No time to train...

[Shiny Side Up]

Its that time of year, people get the hint that summer's comming, and it sparks that dream they had of getting their license. But they're too busy. This is a typical request I get. Now I'm not sure if those folks are just after some extra training or if they're interested in getting a license, but its just illustrative of my point. Want to know why the average time to get a license is so high? This is one of the factors. Lots of people want licenses, no one wants to spend time getting one. Yes, I know, you have important lives. That doesn't change the fact though, that if you want to be a reasonable pilot, you have to put some time towards it, its got to be higher on your list of priorities.

This is especially true when you're starting out. Something to thing about: If you can only commit to a once a week lesson, through a year, you're probably going to lose half of those to a variety of factors. Someone will be sick. The airplane will be down for maintenance. The weather will be crappy. There's a long list. Suffice to say, shit will happen.

Part of the problem I find is that people have a disconnect where they percieve achieving a qualification like a pilot's license, is just a matter of ticking off the boxes. Someone called me the other day telling me that they were going to be starting their online ground school and wanted to start flight training. "When do you want to book to fly?" I asks. "Can I get in on next year's schedule?" To them ground school wasn't seen as something that needed to be learned, it was just a box to check off on their way to getting a license. We talked long about that, but I don't think I got through. To the neophytes out there reading this, if you want to learn how to fly, you need to do it as much as you can. I recomend at least getting in 3-4 lessons a week if you want to progress at a reasonable pace. Keep in mind each of those lessons will take at least 4-5 hours of your time, all said and done. Ideally you should book more so that you can maintain that minimum. Less than that, training with all but the most remarkable individuals, will end up being somewhat protracted. It will cost you more money. It will get frustrating.

Addenum to that, you need to free time up to get lessons in. People are always frustrated that they can't get an instructor and plane when they want, but only want a narrow slot of time when they are "free". Guess what: Everyone else in the world has the same plan as you. Ever try to go to the bank at lunch? People for some reason are always shocked that I don't have a spot open right when they finish work. You and a hundred other people Bub.

Lastly, remember that flight instructors are people too. Don't be suprised when your instructor ain't keen on starting lessons at 04:00 because it works with your schedule. No, they don't hang out at the airport 24/7/365 just waiting for you to call.

Make some time. Its worth it.

[photofly]

1. Learning to fly is fun.
2. Eating chocolate is fun.
3. Eating chocolate requires no concentration, study, review or practice.
4. Therefore learning to fly requires no concentration, study, review or practice.

[iflyforpie]

Maybe lesson one should include an introduction to inductive fallacies.

I remember an rancher who's Maule I worked on wanted to get his sons to fly. They were really excited as any farm boys around equipment were.... did really well with the fam flights. But they walked away disappointed because of the amount of effort it would require to even go solo.... they had never had more than an hours instruction on any piece of machinery they were let loose with.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I never had a problem with the students that were not all in. This is because I have reputation on my home field of being extremely demanding of my students. This scares away all the poseurs, and the lazy unmotivated students.

[Cessna driver]

Lastly, remember that flight instructors are people too. Don't be suprised when your instructor ain't keen on starting lessons at 04:00 because it works with your schedule. No, they don't hang out at the airport 24/7/365 just waiting for you to call.

Make some time. Its worth it.

Thank you.

To add to that, dont ask to do a night rating in July when your instructor has other students at 8 am, it's not going to happen.

[PilotDAR]

Want to know why the average time to get a license is so high?

Ooo, Ooo, I know this one!....

It is because TC wants to assure the world's nations (who all honour that license in their airspace) that the candidate has demonstrated skills which meet the MINIMUM standard. Now, if the candidate would like to actually be competent, there's a bunch more flying required following the issuance of a PPL....

[Shiny Side Up]

I never had a problem with the students that were not all in. This is because I have reputation on my home field of being extremely demanding of my students. This scares away all the poseurs, and the lazy unmotivated students.

I doubt any of these people would consider themselves lazy BPF, some are some real type A people. Its just that at the end of the day, flying, just isn't a high priority on the list. It competes with all the other things. I get lots of these guys ask specifically for my services since they feel that my experience is going to make up for their lack of time dedication. I of course can just say no. I'm busy enough without having to stay all hours of the day for a few bucks, and I don't need any more hours doing ab initio. Occasionally I get threatened about this sort of stuff, but its not worth getting worked up about.

There's more than enough students who are going to put in the time and be easy to work with.

