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As I write this, I’m sitting in Salt Lake City airport waiting for my flight home.

I just finished three days of training. Day one was recurrent ground and days two and three were the CRJ200 and CRJ700 simulator training.

Day one, the ground portion is always interesting. And I don’t mean that sarcastically. I mean it in a good way. The reason, because I learn something new every time and I re-learn something that I forgot. “

It is also a good time to meet new pilots and flight attendants plus reacquaint yourself with some pilots and flight attendants you may not have seen in awhile.

The airlines are funny that way. You may fly with a pilot or flight attendant but then never see them for several years, much less remember their name.

Anyway, so what are a few of the things that I learned this time around?

Outside the normal airline gossip, I learned that proper rest and proper nutrition are essential to avoiding mishaps. As it turns out, if you are not properly rested, your chances of missing something that leads to an accident goes up considerably as your reaction time goes down. Last year we had discussed this and had separated the words “tired” and “fatigue.” This year the instructors retracted that and said that they were the same. Surprise! Either way, we discussed when it is time to call into crew support and get yourself off the trip because you are a threat to your job and the safety in the airplane. Only you know were you say enough is enough. You can read more about the proposed pilot rest rules that are on the horizon here.

Go read this my last blog entry, that talks about staying healthy on the road. Remember saying healthy is just as important as getting rest.

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Pilots have it tough when it comes to staying healthy and staying fit. OK, yeah, it’s been a tough year physically for me. Since transferring up to Denver, my trips are more efficient which leaves me less time to work out on overnights.

Also, my days tend to be longer which means that I’m usually too (mentally) tired to work out. If I don’t get into the hotel and change into running clothes immediately, I won’t do it.

It’s sad to say but my waist is a little bigger, my pants are little tighter, and my running has seriously dropped off.

Plus, my eating choices have been strained too.

Download the Top 10 Travel Secrets to Lose Fat on the Road

And here is one more lame excuses, I fly into Canada a lot more and so my ability to take health fresh fruits and vegetables are greatly reduced. It seems in Canada, they are more worried about you bringing alcohol and cigarettes in from the states, probably so they can tax you on it, than bringing anything else in.

But when going back to the United States, it’s all about the fruits and meats. Never mind that you may have brought it from the states, you still have to go through Agriculture when you get back. It is always crazy to me because I never know when something is “in season” and when something isn’t, so I’ve had more than one discussion with Agriculture about that banana I’m bring back into the United States and how it is going to bring down civilization as we know it. They don’t know either sometimes.

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Airplane crossing restrictions and speed control aren’t that big of an issue for turbojets if you know how to plan correctly.

In piston-driven airplanes and turbo-prop multi-engine airplanes, though there is the possibility that you could get yourself violated by not making a crossing restriction at a fix, going faster that 250 knots below 10,000 feet MSL, or getting an altitude deviation; the fact is that you have more time because things happen slower.

Mind you, that if you are new to an airplane, it seems that things happen faster because you are new to the airplane and you have a lot to learn. It is like anything new, you can only do one thing at a time until your field of vision opens up and you begin to see the bigger picture.

Think about when you first started flying a Cessna 152. It seemed like a lot of airplane. But then you got use to it and you could focus on other things. But then you got into a Cessna 172. Whoaaaa! The workload just went back up again as you got use to it. A couple hundred hours later and now you are in a multi-engine airplane like a Beechcraft Duchess (my favorite!) or a Piper Seminole and again you are too busy for words.

Eventually you move into a turbo-prop like a EMB-120 Brasilia or Bombardier Q400 or Metroliner and again you are busy. Everything seems to happen faster…and it does, but as you become more familiar with the handling characteristics and when things happen, you gain more mastery of the airplane.

Finally, though you get that jet job flying the Bombardier CRJ200 or the EMB-145. Again you are in the same circumstances as before but flying a jet is a quantum leap. Previously it was just an incremental step but getting into a jet is like two-giant steps, and subsequently it takes a little longer to really get comfortable and open up you field of vision to be able to handle the increased speed and responsibility of flying a jet.

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If you have been in aviation or flying airplanes for a living, you are probably wondering why you are still doing it.

I fly with pilots all the time that have chosen aviation as their second career having left a more profitable career to fly airplanes. I was one of them. (You can read more about it on my About page.)

But the truth is, we pilots are in it to stay. So how do you get through the dips in your aviation career?

First, I remember when I left my lucrative programming job to become a pilot. At the time aviation was still flourishing. The major airlines were hiring, the age-60 rule was still in effect, regional airlines were where you got your turbine time and moved on (not a career), and it was before 9/11.

My friends and colleagues were impressed that I was pursuing my flying dream and in fact most were envious. I was following my dream.

Now it is 10 years later and I’m still at it. I’ve lived through a furlough, a serious downturn in the economy that caused me to rethink my money habits, health issues, and the stresses of being on the road while my family stays home.

So how did I make it and why am I still here?

For starters, not for a single moment did I have any doubts about my success. I knew the aviation life-style would be difficult and not always perfect but I always believed that I could get through anything.

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Recently I was talking with someone who was about to begin their training to become a certificated flight instructor or CFI.  He was looking for guidance on what to expect. It sounded like he had a good grasp on the training and what is was going to be required but I pointed out the things that would probably be less obvious.

Basically, I found that I really didn’t know flying until I became a CFI. (Oh, I’m still learning, too.)

I found the most useful technique about teaching students to fly is that you have to adjust for their way of learning. Don’t try to mold them into how you learn because everyone learns differently.

If the student isn’t understanding some bit of knowledge that you are trying to impart, then try saying it a different way. Or pull another instructor into the conversation or even another student. We all see things differently.

Always do a pre-brief and a post-brief. Always! Schedule your lesson so that you have enough time to do both. If you don’t, your student is probably missing out on the two most important training tools available.

Keep the documentation accurate and timely.

Get their next lesson on the books. Remind them that if they aren’t keeping their lessons close together they will be losing money and wasting their time.

Keep your flying skills sharp. You have to be able to perform the maneuvers accurately even while you are explaining it. If you make a mistake in the maneuver, acknowledge it and learn. Occasionally, I would rent an airplane and just go practice maneuvers by myself.

Have a copy of the Private Pilot PTS and the CFI PTS handy at all times. They will tell you everything you need to know about what is required on the oral and practical test, plus it will tell you everything you need to teach your future students. You will know more about your maneuvers and will be able to perform them with great skill by the time you are done. Plus by knowing the PTS, you are speaking from a level of authority and professionalism, both of which the student is hiring you for.

As for the book skills, there is no way around it. Always have the most up-to-date FAR/AIM with you and as time goes on you will know the FAR/AIM better than you ever have. But don’t be a “know-it-all.” Nobody likes “know-it-alls.” Be willing to learn with your student and others around you and you will find that you, as a flight instructor, will learn more faster than you ever imagined.

Finally, during your student’s oral, ask the Designated Examiner (DE)  if you can sit in the back of the room during the oral. Have a notebook out and take notes. You will learn a thing or two, but more importantly you will be learning where you are falling short on your flight instruction. Then after the practical checkride is over and the thrill has subsided, debrief your student, who is know a pilot, and ask them what the DE covered, how they did on their maneuvers, etc., and take those lessons learned to your next student.

To Your Flight Instructing Success,

Jeff

P.S. Some books you might want to buy:

I referenced “The Flight Instructor’s Manual” often.
This is an awesome book: The Savvy Flight Instructor