Deciding between instructors

denverpilot said:
There’s a bunch of good instructors at BJC. You’ll be fine either way, but choose the one you think meets your schedule better, if schedule is tight. Consistent flying is important in the primary lessons.

Be prepared to drop the 150/152 and go to something with better HP unless both of you are twigs, if you’re starting now as we head into the hottest part of summer. Two seaters are really marginal here.
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Which is why my cherokee is in the shop for annual and other maintenance during July. I hate little flying greenhouses in the Colorado summer.
 
maj75 said:
Won’t you still have 8800’ of airspace between the 5700’ altitude of the airport and the 14,000’ aircraft ceiling, no matter the density altitude?
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Nope. Welcome to Density Altitude, which is where the engine thinks it is, not the physical location. Example...south of Centennial (KAPA) which is about 50 nm SSE of Jeffco (KBJC), ground is 5800 MSL. At this timestamp (and it's cooler than usual), DA is at 8350. So if I take off from KAPA, head south over the Palmer Divide (7000 MSL but DA right now is 9500 MSL) on my way to Colorado Springs or any place south, I need to be at a minimum of 8000 MSL or DA of 10,500 MSL. The service ceiling on a 1968 150 is 12,500. Now consider two people in the 150, in even warmer weather. You'll probably be at the limit of the service ceiling. And climb rate will be horrible. Assuming you have any climb capability.

For those of you who fly mostly flatland, where 5000 MSL is considered very high for you, come on out here in the summer. Learn about leaning and mixture control (assuming no FADEC or turbo). Enlightening.
 
denverpilot said:
You need a high wing. :p LOL!
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With the knee replacement, high wing is very appealing. I was at FTG last week to check with the shop. With my step stool, I could be up on the wing. I looked into the cabin, and decided I could get into the airplane. But there was no way I could get out without a crane to hoist me out.

Maybe next month. I'm only 5 weeks after surgery.
 
When we bought a 150 to train my wife, insurance was $650/yr. I made a deal with my cfi friend that he could have the keys to the 150 and use it whenever he wanted in exchange for training her for her private. So, the cfi came free for us with that deal.
 
It's not just wx that makes the day unflyable, but mx (or minor accidents) can ground an aircraft and if the school has only one, you're not flying that day (or that week... or 2) :(
I would select the CFI with more planes!
 
I think you are right, he nedds to try both, then choose... (or choose a third one).

write-stuff said:
My suggestion is fly once with both. Select the one that spends the most time, on the ground, teaching you prior to the flight. If one seems more inclined to get quickly into the airplane and does little teaching on the ground, that's probably the one you don't want.

Download the free ebook here:
www.FreeFlyBook.com
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I am a newly minted CFI (two months) and am now teaching two primary students. I received my commercial cert almost 5 years ago. I don't think that experience helped me very much with teaching primary students. Flying IFR and learning to deal with weather and other concerns when traveling does not translate into explaining how angle of attack works, selecting VFR checkpoints, and teaching students to make good turns around a point. I had to re-learn a lot of things I had not thought about in years.

I do think an instructor with that kind of experience (cross country, pro pilot etc...) will be very valuable for someone working on an instrument rating.
 
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