attribute or attributes I desired to see
brought to me as an instructor by a potential student, that attribute
would include a positive incentive and a positive motivation
concerning the desire to learn to fly. Any student possessing these
qualities walking through the door would be in possession of all any
good CFI should need from a student. The rest is simply the instructor
moulding HIS/HER teaching skills to that student's attributes to turn
out a finished pilot.
Specifically directed to your question; the more a student brings to
the table the easier it is for the instructor, but it's not necessary.
ANY good CFI should be able to take a simple walk in with the right
attitude and no disqualifying factors and teach that walk in to fly
properly and safely.

DH