Have any of you looked at this from the student's point of view?
For those who don't know, I'm a rotary FI(R), and have also held a PPL(A) for some years. This means I fly with f/w instructors now and then, for check rides etc. What happens? Having been doing certain things quite safely for years, I get told: "DON'T pull the carb heat there", or "You turn downwind there, not where you just did".
Now, I don't in the least mind if it's a safety issue, or even some different way of doing something that I don't know about; I'm happy to learn. But more often than not - sorry, but it's true - the instructor is on an ego trip and wants things done HIS WAY. I ask for a reason; I get told, "Because that's how it's done". Which doesn't help anybody! And I get annoyed, and disinclined to listen. And I suspect that I'm fairly normal and average in that way.
So try treating students with respect. It's not what you say, but how you say it, and even more importantly, the attitude behind it, that makes all the difference. If you say, or imply, that you're a complete know-all and God's gift to aviation and your every word should be taken as gospel, of course the student will react badly. If you just give advice, or even say, "To keep it simple, do it my way for this lesson, but I fully accept that mine may not be the only way", you might find you get a better response.
I'd now better go out and practice what I preach with the next know-all helicopter student who comes along.
