To figure out the best approach for your training, your CFI needs to know a little bit about you. [Credit: Adobe Stock]
Key Takeaways:
Flight instructors can effectively tailor training by understanding a student's professional background, as many non-aviation skills are transferable to learning to fly.
Skills like advanced hand-foot coordination (e.g., heavy equipment operators), methodical checklist use (e.g., technical professionals), and anticipatory thinking (e.g., musicians) can provide a strong foundation for flight tasks.
Instructors can leverage these prior experiences through adapted teaching methods, specific exercises, and by managing potential frustration in accomplished learners.
When adults meet for the first time—after the exchange of names—the next question is often, “What do you do for a living?” When your flight instructor asks this, they may be using that information to develop the best approach for your training.
There are certain skills from the non-aviation world that can help you in the cockpit.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
![To figure out the best approach for your training, your CFI needs to know a little bit about you. [Credit: Adobe Stock]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CFI-lead.jpg)
