Originally Posted by
Genghis the Engineer
I joined the RAF in 1989, my QFI was reputed to be the oldest serving pilot in the RAF at that time, still a Flight Lieutenant, and he'd missed every conflict going throughout his service. As a result, he had a major chip on his shoulder, hated students, and his approach wasn't far off this.
I got washed out and went and pursued an engineering career elsewhere in the defence estate.. It took a couple of very patient civilian instructors a few years later to turn me into a half decent pilot (if I am!), and calm my permanently frazzled nerves whenever there was air under the tyres. I got over it through sheer determination, but I suspect a lot of potentially decent pilots never saw their potential because of him. Rumour has it he never went near a cockpit again after he retired a couple of years later, if so - good!
G
Genghis. You have my sincere sympathy to have had the misfortune at having such a bastard of an instructor. I had the fortune to have experienced very few bad news instructors in my long career. Two of them were screaming skull airline check captains in simulators. They reminded me of the old adage "
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".
On the lighter side I remember the time on my flying instructor course at RAAF Central Flying School at East Sale, Victoria in Australia in 1955. In those days we flew Tiger Moths and Wirraways. I was short in stature and had trouble reaching the rudder pedals in both types of aircraft. I was undergoing the 25 hour test in a Tiger Moth prior to going on to the Wirraway. if I failed the test I would have been scrubbed off course.
The CFI was a kindly and rather droll chap. I passed the usual stuff like pattering spins, steep turns and a forced landing. But when it came to instructing aerobatics in the Tiger Moth I knew it was my weak point because I found it difficult to get full rudder when needed and I needed full rudder for Tiger Moth slow rolls. The CFI gave me two attemps at pattering slow rolls. My pattering was woeful and out of synch with my actions. I couldn't get enough rudder on to prevent dishing out during the recovery phase. . At the completion of the third attempt the CFI let me off the hook by saying " your general standard of instruction is good but when you get to Uranquinty Basic Flying Training School I suggest you should avoid teaching slow rolls." He then ticked the box for PASS. I shall l never forget his kind gesture.