CFIs which students do you prefer?
Posted by Starlight_aqua@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 32 comments
Currently a student and my flight school has a big split. Half of the students are 18 fresh going into their first career. While the other half are in their late 20s/30s/40s doing a career change. CFIs do you notice any difference between them? Besides age obviously. Good, bad, and ugly?
Lil_Pump_Jetski@reddit
Young students fly better older students study better
ActuallBliss@reddit
I guess I’m a rare exception. I was 34 when I started flight school in the U.K. which has 6 months ground school. I had the highest theory exams score of 97.3% (fits your observation) but my US instructors were very impressed with my flying skills. After my CPL check ride the examiner said and I quote “You’re an above average pilot, a very rare beast”. One type rating sim instructor didn’t believe me when I said I hadn’t been flying commercially previously and that I was just a kindergarten teacher.
I guess the years of DCS VR flying helped massively!
Cougarb@reddit
Any pilot who brags about how good they are are usually not as good as they think they are lmao
ActuallBliss@reddit
That’s fine, I’m not bragging. I was just repeating what I was told. I never thought I’m good, and I don’t. Was just replying to the comment. I won’t lose sleep over it so I’m all good lmao
ShittyLanding@reddit
Below average for self-awareness.
ActuallBliss@reddit
Boohoo
ColeKook@reddit
Ignore em. I see what you mean.
f1racer328@reddit
And I’d rather deal with the older students flying than the younger students studying.
Getting an 18 year old who actually comes prepared and studies a lot is a rare bundle.
fedepalomares@reddit
Young people doing their first steps. Always. They are like a sponge, they absorve easily every piece of knowledge you give. But above everything else, they have to be passionate about what they are doing, passion drives to motivation, and motivation makes you receptive to new knoledge and CFI's indications.
lnxguy@reddit
Instrument students are either freshly made pilots and are willing to put in the work, or they are duds who somehow passed a check ride.
iLOVEr3dit@reddit
I like young students. There's a weird power dynamic with a lot of middle age people (not all of them) that they don't want to listen to someone younger than them. Young students are willing to take any criticism you give them
Perfect_Insurance_26@reddit
The worst students are young, cocky, slow to learn, and bad at communicating/scheduling, or totally unmotivated.
The best students are humble, inquisitive, motivated, consistent with scheduling, and they really study. OR Late-stage student pilots/anyone with a license already. When I don't have to fly the plane more than 20% of the time, there's a lot of room for longer explanations, quick tips, and we can get through a lot more in a shorter period of time, meaning the end of a lesson can be focused on their biggest weakness, or the more difficult maneuvers/landings.
I did not become a good student until I got half way through instrument training, and it's all because I didn't study in a way that worked.
The best age range of students is probably 10-14, and then 22-40, and then 50-100. Kids learn the best and seeing them excited is awesome, teens are usually idiots, middle aged people are dicks, and then they become normal again and are fun to fly with.
Pilot-Imperialis@reddit
Career change folks take it more seriously as a general rule of thumb. There are kids fresh out of school that also take it seriously, but it’s about 50/50 with those who are just doing it as something to do after school and don’t really want it enough to care about their studies.
The hardest are retirees doing it as a retirement plan. They’re often decades out from having done any serious study and their hand eye coordination can be lacking to the point it becomes a serious obstacle.
OzrielArelius@reddit
the career change folks are typically funding their training with money they worked for. that's enough motivation on its own
MangledX@reddit
The older clients are paying for their own training and have life experience and don't want to squander the opportunities. 15 to 19 year olds are there on daddy's dime, would rather be partying in a field with their friends and, for the most, won't study for shit. Because they don't appreciate what they're doing. It's part of being young. We've all been there. Now, this is a broad stroke and there's always exceptions to the rule. I just passed a 17 year old kid who was super disciplined and did everything I asked of him to succeed. On the counter to that, I've also spent 20 hours in the airplane with 45 year old middle aged women going through a midlife crisis after a divorce and couldn't fly the plane for shit. You take the good and you take the bad. At the end of the day you give them all the same credible experience and try your best to shape them into the best version of themselves. Every once in a great while you'll get one come through the door that you know is just not cut out for it. You'll have to have some realistic conversations with them at some point to protect their finances and well being. Not everyone is meant to fly airplanes. That's just a fact. Hang around long enough and you'll see it for yourself.
slpater@reddit
Its just attitude. Ive had 18 year olds be both the easiest and the worst students to work with. And ive had similar with 20/30/40 year olds. If youre ready to take it seriously, while understanding what im teaching you can either save your life or end it if you ignore it.
