The BEST thing your CFI taught you?

BalooAirService

BalooAirService

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jul 31, 2016
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Cloud Kicker
What's the best thing a CFI/check airmen/military instructor ever taught you?.. question for all. Veterans to the student pilot. From student to ATP level.
IMO there is more bad CFI's than good ones. Not everyone is a born teacher, and not everyone wants to learn how to be a good teacher. But we all know the value of the good CFI who actually cares about your learning and training.
I have a lot of respect for the older CFI's who instruct just cause they want to, they dont need the money or the hours.
The ex-mili, retired airline guys, and Joe USA who just loves to teach. Guys who teach with their hands folded and make you make mistakes. Those CFI's put you at ease IMO.
Same respect goes to the younger CFI's who are regional bound, but actually cares about their students.

Anyway, for me.. it was PPL level and power on stalls (something I had problems with). My CFI really TAUGHT me how to do them and I thought it was something I would never get perfect.

next thing.. is how to land lol, but that doesnt count.
 
I was saying that #2 for me would be learning to land. Im already licensed.
but will do lol.. probably get a bed too.
 
The "Sanity Check". Do your normal preflight and at the end, step back and look at the plane normally for anything you missed. Surprisingly caught a lot in training with it.

I end up doing it automatically when I am marshalling aircraft at work and have ended up catching stuff like pitot covers and bird strikes occasionally.
 
If you're doing an emergency landing at night and you don't like what you see with the landing light, turn it off.

Seriously though:
How to do a good forward slip (remember practicing a lot of those with short approaches)
Crosswind landing techniques
Landings without the airspeed indicator (really helps to understand the sound and feel of the plane on approach)

Bunch of other stuff..it's really hard to single out one thing.
 
Said with a deep voice, Irish accent, slowly, somberly - circa 1977; "Dave, if there is any doubt...there is no doubt."
Thank you, John Plunkett.
 
Best thing he taught me starting out was to ALWAYS use "Student pilot", "new pilot" and/or "unfamiliar" without hesitation with radio calls to ATC until you get the hang of things.

"Unfamiliar" is still a common utterance for me when going into new places or airports. ATC will take a few extra beats to make sure instructions are clear and concise.
 
the importance of a preflight and making sure to not bust TPA and better radio skills besides tips for landings.
 
I once forgot something in the truck and remembered while walking with my instructor towards the plane. I turned back and got it. I ran after getting it to catch up to my instructor. When I caught up to him at the gate he looked at me and said "slow down, you are going flying"
 
My CFI had a Decathlon that he rented to me. I've repeated his wisdom to everyone that will listen. He said, "If you ever have that perfect flight, the one where you couldn't have done anything better, give me back my keys and don't fly my plane anymore." The point being, we're not perfect. You should always come away feeling you could do something better. When I feel myself getting a little cocky sometimes, I feel his finger pecking me on the back of the head...
 
I love this thread.

Mine: "In an engine out, better to roll into the trees at the end of the runway at 40mph, than crash into the tops at the approach end at 100mph."
 
'Takeoffs are optional'.
 
I'd probably go with how to fly a plane...
 
Use the check lists.

Temperatures and pressures in the green at 500 feet above ground level on takeoff.

Flight planning is foreplay that enhances the flying.

Never hurry aviation.

Fly the aircraft all the way to the crash site.

Sacrifice the aircraft to save the people.

Don’t be afraid to declare an emergency.

What is your compelling reason to fly?
 
Man have I got a few:

If approach is windy with tons of shear (as in 25G35), just low approach (if runway is long) ... if you have enough control surface to hold alignment, then land ... if not, go around or fly to another airport with better runway alignment.

We flew for fun several times, one of the flights prior to PPL was learning to fly using the doors and trim only. No yolk until VERY short final. We went to the Class C that same mid afternoon and requested light gun simulation (since we were the only ones out in 100+ temps in a 152):confused:o_O ... tower cab has "sun shades" and all colors looked white. Tower guys hadn't had anyone request light gun simulation, so they asked us to fly closer each circuit, finally ending in REAL close to the tower ... no joy, we about buzzed them and they still looked white.

Emergency training was excellent and paid off on 2-3 events over the past 700 hours
 
Tip the line guys. That way your plane will always be ready and fueled when you are and the other schmucks who don't tip will be waiting
 
That it doesn't matter how experienced I get, I'll always be able to look back a thousand hours and see a lot of progress in myself as a pilot. She hasn't been wrong yet. It serves as a reminder that if I'm not always learning, I'm not doing it right.
 
Art VanDelay said:
How to jip the FBO vending machine.
Click to expand...

Ha!...the other mission critical thing my CFI taught me was to to keep a few bucks in quarters in my flight bag for the FBO vending machines when they are your only option on a XC trip.
 
My CFI taught me to keep my hands clean during the preflight. He noticed I always had oil on my hands after preflighting. He told me to learn to keep my hands clean during the preflight, "you don't want dirty hands when you're greeting passengers!". I still think about that on almost every preflight. If I've got some oil on my hands, I'll get a little 100LL on my rag and clean them up.
 
- These two magic words "student pilot" will get you out of most student pilot trouble.
- Don't argue on frequency, write down their number and call later. Your head (and theirs) will be cooler too.
 
If you want Gatorade with you during the flight... don't buy the lemon-lime flavor.

When applying the memory aid for what to do when you are lost, there are 6-C's, not 5.
 
During initial and final approach when flying IFR... Only make one change at a time to aircraft configuration, be it power, flaps, prop, or gear.

So if you don't get the desired result or the result you get is unwanted, you only have one thing to restore to it's prior state.
 
Never forget your Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses
 
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