Instructor training

[Dnathan]

Hi,

I have a story I'd like to share and get your opinion on, about what happened to me to day.

I am 23 years old and I hold FAA ME/SE CPL + IR and have about 320 hours total now, currently going for my FAA Certified Flight Instructor rating.

Today I went for my "second" stage I check and passed. I failed the first one 1 week ago being the first stage check or check-ride I have failed so far throughout my training.
I was told by our chief flight instructor, that I was a really excellent pilot, but when it came to my skills as a teacher, I was cocky, overconfident and in general as a person, I was immature and had no social skills.
That came pretty much like a lightning from a clear sky, but I coped with it and tried a different teaching style that seemed better in their eyes I guess.

Anyway, we were out again and I was teaching him landings and touch and go's at an uncontrolled airfield with 4200' runways in a Piper Warrior III. After the very first TnG on crosswind, he told me I had a stuck throttle fully open. Fighting with the trim and controls leveling off pattern altitude, I told him I would fly a wider pattern and kill the engine within glide-range of the runway. At the same time I pointed out, that the RPM was about to red-line if we didn't do something soon. This is when he shouted "NO - USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE AIRCRAFT. YOU'RE AN INSTRUCTOR NOW, YOU SHOULD NOW BETTER".
Building up stress by the situation, I told him I didn't know what else to do, that if I was on my own or with a student that is what I would have done. He then shouted even more criticizing my lack of knowledge of the airplane.
Meanwhile, we were on the base leg now about to turn final, when finally he told me what he had in mind - to use the mixture lever as throttle. He then grabbed the mixture and retarded it, making the engine rpm drop down, though the engine sounded awful to my ears.

He then made me continue on the approach for a while until I told him, I needed to slow down to use flaps.
At this time he gave it full mixture and retarded the throttle as I requested. However, since we were just about the threshold doing 100 knots, normally you would be going about 65, as you can imagine I floated forever in ground effect touching down about halfway at the runway.
I then quickly told him I was going to brake and bring it to a full stop, when he immediately shouted "GO GO GO" and gave me full power.
Personally, I never thought we would have made the trees by the end of the runway, but I guess we passed them at 20-30 feet - scared the crap out of me...

At the debriefing, I was only told negative things. I was still overconfident and still wanted to "show off my skill".
At this point I was so relaxed being back on the ground, I never said a word - only nodded thinking, about the 3-4 regulations my chief instructor broke throughout the flight and now telling me what he did.

Thinking back only hours later, I would have closed the throttles and braked during that second touch and go and disregarded his instructions.

My questions is, when should you ever do what you think it right when you truely believe the "senior pilot/"PIC" is wrong, and how should you tell him when you're still hoping this guy will hire you in a couple of weeks.

[scroggs]

Hmmm. This guy's instructional and examining style is, to say the least, unusual - in fact, if your story is 100% correct, he sounds bloody dangerous. And you want to work for him?

However, the basis of his criticisms may be valid. You are expected, as an instructor, to be able to handle unusual situations and have a level of aircraft knoledge beyond the average.

I would change your game plan if I were you.

Scroggs

[B2N2]

I've read your post several times over.
Having trained 15 CFI's and CFII's myself I think I know what he was trying to do.
Now these are all just assumptions so bear with me.
By now you know about "realistic distractions" during flight training.
I think that is what he was trying to do.
And subsequently raise your stress levels by raising his voice aka SHOUTING :eek:

* He is right about the mixture control, don't kill the engine if you don't have to.

* I would not have continued the landing at that speed if I were you, engine controls were back to normal so a go-around was appropriate.
On the other hand a forward slip might have been usefull to slow the plane down.

* In the case of a long landing a touch and go is sometimes safer that attempting a full stop. You are still at a decent speed and do not need a lot of acceleration to become airborne again.
But that is a tough call and I wasn't there.
I've blown a tire that way once, in hindsight it would have been better to make it a touch and go and not attempt a full stop. With even more hindsight I should have abandoned the landing and done a go around. I was even flying with a CFI candidate at the time...:E

What were the regulations that your Chief FI broke?
Remember that you were in the airplane also and in a position to stop him, part of your job as a CFI.
It may have been part of his gameplan.
I have done similar things numerous times,eg a steep turn too close to clouds,man. above a build up area, flying right traffic patterns instead of left, attempting to bust airspace, all with a CFI applicant in the right seat, all to get them to interfere and stop me before a situation develops.
Some of them did, some of them didn't, a learning moment for them.
To me all is fair in teaching a future instructor, these are things a student will do to you, all of the time.
I will warn them that I'll be pulling tricks and still they fell for it.
Every single one of them has taken off on one magneto at some point after me doing the run-up. You need to check, check again and double check, watch their hands, don't stare out of the window.

