What A CFI Wants You To Know

Inheriting an In-Progress Student Pilot: How to Win Trust and Keep Momentum

Here’s what to do when a flight instructor leaves and you are handed someone else’s client.

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

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CFI and student pilot [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

Instructors taking on partially trained clients must cautiously assess their existing knowledge and skills, preferably starting in the classroom, to identify and address any ingrained habits or gaps from previous instruction.
Reasons for instructor changes vary from availability and personality clashes to CFIs moving on, and the inheriting instructor must be prepared to adapt their teaching approach to the client's learning style.
For students nearing a check ride, conducting a full mock check ride based on Airman Certification Standards (ACS) is crucial to efficiently evaluate readiness and determine specific training needs, rather than requiring a complete re-do.

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“Are you taking on any students?”

That’s how the conversation usually begins when the partially trained client is looking for a new instructor.

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.