On Feb 24, 9:00*am, bildan wrote:

So, how much good are crappy instructors for the sport? *I know of
many 'instructors' whose only interest is "free flying". *A lot of
accidents can be traced back to them.

Well said!

Furthermore, there is an attitude in some clubs around the country
(including my local club) that you cannot give advice or instruction
or peer-reviews unless you are a CFIG. Without that ticket, you are
unqualified to pass along knowledge and even non-CFIGs have taken
steps to stop the transfer of knowledge between private pilots who are
trying to mentor others. I have been fortunate to have a few very
good CFIGs (all of them at commercial outfits, none of them were club
instructors) - but I have also learned a hell of a lot from private
pilots who took me aside and mentored me.

Good (and bad) information can come from any source, no matter their
certificate level or their age or number or hours of experience. As
Pilots-in-command (with our lives and the lives of others in our
hands), we have a duty to find and filter good sources of
information. And while this may seem like common sense to some - when
was the last time you heard a student being told this?

Lastly: The Soaring community talks about *quantity* of training (in
terms of spring checkouts and recurrent training)... But *QUALITY* of
training gets swept under the rug a lot. Good primary training is the
time to instill proper attitudes towards safety and advancement and
all of these other issues - yet I don't think these get taught much,
especially in club environments where training is done by old/
overworked/underprepared instructors.

--Noel
(who's hoping to become a CFIG that does not fall into one of the
categories I just mentioned)