Now, you have a fair chance of having a personality conflict with your CFI.
I have had this with CFI applicants also. You simply don't like each other.
You have to deal with it, tuck your head between your shoulders and be professional about it.
Trust me, you will have plenty of students you don't like as a person.
It's your job to train them and get them done in time.

Now for the lighter side, he could also just be a complete a-hole on a power trip because he happens to be the CHIEF (insert salute) and it's his way or the highway.
Did you talk to other students about this?
Do they have similar experiences with this guy?

Regards,

:ok:

[Dnathan]

Scroggs I wish it was only that easy... Being a European doing FAA training, I am in a tight situation with my Visa possibilities. Chances for getting issued a work Visa by an employer are unfortunately slim.
Before I started training at the school from private to FI, I was told they could issue me a work visa with employment. That they would tell me when I got my CPL if they thought they would hire me as an instructor based on my skill, motivation, character and the time it took for me to get the licenses.

B2N2 I greatly appreciate your reply. I was hoping someone with similar experience as my chief instructor could shine some light on my situation.

Having read your reply now several times, I think perhaps all your assumptions to some degree are valid, but I also realize there are always at least two sides of every story and that you only get one perspective here through me. Let me answer your questions/comments:

* Yes he was right about the mixture, but it was something I didn't think about at the time and I'm the experience stronger now. Personally from what I have been taught about the power plant, I wouldn't let a healthy engine detonate for that long being airborne in regards to safety, but I am no mechanic. However, I admit it probably did produce a lasting impression.

* I did slip the airplane. My impression at the time was that a go-around was not an option. In light of the past, I probably would have continued climbing not to red-line the engine and turned back towards our home base with a 8000' runway, but yes - it was a tough call, especially during a check-ride when you constantly concern yourself about "what is the best action to take".

* Regarding the regulations, this is probably where I really have the most doubt when to interact. In theory, I should have no doubt, but during for instance simulated engine failure and a nearby gravel road is your best option - should you add in power when getting too close to vehicles?
I think it is a really good learning experience to sometimes glide all the way down before you go-around, but I don't feel comfortable when you see cars starting to slow down and make room for you at 200' altitude.
Another example was when I had the simulated stuck throttle and wanted to keep the pattern wide to make smooth turns, he told me to keep it tight and I had to bank about 60 degrees and being at an altitude less than 1500' AGL, there is another bust.

* Before I started my instructor training, I got along with greatly with the guy, but I can't tell if I still do. Some of the things he told me during my debrief when he failed me was in my opinion downright unprofessional, even self-contradictory and gave me a lot of doubt if I even felt like continuing my instructor training.
Now I'm not only during my FI training to build hours. I sincerely believe it can improve and even add many good traits, and greatly improve your overall professionalism as a pilot.

* The very first thing I did was to talk to friends and co-students about my flight. What surprised me was that there was a lot who had similar experiences with this guy, but who only told me now after I had shared my story. It gave me some degree of relief, but at the same time it scared me too.

Now, my choices are: I can either go talk to the owner of the school, or I can ride off the verbal punches and try to do even better next time bearing in mind, that I did pass the check after all.
Let’s say he is the "I AM THE BOSS" kind of guy, what is the best way in your experience to cope with a person like that?

[carbonfibre]

Sounds like an american school i attended some years ago it was all "money money money" If it is the same school perhaps there looking for a way not to employ you? a bit strong perhaps.

Anyway I have experiences of this type of instruction too, I fully understand whats going through your mind, I had to change schools in the end because of the style of instruction and found the new school corrected problems (percieved) in my flying technique within 1.5 hours of flying, its different methods for different people.

For me it would have been far easier to have let you get to a point which he thought there was no chance of it happening, go around and give you an airbourne lesson in experience and discuss it later unless safety was compromised, it may have been a failure still but probably more constructive and im sure you would have taken the critisism far better,
after all from what you are saying this school has completed your training so therefore its indicative of what they have taught you.

Stick at it though as it sounds your almost there, grit your teeth, say thank you and smile

Good luck with the rest of the training
:ok: