sausage factories

[newagebird]

hey guys/gals
Ive been trying to understand why companies which train so many students are branded as impersonal. Seriously whats it like at some of the smaller flying schools?
i work at a sausage factory as many people put it..churning out students every year. Was wondering what its like at other flying schools which handle less students. All i wanna know is
how many students do you have as an instructor?
how many hours per month do you fly on average?
how long do you get with each student?

for example i have at least 20 students, 60-70 hrs a month and get an hr and a half for each flight with a student.

cheers newagebird

[newagebird]

sure do..and some fly twice a day!
newagebird

[Capt Mo]

Newagebird,

Ok, so, an hour and a half per student per flight.

If you have an hours lesson, does this include the time it takes for the student to walk to the plane, preflight, refuel and walk back from the plane? Does it include a pre flight briefing and post flight briefing? Are these slots booked back to back?
do you brief your own students or do they arrive to fly with you expected to know everything? Do you take the time to sit down with students who struggle over a concept?

I have worked at both a sausage factory and smaller school, and while I have always tried my best at the sausage factory, the number of students allocated and the time slots given did not allow me to give as much attention as I would have liked. At the smaller schools, I usually had about 10 students, who I booked myself gave alot of time to and would allow myself to be booked for solo checks etc for other instructors students.

At the sausage factory - 17 students allocated, booked pretty much back to back (combination of GFPT, PPL - and at one stage, 2 PPL navs a day)
booked 80 hours a month, flew about 40-50 hours per month when flights were cancelled due to students, aircraft u/s, weather etc.

Smaller school usually less than 10 students (who often came to me from sausage factories), and check flights with other instructors students. Id book at least 2 hours, more if they needed it. would book and fly about 50 hours a month, sometimes less due weather and occasional cancellations.

Thats just my experience, but, regardless of whether at a "sausage factory" or smaller school, its how you do your job and how important you view your role as an instructor, or whether you're just waiting for that next gig to come along.

Mo :ok:

[das Uber Soldat]

I agree with Captn Mo. Regardless of where you are, do the best job you can and remember the student is paying you a huge sum of money to be trained. They can only be as good as you train them and if you don't take your job seriously and view it merely as a transitory path or distracting nuisance to fame and glory in a 747 you should do yourself and the student a favour and quit.

:)

P.S I'm not saying you're doing a bad job, just a rant in general. Thanks.

[newagebird]

das uber soldat
haha no offence taken. Yeh i love my job, but its pretty hard sometimes when im about to bust duty or EOD cuz i cant get a VFR flight done due to all my bookings for the day. I do have the 6 bookings a day and the hr and a half per booking to include a pre-flight inspection, pre flight brief, flight and post flight brief including other issues a student may need to handle. I do take the time with students who struggle to give them a kick up the ar*e but still, always got that feeling of being rushed!
Student prep depends on the student..u could give them heaps of notes but half will never read them or turn up thinking your gunna teach them something new, so that pile of notes doesnt need to be read cuz their instructor will handle it. I only put the question out there to understand the level of teaching at other quieter more personal schools. anyways thanks guys..i can understand now why us factories arent liked out there

cheers newagebird

[seaeagle2323]

newagebird let me guess u work at a school at moorabbin?

[Got the horn]

We have probably around 70ish students. Four A-Cats, 12 B-Cats and 2 C-Cats. I have 7 students, 2 ab-initio, 1 doing CPL x/c's, and 4 ready for Instrument rating training. I do around 40-60 hours a month.