nathanm@hp-pcd.UUCP (nathanm) (07/18/84)
A new question to ponder: Do you prefer CFIs who are: a) tough SOBs or b) laid back individuals? I've had experience with both, and each has advantages. The CFI who saw me through to my private certificate was temperamental, moody and always let me know in no uncertain terms when I f*cked up. I had to work hard for the positive strokes and sometimes left the airport after a lesson feeling dejected. So what's the good part? Dealing with the examiner was a real piece of cake. Besides making the pleasant discovery that he was on my side, I found him so much easier to handle than my instructor that all nervousness vanished and I aced the check ride. Like most CFIs, my first instructor moved on to bigger and better-paying things. My current instructor (who is also my partner in ownership of a C-152) is very calm. I haven't done any sort of serious training since my private, but I do use him for proficiency checks and the like. I completed my BFR with him last night -- first we flew, then we reviewed part 91 over a cold pitcher of Strohs at Murphys Tavern. A much less unnerving experience then flying with my first instructor. I sometimes ponder how things might have turned out had I started with the second instructor; would I have washed out for excessive mellowness? Probably not. Any enlightening opinions? ---------- Nathan Meyers hp-pcd!nathanm
barrett@hpcnoe.UUCP (barrett) (07/19/84)
About SOB vs Laid Back CFI's, I had the experience of dealing with a very laid back one throughout my Private training, although he was still very serious about all aspects of the training. It was really nice to be able to make a manuver without having the added problem of having to deal with the instructors harrasment as well. He would emphasize MY letting HIM know what mistakes I had made. That was very helpful in teaching me to reconize mistakes and correct for them on my own. He never raised his voice ever, and put me though a very demanding flight the day before my private check ride. In short, strict training laid back CFI's are not mutually exclusive. Dave Barrett hplabs!hp-dcd!barrett
ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (07/22/84)
Some people seem to be impressed by instructors who give them a hard time. I suppose it goes along with the general view that things that hurt are good for you (a view which I do not share.) "Why are you banging your head against the wall?" "Because it feels so good when I stop."
cfiaime@ihnp4.UUCP (Jeff Williams) (07/23/84)
As a CFI, I find it easier to be somewhat mellow, but with high standards. Typically, ground school is over a pizza at the local Pizza Hut. If a student makes an error, I try to GENTLY correct them. If they do a good job, they know about it immediately and again in the flight office where interested bystanders always seem to listen to the post- flight. Personally, I learn more from an instructor who is friendly, but does not accept a sloppy performance. This seems to work fairly well. One of my former private students (Craig Dinsmore, he is on the net and is probably reading this) got his private license in (I think) 42 hours. Partly because of the instructor, partly in spite of the instructor. With this example, I believe that this approach works. I am always looking for better ways to teach, so if you have any ideas (except a different pizza place), I am willing to listen. Jeff Williams AT&T-Bell Laboratories, Naperville, Illinois ihnp4!cfiaime
djmolny@wnuxb.UUCP (Molny) (07/23/84)
My first CFI was a mellow SOB. He got me through private pilot training in good style, but he has nasty ways of checking your competency. I flew with him again last month to check out in a 172 RG. After one touch-and-go, I climbed to pattern altitude, turned the crosswind, set up the flaps, throttle, etc., and lowered the gear. "Look over there," he says, leaning over to my side. "Lookit what?" says I, like a dummy. "Over there!" "Where!?" "Oh, forget it," he says. About two minutes later, on final, I'm running down the checklist, and I happen to look out the window. Double take. Sh*t, no gear. Now what? "No gear," says I. "Better pump," says he. To make a long story short, I couldn't get the gear down fast enough manually, and we went around. Then he let me replace the landing gear fuse he had removed earlier. "Lookit that, my ass," I said. He smiled. So much for CFI anecdotes. Regards, DJ Molny
marcum@rhino.UUCP (Alan M. Marcum) (07/23/84)
Much of one's preferences depend on
- presonality (i.e. yours);
- learning style;
- motivation style (i.e. "carrot" or "stick").
Personally, I've found (both from learning and from teaching --
the latter, things besides flying) lots of positive reinforcement
(strokes) to be a vastly better teaching style than lots of
negative reinforcement. Students learn better when they enjoy
the learning process; making them feel good helps them enjoy the
learning process. Also, from an instructional psychology
prespective, focusing on what's being done well, or on HOW TO
IMPROVE what needs improving, yields much better results than
focusing on what's being done poorly.
How, then, does one make the check ride a piece of cake? Two
parts to that:
- send the student on a practice checkride ("phase check")
with another instructor prior to the actual checkride
(the phase checker should run the check just like a check
ride, though maybe a bit tougher);
- instill in the students enough (rightful) confidence in
their abilities that the checkride itself is merely a
formality, with its outcome essentially well known in
advance.
