How the CFI addresses the struggling learner separates the professional CFIs and experience builders from the time builders. [Pixabay]
Key Takeaways:
Comparing one's pilot training progress to others, especially those from historical programs like the CPTP, often leads to discouragement due to vastly different training conditions and intensity.
Modern pilot training experiences, often under Part 61 with financial constraints leading to less frequent lessons, contrast sharply with the concentrated, government-funded programs of the past.
To combat learner discouragement, instructors should help set achievable subgoals, provide context for differing training experiences, and consider suggesting diagnostic flights with another CFI for fresh perspectives.
“If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter.”
This line comes from Max Ehrmann’s poem “Desiderata.” I find myself quoting this or paraphrasing it when I encounter student pilots who become discouraged when they compare their progress to a family member who also pursued a pilot certificate. You can dig yourself a well of despair when you do this.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
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.
![How the CFI addresses the struggling learner separates the professional CFIs and experience builders from the time builders. [Pixabay]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/httpswww.flyingmag.comsitesflyingmag.comfilesimages201902flight-training-image11.jpg)