Thats not to scare you, but its very easy for things to go bad quickly if you do dumb things in an airplane.
If you dont do the ground work and its me pulling you a long and threatening to cancel/switch to ground instead of flying to get you to do ground school, youre not going to be as successful.
It personally doesnt matter to me if you complete a ppl in 40 or 60 or 80 hours as far as how you are to work with. Some people just take more time, and im more frustrated FOR them. Not AT them. Because I know they WANT to do better and are putting in the work.
Veritech-1@reddit
Easier to teach stick and rudder to 18 year olds. Easier to teach knowledge and decision making to older students. Older students were easier students overall.
TuwtlesF1@reddit
Agree and disagree. An older person who is used to pushing the limits is a lot harder to train out of that habit.
TSwiftIcedTea@reddit
Any age as long as they are working on instrument or commercial. The student already having basic airmanship from Private makes my job much easier.
Wolfe751@reddit
Yes!
minfremi@reddit
I bet my helicopter hates me for not coming back in a couple months and I haven’t even studied in the meantime…
vicious_delicious_77@reddit
Just give me somebody who's motivated. The hardest students to train are the ones who are luke warm about what they are doing. I see all types in all age ranges.
de_rats_2004_crzy@reddit
Man I can’t imagine being lukewarm about something that costs so much LOL
ActuallBliss@reddit
Some people are born into that lifestyle where money has always been there and they can’t appreciate the efforts that go into earning it themselves yet.
Ok-Mention-3310@reddit
Depends my experience is kids you have to ride but if there motivated it’s the most fun you’ll have. Also anyone with prior training is 50/50 nightmare to great success
ConnectionMother9782@reddit
Based on my experience CFIs prefer career change students. They focus and study more so the CFI doesn’t have to baby them on ground knowledge might have to work more with air maneuvers but everyone’s different in that regard. The young bucks are usually easier going and trying to learn but once they leave the school forget to study
Key-Importance-9351@reddit
Younger students soak up knowledge faster while the older ones tend to not pick up on stuff as quick.
Younger students typically have mommy and daddy pay for their flight training and have a sense of entitlement.
Older students tend to be more respectful and are less egotistical but are slow to learn.
You pick.
Now that's just being very broad because the question is broad. At the end of the day most CFI could care less who they fly with as long as they get the flight hours.
CavalierRigg@reddit
My favorite students are students that want to learn and it doesn’t feel like I am trying to drag them across the finish line.
I will assign homework for grounds beforehand, and if you come prepared, having read the material, and you have some questions written down so I can guide you through it, it makes it a lot easier and greatly improves my mood when we need to do a ground.
Typically the demographics of those people are older, 23-30 year olds, but one of my students right now is 19 and works harder than any other student I know and he’s a joy to work with.
Vegetable_Log_3837@reddit
Both of those options assume they’re learning to fly for a career. I got this vibe on my disco flight. Did not continue.
I fly my paraglider for fun!
Novel_Economics5828@reddit
I’m a student working on commercial and CFI, but my guess is that it’s heavily dependent on the individual. My CFI has a few favorites and they range from early 20s in college to late 20s/early 30s.
They just like a person who’s dedicated, prompt, trusts their methodologies and passes checkrides on the first try. Also not being arrogant or rude is a big factor like it is in all business relationships.
Fine-Literature-8031@reddit
Career change folks in my opinion are far more well rounded, and have other experience they can draw from to help with flight training, whether it’s with study skills, communication, resilience, or technical knowledge.
However they can also be set in their ways, if they did something else for too long. At least the young folk are more or less blank slates.
That being said, I think career folks should do something other than aviation at least on the side not to paint themselves into a corner professionally.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Currently a student and my flight school has a big split. Half of the students are 18 fresh going into their first career. While the other half are in their late 20s/30s/40s doing a career change. CFIs do you notice any difference between them? Besides age obviously. Good, bad, and ugly?
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