I think instructing style is very individualistic.
I remember reading a long time ago, about a female pilot who was praising her instructor. She’d commented that her first instructor put her off flying but her second one helped her to get her PPL. She commented that he used to call her “Love” and constantly reassured her that she was doing great. She was really grateful for his style and attributed attaining her PPL to his support. I remember reading that and thinking I’d find such a style condesending and I’d not be able to stick it for even one flight. So everyone must be different.
It also makes a big difference why you are flying with the instructor. If you are flying as part of a course to develop a new skill, that is very different than from doing a checkout or some refresher training.
When I did my PPL, I had number of different instructors. The one that I found most useful, was one that pushed me very hard. He’d teach me a new skill on the lesson, and just as I was starting to get that under control, he’d make it more difficult, and continue as such. By the end of the lesson, I’d feel worn out somewhat incompetent (having never really got fully comfortable with the new skill on the lesson). Then in the debrief he’d explain that I wouldn’t be expected to do half of that on the skill test, that he’d pushed me way further than was needed, just to see how far I could manage. Next week, that skill seemed very easy. I found this pushing me to my limits (but rarely beyond) a very useful leaning style.
I had some other instructors who wanted to spend too much time ‘demonstrating’ which I felt was little more than them getting the opportunity to fly some circuits while I pay for it. I learnt almost nothing from these instructors and avoided them as best I could.
When it comes to a checkout or recurrent training, I don’t think this “push to the limit” style is appropriate. You’re supposed to already have the skill, and your task is to demonstrate that, or for the instructor to make some tips. If you’re competent, then on a checkout the instructor shouldn’t have much to add during the flight and maybe just a few small tips in the debrief.
I’ve come across instructors who simply want to change the way you fly to their way, with each instructor in the school/club having a different way (so you have to adjust your flying style depending on which instructor you were with today). That I found totally inappropriate and didn’t hang around long there. Instructors in a club/school should have a standarised approach, and checkout should be just about making sure that you are safe and competent.
dublinpilot wrote:
She commented that he used to call her “Love” and constantly reassured her that she was doing great.
Must have been a long time ago, today he’d be “meetwooed” in no time with that sort of behaviour. The “can’t take a joke, shouldn’t have joined” unfortunatley went out when the PC crowd moved in… shame really.
dublinpilot wrote:
It also makes a big difference why you are flying with the instructor.
And it makes a big difference why an instructor flies as an instructor. Is he really interested in teaching or does he just want to collect hours for the big job and is bored out of his wits while trying to teach groundhogs to be airdales? Is he there in order to pay back his ATPL credits after the airlines (rightly) refused him and now he compensates his lack of a captain’s job by treating the student with the benevolence of Caligula? Not to forget the characters who took their flying lessons the way the unforgettable Gerd Froebe did in the “magnificent men”… “A German Officer can do everything!! Now rtfm and get on with it!”
I’ve been very lucky with the guys I had. Most of them were airline pilots or at least commercial (one flew a King Air for a living) and they instructed because they wanted to share what they had learnt themselfs. Best way really. Beats the crap out of some disillusioned Pay to Fly rejects.
