How do I find an instructor?

[Chris_F]

My birthday is coming up and I was thinking of unique gifts to ask for.  My wife has a hard time shopping for me since it seems I already have everything.  So I was thinking I'd like to ask for flying lessons.  The one problem though is I don't have a clue where to start.  The nearest airport to me is MHT, a bit busy for my tastes.  I don't want to be jostling with 737s for runway time on my first ever flight.

ASH is about half an hour away from my home and I'm sure they give lessons there.  There's a college which has a pilot curriculum there (Daniel Webster), but I don't want to go through something that formal.

Basically I want to give flying lessons a try and the furthest I really want to go is to be able to solo.  I don't have a lot of interest in getting a lisence, I'm just doing this for the fun of it.  Couldn't afford to do this on a regular basis anyway.

I think what I'm looking for is an instructor who works on his own, not part of a formal program or school.  I'd like someone I can take lessons from now and then when I have the time/money and not worry about keeping on some sort of timeline or working to some sylabus.  How do I find something like this?

[Mobius]

I'd say if you're willing to drive to KASH, go there (or the closest airport like it), and talk to the people at the FBO desk.  It looks like they have flight training available at the field, here's a link to the information on GFW Aeroservices, which seems to be the people who give flight training there.http://www.airnav.com/airport/KASH/GFW

You should be able to go there and tell them you want to take an introductory flight, and they'll take you up and you can continue your training if you want, otherwise I'm sure you could just go every now and then and ask to take a ride with an instructor.  They won't pressure you to take lessons, and if you do take lessons, it will be at your own pace, you can choose to get your license in a couple of weeks, or ten years, it's all up to you.

Good luck, and remember to have buckets of fun, and take a camera.

[Brett_Henderson]

If you lived in Central Ohio.. or Upper Michigan.. I'd suggest........

ME !

Seriously though.. KASH looks like a good place to start. It's not a commercial hub, but it does have a control tower. Too many people start at uncontrolled airports and never end up getting 100% comfortable talking to ATC..

www.beapilot.com lists five "flight schools" for Nashua. It won't take you long to find the instructor you're looking for. Just tell'em what you've said here.

[Mobius]

Too many people start at uncontrolled airports and never end up getting 100% comfortable talking to ATC..

Like me.  I'll take a refresher lesson in the next couple of months though, because it's really starting to bug me.  So like Brett said, if you learn at a controlled airport, it's all the better.

[beaky]

1/2 hour  commute for lessons is just about right for a busy adult.
I don't know that area, but if you really want to go with an independent CFI, and just want to get to solo, you might want to consider an uncontrolled field in the area...There's one up at Concord (CON) and   west of you there's Hawthorne-Feather(8B1) near Hillsborough.

It's just less of a hassle at an uncontrolled field, and if you're not going to get your PPL, there's not much reason to fly at a towered field.
And you can do what you want, but I'd advise you to at least consider the Sport or Recreational tickets as a compromise...twenty hours is not as small a commitment as you may think, and rather than do half the PPL then realize you'd really like to go further,  with the Sport you'd be done at 20 hours (minimum), and you'd be all set for fun flying as a real pilot. Might be hard to find an LSA for rent, but I bet you could find or form a partnership.

http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/studen ... age=recpri

I'm curious: if your plan is to follow the PPL curriculum until solo, then what? No mor flying? Flying only with a CFI aboard, or getting a sign-off for solo hops around the pattern? Just wondering. If you have no plan  beyond that, you might want to stop and come up with one, particularly the alternatives described above.
More advice: you can avoid these questions from me, but I guarantee any serious instructor will want answers to the same questions before he or she flies with you, or at least before they sign you off to solo. So do alittle research and think it over.

To find an independent CFI, other than just hanging around airports asking people or putting up flyers (go right ahead- most FBOs have a bulletin board; just don't do it at a flight school ), you might consider getting a membership in EAA and/or AOPA and putting the word out on their forums.


http://www.aopa.org/

http://www.eaa.org/

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

PS- if you have abandoned the idea of getting your PPL (or PSL or RPL) because of time, money, or diffculty, think again... I had the cards stacked against me on all three counts (I had no money, I was working a lot, and was already an "old man" in my 30s and not terribly bright or disciplined to begin with), and I made it regardless.
 It was rough, but I just kept my eyes on the prize. The other thing that motivated me highly was hearing that behind my back, a friend had said "he'll never make it!"

[Brett_Henderson]

It was nearly a flame-war .. but I can't bite my tongue..

I'm all for light, easy to fly, affordable aircraft; but I'm still not for 20 hour pilots.. never will be.

I posted a quote the last time this topic came up; He's a writer for Flying magazine and published aviation author/expert... and my "mentor" (a 20,000+ hour pilot) agrees with him.

"Looking at recent experience with these airplanes, and given the relatively minimum training to be required, it appears that if a lot of people are attracted to light sport flying, we could have an aeronautical slaughter of epic proportions. The only way to avoid that would be with a training program that I don

[Brett_Henderson]

Here's a link to the article...

http://www.flyingmag.com/article.asp?se ... int_page=y

[beaky]

[quote]It was nearly a flame-war .. but I can't bite my tongue..