[photofly]

I doubt any of these people would consider themselves lazy BPF,

1. A flight lesson in a Cessna is a leisure activity
2. A leisure activity should not require concentration or advance preparation
3. Therefore a flight lesson in a Cessna should not require concentration or advance preparation.

(The logic is sound this time, but the minor premise is distinctly dodgy.)

[5x5]

While it's nice to be in a position of experience where you can pick and choose which students you take, the majority of instructors aren't there. They need the bookings not just to build time, but also get as much of a paycheque each month as possible. They don't have the luxury of being selective. So how should they deal with this situation?

First off, don't mislead people. Most importantly, be upfront with all new or potential students. Make it clear that without the time, for both the lesson and the necessary study/prep, progress will be slower and overall time and cost will be higher. This has to be said at the start and reinforced frequently as time goes by. Perhaps a monthly review of the student's progress can keep them aware as the time passes of their progress (or lack thereof).

Make sure that the student realizes that schedules are tight and if the student is limited then that will be an additional delay factor to their overall progress. While it's nice to be accommodating, being too willing to book at any time or any day can lead to a burnout situation for the instructor. As a new instructor, talk with the senior guys and the CFI to make sure you have support for a more managed approach with regards to scheduling.

Very important is to insure that when a student has a time booked they show up even if the weather is unsuitable to an intended flight. It seems that these days flights are too readily cancelled, especially due to a forecast and the actual weather turns out OK. And even if the weather turns out bad, coming to the airport when booked is important to instilling in the student the discipline and routine of committing to their training. When they are there use the time to review some PGIs. Ground reviews have immense benefit to overall progress. Have the student essentially teach you the exercise from the process point of view. If they can't describe the steps required to initiate the exercise, recognize the desired performance and maintain it, and then recover - how can they possibly be expected to do it in the airplane? Ground sessions tend to be very undervalued by both students and instructors. And even if there is no lesson that day, what's the downside? They have to be at the airport looking at airplanes and talking about flying. That's all part of keeping them involved and enthusiastic about learning to fly.

Although the reality these days does seem to be less commitment and dedication from many students, rather than writing them off, try to work with them to make their training as beneficial as possible in the time they do have available. Turning away future pilots simply because they don't conform to your ideal of what a student should be doesn't benefit anyone - the student, the instructor or aviation as a whole.

[Shiny Side Up]

First off, don't mislead people. Most importantly, be upfront with all new or potential students. Make it clear that without the time, for both the lesson and the necessary study/prep, progress will be slower and overall time and cost will be higher. This has to be said at the start and reinforced frequently as time goes by. Perhaps a monthly review of the student's progress can keep them aware as the time passes of their progress (or lack thereof).

Good point to make. If you're the new guy instructing though, make sure this involves your CFI. If you have to have a discussion about progress make sure it gets documented. Students might seem cool with it, but will come back at you without warning.

Very important is to insure that when a student has a time booked they show up even if the weather is unsuitable to an intended flight. It seems that these days flights are too readily cancelled, especially due to a forecast and the actual weather turns out OK. And even if the weather turns out bad, coming to the airport when booked is important to instilling in the student the discipline and routine of committing to their training.

This has always been a friction point with students. Many take it poorly to come to the airport and not go flying. Because it has been such a problem, we end up always calling them if there is going to be no flying. 99% of students will not come if there is going to be no flying portion of the lesson. Keep in mind that many might be commuting significant distance to flight train, so it does hurt their pocket book. That said, for students, this will happen on occasion, so if you're schedule and budget is so critical that any commutes that you percieve are "wasted" is going to hurt your bottom line that badly, then you should really rethink getting a license. Pilots with that mentality in my experience tend to suffer the effects of gethomeitis.

Although the reality these days does seem to be less commitment and dedication from many students, rather than writing them off, try to work with them to make their training as beneficial as possible in the time they do have available. Turning away future pilots simply because they don't conform to your ideal of what a student should be doesn't benefit anyone - the student, the instructor or aviation as a whole.

That depends on how far outside the norm the student is intending to be. Some are going to cause you way more trouble than they're worth. They're going to cause you grief, no matter what you do to help or please them. A symptom of the times. I'd rather lose a few customers, than a good instructor.

[Rookie50]

Quote:
Very important is to insure that when a student has a time booked they show up even if the weather is unsuitable to an intended flight. It seems that these days flights are too readily cancelled, especially due to a forecast and the actual weather turns out OK. And even if the weather turns out bad, coming to the airport when booked is important to instilling in the student the discipline and routine of committing to their training.Quote.


