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Fly as Many Different Aircraft as You Can

The experience of flying a variety of aircraft is worth more than the hours and offers a host of opportunities.

Look for a school with a range of aircraft models in its fleet. [Pixabay]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Flight schools prioritize instructors with diverse experience across multiple aircraft makes, models, and panel types (glass vs. analog), not just high total hours in limited aircraft.
  • Pilots are advised to actively seek opportunities to fly various aircraft, including different wing configurations and instrument panels, to build a more versatile skillset.
  • Diversifying flight experience enhances teaching abilities, broadens understanding, helps prevent negative transference, and significantly expands career opportunities in aviation.
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The freshly minted CFI was grumpy because he interviewed at a local flight school but did not get the job. He said he was turned down because his logbook lacked diversity. He went on to rant about the flight school being “woke,” which sent a look around the FBO, and if we had been in a cartoon, a question mark would have appeared over my head. I knew the instructor he interviewed with—I’d flown with him a few times—and the school, and his statement didn’t make sense.

The next time I saw the interviewing instructor, I asked him about it. The interviewing CFI, who had more than 30 years in the industry, laughed at the applicant’s interpretation. “Lack of diversity” in the logbook meant the applicant, who had gone to an accelerated program, had only flown three models of aircraft to get his 300 hours: a Cessna 150 and 172—and his most recent time encompassed 15 hours in a Diamond DA42 TwinStar.

Meg Godlewski

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.

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