It's interesting that Nathan asks this question. I recall an
article in a recent edition of _Flying_ about instructing. My
own opinion is that, while instructors often (usually, we hope!)
know a great deal about the fine art of flying, they often know
scant little about the fine art of teaching. We all want a safer
sky, right? We all want better pilots, right? We all want
better primary instructing, right? Well, maybe it's time to stop
waiting for Our Great Mentor In Washington (a.k.a. the FAA), and
start doing it right ourselves. The FAA sets MINIMUM standards;
how many of us want to consider ourselves MINIMALLY capable?
Why do so many instructors no longer teach students about spins
just becuase the FAA dropped the requirement?
Ah, well, enough for now.....
--
Alan M. Marcum Fortune Systems, Redwood City, California
...!{ihnp4, ucbvax!amd, hpda, sri-unix, harpo}!fortune!rhino!marcumchip@utastro.UUCP (Arthur F. Fore Jr.) (07/24/84)
The SOB approach to instructing most likely has its origins in the early days of flying, when the danger of sudden and permanent disaster was much greater than it is now. The popular literature is full of examples of the cockpit man- ner of flight instructors. It has become a tradition passed down through many generations; quite a few of today's instructors use the SOB method because that was the way they were taught. The SOB method is based on some very sound educational theory, believe it or not. It is known as the Stress Theory of instruction. It's theory is quite simple: just pressure a student into a position of complete frustration and helplesness, and he will suddenly begin to learn at an unbelieveable rate. The stress method is used in total immersion language courses. The instructor will become very hard to please, a perfectionist, a tyrant, a real SOB! The student will find that he can do nothing right, every attempt to perform in a satisfactory way will be ridiculed, he will be made to feel like a hopeless failure. As signs of frustration begin to surface, the instructor really turns up the heat, increasing the pressure on the student dramatically. At some point, the student is totally overwhelmed, and just gives up, usually at or beyond the point of tears. At that instant, the instructor becomes a different being: no longer the tyrant, but now a calm and compassionate dispensor of wisdom. The student is given back his self-respect, and a change occurs that is quite remarkable. In just a few moments, the student will learn an ammount that would ordinarily take many days. If you have never experienced it, I recommend you talk to someone who has. You no doubt have noticed that the typical SOB flight instructor does not followthe recipe. However, as a student pilot in the U.S. Air Force, I was fortunate enough to fly with an instructor who was a master of the SOB school of instruct-ion. The second loneliest experience of my life was the cockpit of a T-38, whenthe other seat was occupied by a madman who continually screamed at me over the interphone, kicked the rudder pedals, and knocked the stick left and right with his fists. He was not pleased. For four days we flew, with the stress buildingeach day. I developed ticks in my eyes, I couldn't sleep at night, I was about as miserable as a man could be. On the fifth day, I caved in; completely gave up the idea of becomimg an Air Force pilot. I was totally crushed, my dream wasgone, pounded into oblivion by this madman of an instructor. I can still hear him demanding more precision for vertical S maneuvers. When he criticized me for making a perfect level-off, I reached the end of my endurance. There were tears running down my face and over the oxygen mask as I whimpered "What do you want from me?" Did you know that the Transporter beam used in the Star Trek shows is real? I know, because someone exchanged places with my madman instructor the instant I caved in. He became very supportive, apologized for the treatment he had been giving me and began to teach me about flying. I learned rapidly; I became a pilot. And the madman? I loved him. I still do.
falk@uiucuxc.UUCP (07/26/84)
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uiucuxc!falk Jul 26 13:57:00 1984
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My CFI was of the SOB school, but he never mellowed out at the end. He
continually told me how bad I was doing and never gave any praise (the
closest he came was no outright criticism, but never praise). He also
gave me no encouragement, leading me to believe that I would never
get my private pilot ticket. He seemed to think that it was a fluke
that I not only passed my written the first time, but that I did so
with flying colors (mid-90s was the score, as I recall).
When I finally asked about taking the checkflight, he kept telling me
how none of his students had ever flunked the check flight and how
embarrassed he would be if I were the first. In short, he not only
deflated my ego (which is OK) but totally destroyed my confidence.
The day of my checkride, I was an emotional mess. Of course I was sure
that I was going to be the first student of his to flunk the test. The
examiner, on the other hand, was so mellow that I became suspicious of
him. The whole checkride was the easiest thing I ever did, and I passed
the first time. Now I can see how you want to encourage caution by
not telling any student pilot how good they are (because they can't be
until they get some hours under their belt), but I think my instructor
overdid it, and if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would
have gone somewhere else. -Connie
{ihnp4!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!falk}