CFI? Why?

Many seeking a career in aviation reluctantly choose teaching primarily to acquire the flight time required for piloting jobs with airlines or corporate flight departments. Such motivation is understandable but shortsighted—and potentially detrimental. Far better reasons are found in the inherent benefits of being a teacher. In pursuit of their careers, CFIs are exposed to profound payoffs far beyond having students subsidize a competitive résumé.

There is no better way to become proficient in a field than teaching others the elements and interactions associated with the subject being taught. Being a CFI is a positive example of that assertion. CFIs sharpen the knowledge, skill, and decision making required for success as an aviator. And they develop life skills that apply far beyond the cockpit.

Explaining a maneuver to a student requires the CFI to dissect the task fully and organize his or her presentation logically. What must the CFI do to bridge the gap between the unfamiliar and familiar? What should the student observe? What is the purpose of the maneuver; how is it achieved; what are the measures of success; and how can the student recognize and overcome common errors? What are the steps that move a student from rote memorization to understanding, application, and eventually correlation with other aspects of flight?

Because aircraft move in three dimensions—vertically, laterally, and longitudinally—they behave differently from other vehicles such as cars or boats, which operate along a two-dimensional surface. In addition to moving longitudinally, aircraft are free to pitch and roll. Furthermore, the control input that causes those motions triggers secondary motions in another dimension. For example, defecting ailerons to initiate a turn to the left also initiates a yaw to the right as well a pitch-down response. Such interaction or coupling is easily missed by the novice and must be emphasized by the instructor. Additional control inputs are required to compensate for that coupling, hence the need for coordination among all the aircraft’s flight controls by the pilot.

Preparing students to master new experiences such as coordination forces CFIs to be acutely aware of what must be taught and demonstrated. Furthermore, teaching the need for coordination sharpens CFIs’ attention to coordination in their own flying. Addressing a student’s questions from the perspective of an educator sharpens the CFI’s skills as an aviator. In addition to explaining flight maneuvers, a CFI has ample opportunity to demonstrate how maneuvers are accomplished, thereby benefiting from frequent practice and a natural incentive to perform well when conducting a demonstration.

First, be a teacher

Being teachers, CFIs look beyond the superficial to find the strengths of each student. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The CFI helps the struggling student accomplish a difficult task or move beyond a learning plateau by building upon what the student can do well. Whether giving dual instruction in training aircraft or contributing to non-aviation programs, discovering the best in others is a skill worth pursuing.

Teams, not individuals, win ball games. Student and instructor are teammates with a common objective—creating a competent aviator who flies safely, finds fulfilment in being aloft, and benefits from being a pilot. Team building is a worthy talent in many endeavors.

Each training flight is an educational challenge and an opportunity to fulfill the student’s individual needs. No two students are the same; each flight is different. Teaching is dynamic. While the maneuvers to be taught are repetitious and impersonal, the artistry used by the CFI to teach them requires insight, personalization, and empathy. When the focus is education, the potential for burnout is diminished.

Understanding people

A teacher learns to approach each student as an individual with his or her own capabilities and limitations. That uniqueness makes each instructional flight new, challenging, and professionally stimulating for the CFI. Flight instructors become skilled at developing their students’ strengths to achieve success—a valuable approach for addressing many challenges in today’s society.

CFIs need to know what motivates their students. Why does the student want to become a pilot—is it to be a salaried aviator, to expand reach as a businessperson, or to fly as a hobbyist for pleasure? Such insights on motivation are transferable to many if not all aspects of life, from being a parent to being a friend or simply keeping an open mind when meeting someone new. Being a CFI sharpens an individual’s skills understanding people.

Communicating—a universal asset

Initially through preparation to become a CFI and subsequently through practice, flight instructors learn to be effective communicators, an attribute that has positive application well beyond the cockpit. Every aspect of human interaction involves some element of communication. Teaching flying is a unique opportunity to improve that skill.

Being a CFI also sharpens listening skills. When asking questions, what is the student saying or trying to say? CFIs learn to resist the all-too-common tendency to jump in before the speaker has finished speaking. They wait until the student makes his or her position clear, probing with open-ended questions if necessary, before presenting an answer. There is an art to effective listening, and CFIs develop that essential aspect of communicating.

Helping others

Flight instructors play a pivotal role in an aviator’s development whether he or she flies professionally or personally. The law of primacy states that what a student learns first is the most likely to be recalled, particularly in stressful situations such as an emergency. CFIs shape the students’ approach to all their aviation experiences. Such an opportunity to contribute is awesome.

The payoffs to being a CFI are indeed priceless.