This was an issue at times in advanced training, not ab intro, because at the school I used, they would go to a no fly status if poor weather was forecast -- that's what they were basing it on. Since I did my ground myself via an online program -- and I was impeccably prepared -- commuting 90 minutes return, to look at airplanes on the ground and have a friendly chat -- or not because in poor weather my IP wouldn't even be there -- makes no sense. But I was not a student that needed motivation.

On a related note, I happened to travel to that flight school airport recently --- I approached from the east, and a nasty band of lake effect cloud and snow showers was just about to envelop the airport, with ceilings below 1000 and certainly lower west of the airport. I immediately informed tower the airport was about to go IFR, for the benefit of others, like the school students -- they were half of the traffic there.

I get on the ground and notice both a school twin about to taxi, with an instructor, and a 152 -- just starting up, with what looked like a solo student --- so I make sure they know -- as the heads are down and no one is observing the rapidly deteriorating skies. Those checklists. Ground finally gets another pirep from someone esle arriving, who said vis dropped to less than a mile ---- and everyone shuts down.

Moral is -- anyone look at the actual conditions outside, not just a forecast before firing up? Gotta look at the radar too -- not just the auto metar and TAF.

[Colonel Sanders]

as the heads are down and no one is observing the rapidly deteriorating skies. Those checklists ...

Remember, in aviation, paperwork
is more important than safety. As
soon as you realize this fundamental
fact, everything around you will start
to make sense.

Gotta look at the radar too

Unless it's in the FTU checklist, they
probably won't. Personally, this is
what I look at before a local flight:

http://weather.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=XFT

Click on the blue "play" button on the
bottom left corner to watch the movement.

For the bigger picture:

http://www.intellicast.com/National/Rad ... large=true

Click on "Play Animation" on top right
corner.

[Shiny Side Up]

Moral is -- anyone look at the actual conditions outside, not just a forecast before firing up? Gotta look at the radar too -- not just the auto metar and TAF.

Sometimes though, even after taking everything into consideration, people just feel the need to go, or at least try. The amount of times I've gotten into arguements about this stuff is just depressing, usually because someone feels the need to get into the air - "how am I supposed to get my hours this way?!" is the usual lamment. I recall once when a clever student (a German by chance if that helps paint the picture) who while we were watching quarter sized hail come down, kept repeatedly telling me that "there is no rule that says you can't fly in this!" Indeed there is no specific rule that prohibits you from flying into a thunderstorm, but everything else I know (and in this case easily observe) dictates that we don't.

Just like there's get-home-itis, there seems to be a big pull of get-hours-itis. Fortunately, most students are reasonably adverse to flying in shitty weather and can easily be convinced. Its that one in ten twit, who gives you enough problems to make up for the other nine though. What's really unfortunate is when someone gets to the instructing level with no weather sense, or can't say no to someone who doesn't, which usually ends up being a fatal combination.

Either way, getting back on topic, weather is just one of those things that just will sometimes intervene to delay your flight training. Occasionally as well, you might make a call on the weather and it was wrong and it ended up being nicer than you thought, but generally that's not where the smart money bets. IF you ended up missing one of these days, and you can't get over the possibility of that happening, then flying probably isn't for you.

[Colonel Sanders]

we were watching quarter sized hail come down, kept repeatedly telling me that "there is no rule that says you can't fly in this!"

Fortunately there are so many rules, regulations
and paperwork in aviation, you don't need to have
a brain any more.

This egalitarianism inherent to the nanny state makes
aviation so much more accessible to everyone.

[boogs82]

Just last week I had some solo time booked to practice my forced approaches and diversions. The morning weather was nice but the forecast called for increased winds and the possibility of thunder storms. As I'm up at 3500 and looking to the southwest I could see a nice front moving toward my aerodrome. I got a little bit of practice in and the clouds seemed to be lowering and moving in fairly quickly. Quickly enough that I wasn't sure I'd get back in time if I didn't decide to go right then. So I humped it back to the aerodrome and landed safely before things got ugly.

What do you know? The clouds moved in much more slowly than anticipated and I could have gotten the rest of my scheduled time in. But why practice diversions or worst case, forced for real if I didn't have to?

Such is life. I'll be in the sky again soon enough.

[niwre]

It's amazing the amount of people who get mislead or mislead themselves or have been mislead by someone who has taken training before and says it "has" to be done such and such a way or else. Much of the scheduling and training schedule also depends on the students goal and your market place. If you are dealing with mainly career minded individuals in the field of aviation it's going to be different than someone who is doing this as a hobby (on the personal level). You absolutely teach to the same standard for both but how you deal with their individual schedules will be vastly different.