Unprepared students

[shdw]

Having a reputation as a demanding instructor is IMO a good thing.

I have to agree with Big Pistons, to be successful and really teach your students you have to be demanding. I personally have a ground school developed with a flight syllabus that is basically a method of tracking progress (the Jeppson syllabus spread out a little more). If they don't do their homework I will give them a pass pending the circumstances, but if they do it often I sit with them and we brief and fly for maybe 30 minutes. Do that a couple times and they either a, won't come back which is good cause they would be a dangerous pilot if you held their hand till they got the ticket or b, study up and be a great student. I find more often than not they go to b and I work at a small (under 10 CFIs) school.

Remember holding someone’s hand through the course can often put an unsafe pilot on your ticket. Make people do the required work; both ground and flight, to be well rounded good pilots.

Enjoy it

~Brian