"The Talk"

[LJS1993]

This is for you guys who are CFI's. Have you ever had a student who you simply had to have "the talk" with? By that I mean you just had to break it to them that perhaps being a pilot wasn't really for them? Have you ever had a person who just didn't have what it took to safely pilot an aircraft?

 

[GauzeGuy]

http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59485

 

[DavidWhite]

To be completely honest, I've never been a good student. I'm incredibly critical of myself, and get flustered quite easily. It's a miracle none of my instructors fired me.

 

[Ted]

It's fairly rare that you come across someone who truly can't operate a plane to some degree with some level of safety. However, I have come across a few people who I felt were accidents waiting to happen. Depending on the person, I addressed this in one of a few ways:

1) Sat them down to discuss the issues and why it was important that they change, referencing NTSB reports, etc.
2) Casually discussed how others have died doing exactly that
3) Told them "Find another instructor."

Some people just want to be NTSB reports and I don't think can be fixed. Others are truly ignorant of why what they're doing is dangerous. And then you've got the people that won't listen, and you just hope will scare themselves straight before they bend the plane.

 

[asechrest]

Of the CFIs who've had to tell students it wasn't in the cards, I wonder what percentage of those were attitude issues vs. a true lack of ability?

 

[EppyGA]

Of the CFIs who've had to tell students it wasn't in the cards, I wonder what percentage of those were attitude issues vs. a true lack of ability?

Not sure, but Pfleming's CFI never sat down with him

 

[Henning]

Of the CFIs who've had to tell students it wasn't in the cards, I wonder what percentage of those were attitude issues vs. a true lack of ability?

Then you also have to ask if the lack of ability is due to attitude.

 

[jnmeade]

They all drove to the airport. They could all fly an airplane given enough practice. A couple took more flight training than most. One had a lack of appreciation for risk and consequences. I didn't have to "fire" any but that doesn't mean I thought all "should" fly.

 

[Jeanie]

I had a long talk with one and he was relieved that I did. Sort of got him off the hook for feeling he should keep trying. He just called me yesterday saying he thinks he's ready to focus and spend the time and energy now on it. I said great, take your written and we'll start back.
He's a very busy dentist who travels to the coast nearly every weekend to go fishing and was only flying once every few weeks.....

Other than that nope they all keep at it and so do I ...

 

[ChrisK]

To be completely honest, I've never been a good student. I'm incredibly critical of myself, and get flustered quite easily. It's a miracle none of my instructors fired me.

I was recommended for my IR checkride after last night's flight. Now granted my primary instructor is generally flattering; however, it seems that when I'm signed off for a checkride my instructor says things like "well, I guess this is the best we can get you" or "hm, go see what you fail so we can work on that". I'm starting to think that they're just grumpy, but man, it is rough on the pride! =)

 

[Dr. O]

I was asked to sit in on a 'get acquainted' ride where an older student with 106 hours had not yet been signed off for solo flight and thought he was being robbed so he was shopping for a new instructor. So I was in the back seat of the 172.

He taxied fine, managed the take off (a bit abrupt on the rotation), and flew the airplane reasonably (noticeable wandering of heading and altitude) Stalls and turns about a point were bad. Flying under the hood lasted about ten seconds and we were starting into the old death spiral, When the CFI told him "take us back to the airport" he could not find it until pointed out to him, then he proceeded to blast across a busy pattern (at pattern altitude) cutting off two planes, made radio announcements of position that were totally wrong, and landed on the cross wind runway (much chirping, hopping, and shuddering from an unhappy airplane).
The CFI told him there was nothing he could do the help him.