Finally- A Deatiled update!
So like I said in my last post, I am and have been a full time Flight Instructor/Charter Pilot since Aug 2008, and how is it? whats it like? Well I'm gonna tell you! And you are going to listen, well read, since you came here!!! :P
My Flight Instructor training was conducted by one of the best instructor's I have ever met, we spent alot of time taking about teaching methods, how to teach exercises, how to deal with students, etc I spent hours creating lesson plans, notes, studying back on general knowledge and a new area for Instructors- CAR's Licencing and Administration. Finally in Aug, in probley the most 3 stressfull days of my life I completed the requirements for the rating. Sunday I woke up, and didnt sleep except for a 3 hour nap, till Tuesday night. On Monday, I had my written exam with Transport Canada, which went well, and it covered Instructional knowledge, general knowledge, flight test standards, Administration and licencing, PASSED of course, then on Tuesday morning, the local friendly Transport Canada Inspector showed up to give me my checkride. The checkride for a Class 4 flight instructor is rather intresting, it follows the same format as the other checkrides, with a intro, paperwork, brief, preflight, fly, debrief, excpt this time it was mostly ME doing the talking :D, we started off with the paperwork, then talked about teaching concepts, Admin and licencing tasks, then I was given a outline of a student's training background and approprietely select a lesson, brief it, then we would go fly it. I did this, we went flying, I taught the inspector the items in the lesson and he acted like a student, we flew back, I debriefed the inspector as he were a student, then he debriefed me as a Instructor candidate, and told me I had Passed!!! and now was a Class 4 Flight Instructor, then I hopped on the sked to YVR-YQQ-YBL for 7 days off, The checkride went off easily and all that and I was very happy to have it done and looking forward to Instructing.
I solo'd my first student in October, and sent my first two students for Private Pilot flight tests in December, both passed, on the same day, I as the recomending instructor was probley more stressed then the students!
Well the big question is How do i like this intresting job of mine- teaching people how to fly- teaching people to "slip the surly bonds of earth and touch the face of God" as the poem goes. Well, I love it, its somtimes a challenge but very satisfying, It keeps you on your feet, one lesson you can be teaching someone their first or second flight,then the next flight you are doing a lesson with a licenced pilot doing recurrent training, lots of variety, and you get to learn alot about people and how they learn, what teaching method works best for which, etc but when you see that the student has mastered what you have taught them no matter what curve ball you throw at them- that is a very satisfying feeling.
Also during the new year, I became a student again as well! LOL, I completed my Multi-Engine rating, which is alot of fun, and now I am just completing the requirements for my Multi Engine Instrument rating.
As a Flight Instructor, I consider it a great responsibility, People pay alot of money for my services, and not only that, I consider it a requirement to give my 100%to my students because I have to teach them correctly and how to be a safe, competent pilot, so I am constantly keeping my knowledge up to date and expanding my area of knowledge and refining how I teach, etc and I enjoy it, I mean I have not really read many books in the last year that were not aviation related, but its a satisfying feeling to be able to teach and understand a wide area of knowledge, keeping proficent in everything, not because I have to, But i WANT to, because my goal is to be the the most knowledgeable, proficient, safe Flight Instructor I can be.
Everyday seems to be different, one day doing charters, the next I am instructing students and ground school, I like the variety. This summer promises to be a busy one, with lots of instructing, and finally meeting the requirements for what I have been striving for! The upgrade to Class 3 Flight Instructor.
I have had many friends and collagues help me along the way and give me the support I needed and kick in the butt as well, so I would like to thank them, Lil!!, Sar!!!, and the instructor who trained me to be a instructor (HW).
It is a satisfying feeling to know that for the last year I have finally "arrived", I know many people consider the Flight training side of things to be entry level in Aviation, and I enjoy teaching enough that I know I would like to stick around flight training full time till at least I have my Class 2- Flight instructor rating, and then I know once I do decide to move on to the next stage of my career, Medevac flying, that I would still like to Instruct in some sort of capacity on a Part time basis, even if it is just teaching ground school.
So far its been fun, challenging, satisfying, and I love it.
Thats it for now! Thanks for reading! And promise I will update me! lol,
Matt