I'm all for light, easy to fly, affordable aircraft; but I'm still not for 20 hour pilots.. never will be.

I posted a quote the last time this topic came up; He's a writer for Flying magazine and published aviation author/expert... and my "mentor" (a 20,000+ hour pilot) agrees with him.

"Looking at recent experience with these airplanes, and given the relatively minimum training to be required, it appears that if a lot of people are attracted to light sport flying, we could have an aeronautical slaughter of epic proportions. The only way to avoid that would be with a training program that I don

[Brett_Henderson]

You make excellent points, and I agree with all of them. And obviously the powers that be, do too; because this sport pilot thing is happening.

I just never liked the idea. I like the idea of these planes now being produced by major manufacturers; and I REALLY like the idea of getting more people into flying; and making it more affordable for everyone. I just wish there was a way to do it other than cutting back on training that is already inadequate.

The perfect compromise is right there in front of everyone. The rental rates on these planes are going to save quite a bit going in. Another 20 hours of dual time isn't that big a deal. And how many more actual dual hours will it end up being ? These aren't endeavors to be penny-pinching. I would HOPE the average sport pilot is going to have WAY more than the 20 hours under his belt before taking a passenger up anyway (though to me, therein lies part of the problem.. by definition these people are trying to short-cut their way into the air).. meaning it's really just a handful of instructor hours, as he'd be flying the plane anyway; getting confident in his experience level, pre-passenger flights.

It's not only a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.. It creates potential problems (not to mention another layer of paperwork for the FAA to wallow in).

I'm not going to argue or debate it, because I've already lost the argument. I just feel compelled to say something when it's brought up.

[Chris_F]

Regarding why I'm only interested in soloing:

I'm trying not to limit myself too much by setting an expectation.  Maybe I'll be happy with one or two lessons, maybe soloing won't satisfy me and I'll keep on going until I get a PPL.  I've been flying MSFS since version 1 came out and would like to experience what real flying is all about.  But I have no idea when I'll be satisfied that I have enough experience, I'm primarily interested in learning, not just doing (and the best way to learn is by doing).

I do think however that I should give a prospective instructor some idea of what I have for goals.  It's hard to express specifically what I'm looking for, which is basically that I want to learn enough to be satsified that I've learned enough.  Where "enough" is is hard to guess, but I'm thinking "enough" is the point at which I can solo.  I'll have a clearer picture when I get to that point.

So when I approach and instructor who asks me what my goals are, I'll say something like "I'm not really sure, I'd like to get to the point where I can solo then decide if a PPL is right for me".  At this point though I'm not going in with the expectation of getting a PPL.

Since my primary goal is learning I don't have a vision of what I want to do with my experience beyond that.  Maybe I'll want to fly regularly but it's more likely I'll just file the experience away in the memory banks.  It's like taking a class in pottery at the local community college: fun to learn how to make pots but I don't intend to sling clay around after I'm done with the class.

As for why I don't want to persue a PPL.  Well, I do have money (I just would rather save than spend), and I could find the time.  But I have a new daughter I can't draw myself away from and too many hobies as it is.  The one hobby I keep up with (cycling) I do so primarily because, unlike my other hobbies, it keeps me healthy.

Thanks for all of the advice so far.  I'll definately keep up with this topic, but right now it's late and time for bed.

[Brett_Henderson]

Oh... And the medical thing really bothers me too. Not because I believe 3rd class medicals really prevent medical related accidents.. But because I believe that there are far too many people who aren't even medically qualified to drive a car. That quick visit  for your 3rd class certificate at least lets an actual doctor LOOK at you before you take to the skies..

This won't be the case, as it looks, for a sport pilot.

[Brett_Henderson]

Hey Chris,

From what you're saying.. I'd definately go at this from the traditional, PPL angle; and definately do it from a controlled airport.

If all you end up getting out of this, is a satisfied curiosity... then a fully-equiped plane (radios, GPS, transponder) complete with getting under the skin of an over-worked tower guy, could be a big, important, memorable part of it all.

As for finding the right instructor (one who's comfy taking on a student with no long-term goal).. being that I've only had one student, I'm not best qualified to help you there. I can tell you this though.. If you presented your situation to me tomorrow.. I'd be thrilled to take you on as a student. It would be tough to customize pre-solo training to fit someone who might  only be looking to solo.. But it would be a learning experience for both of us; which I'd be happy to partake in, with some of our experimenting done pro-bono. We'd both walk away better for it.

[beefhole]

a fully-equiped plane (radios, GPS, transponder) complete with getting under the skin of an over-worked tower guy

That is a VERY important part of flying

[beaky]

Clear enough, Chris... but if you'd really rather "save than spend", you better stay away from airplanes.

[Chris_F]

Clear enough, Chris... but if you'd really rather "save than spend", you better stay away from airplanes.

Yeah, tell me about it.  My other hobby is sports cars...  Thankfully a 75,000 mile Miata has allowed me to partake in the hobby AND not spend too much.  But somehow I doubt there is such a thing as "inexpensive" when it comes to airplanes.

You never know though.  I always wanted to sail (another expensive pastime) and I was able to find a free community boating program near where I work.  So stranger things have happened...