You do too much for me

Whether it’s tuning frequencies, operating the flaps, loading an approach, or even sharing the controls, “helpful” flight instructors can prove to be anything but helpful, and I see the ill effects most often on all practical tests and most often for the instrument rating. Preparing for an instrument approach requires securing the airport weather, loading the procedure, ensuring the navigation and communication frequencies are properly tuned, briefing the plate, and anticipating a missed approach—all while maintaining aircraft control—is a tall order for any single pilot. I cringe when I see a candidate who fumbles to load a procedure and can’t fix the problem if it’s loaded incorrectly. He never had to learn the box because his flight instructor was always there to help.

On one exam, I had the candidate remove the view-limiting device at the missed approach point and proceed to attempt a landing with the gear still tucked up in the wells. He admitted that his CFI usually put the gear down for him at the final approach fix since that’s generally a busy time.

Of course, we examiners direct debrief messages toward the recommending instructor as much as the candidate. That way, the feedback loop ensures that flight instruction continues to improve.

This summer I found the need to give myself the same advice I’ve doled out to so many other CFIs over the years.

My parents instilled in me the importance of always being polite and helpful, and I’ve done the same with my sons. During their youth, I exhibited the behavior I wanted them to emulate by making requests with a please and thank you and being there to help when needed.

“Helpful” flight instructors can prove to be anything but helpful.But children also should grow to be self-sufficient so they learn to navigate the world alone; we parents aren’t going to be around forever, after all. Deciding when to be helpful so they feel supported and when to extract myself so they learn independence has been, for me, one of the toughest parts of being a parent.

My worlds as aviation educator and mother came together recently as I’ve been teaching my son Jack to fly in our Cessna Aerobat, Wilbur. As we hopped in Wilbur on a recent flight, I tuned in the local ASOS and dialed the altimeter setting into the Kollsman window. After he leveled off, I leaned the mixture to an appropriate setting before we commenced steep turns. I then directed him with headings and altitudes as we navigated to the Winchester airport (BGF) to practice some landings.

To be clear, this was not his first flight and Jack proved ready to do all the above by himself. So, my help was hurting his progress and hindering his independence. Since then, whenever I consider “helping,” I ask myself if doing so is in Jack’s best interests, and often, it’s not.

Soon Jack should be ready for his own practical exam and, most important, a happy life of safe flying that awaits him. Being helpful while fostering independence is an important balance for any flight instructor to strike. I will continually remind myself to do less of the former and more of the latter to improve my own skills as a CFI.