Being a flight instructor sounds like the perfect job. Doing what you want 365 days a year, financially lucrative, emotionally rewarding, and getting paid for taking off and touching down with your students. At least that's how it's often perceived from the outside, but is it really that perfect? Can anything really be that perfect? We'll start by taking a look at the myths vs. the sometimes grim reality flight instructors frequently face.
The Myths
Flight instructors are always in the sky; Flight instructors only teach flying; Flight instructors have a stable, high income; Flight instructors do not have to deal with paperwork or documentation; Flight instructors only deal with advanced students; Flight instructors do not need to stay updated—they know all the latest regulations, certification, maintenance records, so why bother?
The Reality
None of the above—but it's certainly not all doom and gloom!
The title What a Flight Instructor Needs may sound a touch arrogant—after all, who are we to say what a flight instructor actually needs? Well, another thing to add to the "Reality" part is the fact that we are actually a team of aviation experts, and standing tall among us is a team of experienced, actual flight instructors. Not only that, but we also know flight instructors because we have forged extremely close relationships with our partners—among them flight schools and their flight instructors—who regularly give us their insights, demands, and desires as well.
So, let's learn about flight instructors from flight instructors and our 'friends of friends' who are also flight instructors, and find out all those things that make their job challenging, yet ultimately rewarding. Let's find out about all their little headaches, and the 'pill' that can alleviate their pains.
The Pain and The Cure
Instructing isn’t always smooth flying. Click the buttons below to meet four very different instructors, each living their own daily storm—but each with a hopeful path forward. If you're an instructor yourself, some of these stories might hit surprisingly close to home.
Common Problems—And How Best Pilot Solves Them
Those were just a few of the stories we've been told, which led us to seek ways to improve the training experience for instructors, students, Heads of Training—in short, for everyone involved. We've heard tales of many things instructors could live without and developed things they could quite simply not imagine being without ever again. Have a look at some of the other ills and their cures, and you will come to the natural conclusion that these are exactly the things that flight instructors need:
A Better 'New' Reality for Instructors
Now that we've debunked several myths about being a flight instructor, revealing a reality that often seemed challenging, it's clear we can "debunk" that version of reality too! With Best Pilot, the reality of being a flight instructor has transformed for the better and is one where training is optimized, efficient, and rewarding. How have we done that? Throughout the development process, we have prioritized improving the training experience by listening to those directly involved. We've listened to:
We've learned from all of them the little aches, pains, and frustrations that they had been experiencing. Best Pilot was developed to alleviate the pains they faced far too frequently. It has since made the training process smoother, more constructive, and efficient, and minimized the potential for costly mishaps, mistakes, and inefficiencies.
For better training, better efficiency, better pilot training, the answer lies in Best Pilot—the perfect cure for your training ills.