Blog Elements : Flight Training Central

Even once you’ve picked a flight school, spend some time to find the right flight instructor. He or she will be a key element in your training and how much enjoyment you get out of flying.

Even after choosing the perfect flight school, spend some time to find the right flight instructor who will have the greatest influence in your success. He or she will be a key element in your training and how much enjoyment you get out of flying. While all flight instructors are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and meet minimum standards, your personality and attitude will naturally be a better fit with some instructors than others.

Just like you “interviewed” the flight school, sit down with a prospective instructor and get to know them. Talk about your reasons for learning to fly, your goals and your questions. Ask about the instructor’s background, their previous students and what training curriculum they’ll use. And as always, judge whether your personalities will be a good match. Your gut feel is usually more important than the age or experience of an instructor. In most situations, you’ll forge a lifetime relationship with your instructor.

It’s important to ensure you’ll be able to maintain open and clear communication and that expectations for both you and the instructor are well known and that you will have an active voice in the process.

Also keep in mind that, at most flight schools, you can change flight instructors if the relationship simply isn’t working well. Personal referrals also go a long way. If you have a connection to someone who has trained at a particular school, find out more about the instructor and why that person connected.

Read our entire Getting Started series for more answers as well as our helpful Learn to Fly checklist.

What should you expect on your first flight lesson? Sporty’s has once again partnered with airshow pilot and flight instructor Spencer Suderman, this time for a new video series to answer questions like that. Each video addresses common flight training questions, including the basics of airplane control and how to make better landings. Suderman shares practical tips throughout, including during an actual lesson with a flight student.

In this episode, the first in the series, Suderman shows what to expect on a first flight lesson, from taxiing the airplane to talking with Air Traffic Control to takeoff. He also demonstrates the four fundamentals of flight – straight and level, climbs, descents, and turns – ad shows why a stall is nothing to be afraid of. You’ll hear actual communications throughout the flight and learn valuable tips from an experienced flight instructor, so you’ll be prepared for that first flight lesson.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

How do I choose a flight instructor?

The four fundamentals of flight with Spencer Suderman (episode 1)

How do I choose a flight instructor?

The four fundamentals of flight with Spencer Suderman (episode 1)

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

How do I choose a flight instructor?

The four fundamentals of flight with Spencer Suderman (episode 1)

Email Subscription

Recent Articles