Flight instructors possess a powerful opportunity to make a tangible difference in someone’s life, very possibly the rest of their life. Whatever a student pilot learns – good or bad – they learn from us. The habits we teach them, not only how they fly but also how they think about flying, will stick with them long after their flying lessons are over too.

Some instructors today seem to believe their job is to log as many hours as they can. Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But instructors also need to remember that learning to fly is a business and students are customers. Those students deserve a solid return on the time and money they invest with us.

An instructor sitting in the right seat whose only goal is building time might keep their job, but they don’t deliver on the unwritten promise between a student and the flight school. In addition to getting a student through their checkride that promise says that when we release a newly licensed pilot into the national airspace system, that person is competent and safe.

Here are a few tips to help anyone navigate the flight training industry.

Enjoy!