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airsteve172
,
NY
What should the aviation industry do to rouse interest in flying and grow the pilot pool?
As a student, I want the intent and the ability on the part of the instructor to be to teach me what I need to know. I am not there to subsidize the instructor's flight time and experience so he can get a job as an airline pilot. Unfortunately, the reality is that no matter how poorly the instructor teaches me, I still end up paying him and he's still logging flight time at my expense. What I would like to see is a change in policy or regulations regarding CFIs. I propose that a new CFI could not be paid for his time instructing unti he earns a "Pro" rating. A "Pro" rating would entail a CFI demonstrating his willingness and ability to teach by having to instruct at least one student with a successful conclusion of the student recieving his certifcate. The candidate CFI would receive no compensation unti he has accomplished turning at least one student into a pilot and the CFI will have had to train that student for at least 85% of the student's lessons. This "Pro" rating could be mandatory or optional and of course some fine points would have to be ironed out, particularly how this would apply to existing instructors, but I see it as a win / win situatuation for flight schools and students. For one, the student would benefit from the lowered cost of training while being certain that the instructor's interest is in getting the student certified. The flight schools also get the benefit of offering more attractive pricing to some students while making more certain that the instructors have what it takes. I'd even bet that the student retention rate would go up as the prospective "Pro" CFI candidate will likely make damned sure that he does everything he can to keep the student and have him succeed. For too long, some airline hopefuls have been surfing on the backs of students without much regard about the caliber of training that they offered. It's about time that students (the new lifeblood to the industry) be afforded some serious and qualified attention rather than be handed over to a careless intern whose only ability might be to attach a drainpipe to the student's pocket.8 answers | answer questionWhat should the aviation industry do to rouse interest in flying and grow the pilot pool?
It's a formidable challenge for any student to complete flight training and get their certificate. Many factors are working against the student such as cost, scheduling (as in being able to train during the free time that the student has versus the workday schedules that schools have), quality and compatibility of the instructor with his student, weather, and perhaps the most frustrating factor (to me) is that it seems like for the most part no one gives a damn about the student's progress and a prompt, sucessful outcome. A flight school like any other business is there for one primary reason, to make money. Fair enough, but after carefully tallying up the time on the Hobbs meter and submitting the bill to the student, hoping that he'll come back again and again to do the same thing over and over, it might be nice if someone at the school also cared enough about the student to make sure that progress is being made and that he's at least getting a reasonable bang for the buck on the rocky road to completion. Although it might have happened somewhere, some time, I never had the experience of having the owner or someone in charge at any school pull me aside and ask me if I was getting along with the instructor or how I felt about my progress in general. Outside of a syllabus, no one has ever sat me down, looked at my log book and talked about projected goals. If this sounds like I'd like someone to lead me by the hand, well, maybe I do. I realize of course that it's up to the student to have the goals, the motivation and the perseverence to achieve a successful outcome, but it's also up to the student to decide that he's had enough of having his wallet being milked dry and that the time, effort and expense might be put to better use in more gratifying endeavors elsewhere. What should the aviation industry do to rouse interest in flying and grow the pilot pool? The answer is relatively simple: Focus on keeping the customer satisfied at least as much as being focused on writing up the bill.8 answers | answer question
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