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How you choose your instructor is a very personal decision.  While no instructor can meet your every criterion, here are some general tips to help you choose. 

You will want:

• your CFI has a passion for what he is doing… look for the evidence
• to ensure your CFI’s credentials to be current.
• to ensure your CFI to be honest with you about your flying problems and how to fix them.
• to ensure your CFI to devise a training plan for you and share it with you.
• to book a lesson with your potential CFI.  Pay particular attention to the preflight briefing, an in-flight lesson, and a post flight review.
• to ensure your personalities are compatible.  Remember the cockpit is a small place:  habits of students and CFIs can clash.
• to ensure your CFI has high standards: he will make sure learning has occurred and the skills developed to become a safe pilot BEFORE a sign-off.
• to pay attention to the teaching style:
• Does your instructor give you a proper preflight briefing to cover the lesson, or is he building flight time teaching you in the air what you can learn on the ground?
• Does he have you do most of the flying, even on this first flight lesson, or are you paying to watch him fly?
• Does he talk down to you? 
• Is your instructor prepared for your lesson?
• Packing a lesson with as many maneuvers as possible is not an effective teaching technique, does your instructor have a structured approach that introduces new skills as you are ready?
• Do you have the feeling your CFI is honestly concerned with your progress (evidence of training plan, review of last lesson)?
• Are you at ease with your instructor?

Things to ask your CFI:

• Why are you a CFI?
• What learning materials will be used?
• What is the training plan/syllabus?
• What is the CFI’s ultimate goal?   Even if the CFI is only a checkpoint on the path to an airline career, be wary of flight instructors who will waste your time.
• What is your CFI’s background:  Experience, Ambition, Availability, Reliability
• What does your CFI do when a student gets “stuck”?
• Does your CFI take refresher courses, attend safety meetings, belong to professional organizations, or do other things that further his profession? 

Good Instructors:

• are knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
• anticipate student difficulties and discuss them before getting into the aircraft.
• are organized, exacting and stimulating.
• are honest in their opinion and evaluation.
• chose the safest options and are always situationally aware.
• provide a realistic flying experience in varied conditions.
• know when to back off.
• take time to prepare the student for the lesson.
• take time to debrief the lesson afterwards.
• will not frighten a student.
• are safe pilots. 
• never let themselves stagnate.

Many of these items are personal preference, however there are solid reasons why these are errors.

Pre Solo CFI Mistakes

Failure to give some IFR training

Failure to cover soft field landing

Failure to practice/teach stalls & airwork at least every other lesson.

Failure to practice/teach emergency procedures every other lesson.

Endorsing students for solo without a completed written (debatable).

Letting students talk on the radio before they can fly the airplane.  Remember: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.

Trying to put as many skills as possible into a flight lesson rather than let students build proficiency on the basics first.

Failure to teach pax briefings

Failure to teach emergency briefings

Failure to teach emergency procedures every other lesson.

Failure to de-brief students

Failure to follow a training syllabus

Failure to ensure requirements are met for the sought rating. Use rating worksheets:  private, instrument, & commercial.

Failure to provide ground training at least equal to flight training.

Register:

• To register for Private Pilot Ground School Training, call 813-253-7980

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