CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 3 - 41

CHIEF'S CORNER
met all the requirements before taking another written exam. One of his
questions during our first meeting was if he needed to redo requirements
that he'd already completed. I assured him that he didn't-all that flight time
still counted-and that I would evaluate him in accordance with the PTS
(yes, it was that long ago!) and we'd polish up anything that needed it. He
seemed relieved by that approach and we started to work on our punch list.
As we went along, he would apologize for taking so long to get this training
done. I assured him that he wasn't in a race with anybody. Ultimately,
despite a short deployment, he completed his training and passed his
checkride on the first attempt. Afterwards he handed me a bottle and with a
warm handshake, smiled and said, " Thank you for sticking with me. " Truly,
it was my pleasure to see him earn his certificate that he'd worked hard at
for more than two decades.
I'VE HAD OTHER LEARNERS WHO'VE EXPERIENCED LEARNING
PLATEAUS AND WONDERED HOW IN THE WORLD THEY WERE EVER
GOING TO GET THROUGH LEARNING A PARTICULAR MANEUVER.
I've had other learners who've experienced learning plateaus and wondered
how in the world they were ever going to get through learning a particular
maneuver or improving their landings or not feeling lost on a cross-country
flight. They would compare themselves to their friends and other learners
who seemed to get " it " right away. My advice to them has been, " Relax, don't
feel you're in a race with anybody else, learn in the way you learn and we'll
work together to make sure you're making good forward progress. Sure,
there's a little bit of pressure from the 24-month expiration clock on the
Airman Knowledge Test Report, but if it comes down to it and you need to
retake the written because it expires, so be it. "
It's never too late to for someone to chase their dream of flying or to help
somebody make that dream come true as was the case with one of my
favorite learners.
AS INSTRUCTORS WE HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP OUR
LEARNERS AND CLIENTS THROUGH THEIR VARIOUS CHALLENGES
DURING THEIR TRAINING SO THAT THEY CAN REALIZE THEIR
DREAMS OF FLIGHT.
Joyce was a grandmother and a widow. She had wanted to learn to fly
most of her adult life but she was busy raising a family and working,
so that dream sat on the sideline until at the age of 73 she decided it was
time to visit the airport and go for a flight. I was privileged to be the guy
who flew with her for her intro flight. It was a lot of fun and she exclaimed
with delight as we took off and she realized that she had actually made
the takeoff. As we turned out over the city of Martinsburg, she let out
another squeal and began pointing out various landmarks that she was
seeing for the first time from the air. She continued to come out for lessons
and although she had a medical issue that would keep her from getting
her medical certificate, she just wanted to learn to fly and see her beloved
community from the air. (In researching whether Joyce could qualify for a
medical, I was able to use my AOPA member benefits and speak with AOPA's
medical certification department to find out the answers.)
Joyce took pictures on every lesson and then would share them with her
friends and family. She'd tell me that they were all so proud of her for doing
this and she had a great time regaling her friends with stories from her
flights. We had some mutual friends in the community, and they would tell
me she would light up when she shared her flying stories with them.
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 3

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