Looking for a CFIG

Our CFIG has become unavailable and our (small) club near Kansas City is
looking for a CFIG. If anyone knows of one that lives close please send me
an email or post to this group.
Thanks

--
Roger Kelly
to reply replace the IP address above with ceressenior.com

Do you have a Commercial Glider pilot in the club that wants to get his
CFIG?
Perhaps your club could sponsor a week somewhere like Minden, Cal City or
Tehachapi for him to complete the rating. Sort of an indentured servant
thing to the club. Have the writtens complete before he goes.

Just an idea.

BT

"Roger Kelly" ] wrote in message
9.51...
Our CFIG has become unavailable and our (small) club near Kansas City is
looking for a CFIG. If anyone knows of one that lives close please send
me
an email or post to this group.
Thanks

--
Roger Kelly
to reply replace the IP address above with ceressenior.com

Roger Kelly wrote:
Our CFIG has become unavailable and our (small) club near Kansas City is
looking for a CFIG.

Some USA clubs have sponsored potential instructors by paying $500.
towards their Commercial rating, then contributing another $500.
towards the cost of earning their CFI Certificate. Sending them to a
commercial soaring operation for this training may be a very good
investment when considering the future of a soaring club.

But training expense is not always the problem. The instructor
candidate must commit time and effort to earn the CFI Certificate.

Most SSA Commercial soaring operations and some clubs with active
training programs can help pilots reach the COM-Glider / CFIG level,
usually on a one-on-one basis. Your instructor cannot spoon-feed all
the knowledge, but if the applicant arrives having read the recommended
texts, done their homework, passed the "written" tests, they can meet
the challenge and accomplish their goals.

Look for a US soaring site that offers training and practical tests at
www.ssa.org Click on the new interactive map to learn about the
services offered by dozens of capable flight instructors and examiners
across the USA.

Cultivate new instructors. Mentor them. Sponsor them if necessary,
for the future of soaring.

Burt Compton
Master CFI, FAA Designated Examiner
Marfa Gliders, west Texas
www.flygliders.com

wrote in
oups.com:



Roger Kelly wrote:
Our CFIG has become unavailable and our (small) club near Kansas City is
looking for a CFIG.

Some USA clubs have sponsored potential instructors by paying $500.
towards their Commercial rating, then contributing another $500.
towards the cost of earning their CFI Certificate. Sending them to a
commercial soaring operation for this training may be a very good
investment when considering the future of a soaring club.

But training expense is not always the problem. The instructor
candidate must commit time and effort to earn the CFI Certificate.

Most SSA Commercial soaring operations and some clubs with active
training programs can help pilots reach the COM-Glider / CFIG level,
usually on a one-on-one basis. Your instructor cannot spoon-feed all
the knowledge, but if the applicant arrives having read the recommended
texts, done their homework, passed the "written" tests, they can meet
the challenge and accomplish their goals.

Look for a US soaring site that offers training and practical tests at
www.ssa.org Click on the new interactive map to learn about the
services offered by dozens of capable flight instructors and examiners
across the USA.

Cultivate new instructors. Mentor them. Sponsor them if necessary,
for the future of soaring.

Burt Compton
Master CFI, FAA Designated Examiner
Marfa Gliders, west Texas
www.flygliders.com




Thanks for your input. We only have about 10 members - not all active.
Can't afford to sponsor someone. No commercial pilots in the club at this
time, but we're working on that. What we need is a short-term solution.
In the long term you are right that we need to get one or more of our
present members up to CFIG level.

--
Roger Kelly
to reply replace the IP address above with ceressenior.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
Some USA clubs have sponsored potential instructors


Sponsorship is a nice concept, but I doubt that it can significantly help
the underlying issues about the club's needs versus what it is getting in
terms of instructor time. This is not really specific to Kansas City, but
really inherent throughout the soaring community. I don't mean to pick on
them in particular, as I believe this is a much broader issues than that.
Instructors form the backbone of most clubs. As the KC folks are seeing,
it is a bit more difficult to operate a soaring club without an active
instructor. Here in Knoxville, we once had an active club. We even
sponsored the national soaring convention one year. Four ships, and about
30 members. On most any given weekend it was not unusual to see all four
in the air over the city. What we really had was one very active
instructor. Through the usual issues, politics, overwork, and personal
conflict, he eventually left. Now, just very few years later, the club is
gone. Nobody stood up to take his place and voluntarily throw away most of
their free time to be at somebody elses beck and call. Fancy that.

At Chilhowee, about an hour drive south of Knoxville, we have a significant
number of instructors, and commercial pilots studying to be instructors.
It is, in fact, quite pleasant to teach there. The owner/operator, Sarah
Kelly, does a very nice job of making it so.

I think if there is a shortage of CFIG's, there is a reason. I offer the
following:

1) Your instructors should not be the one getting the ships out in the
morning, or putting them away at night.
2) Your instructors should not be continuously running the launch line all
day.
3) Your instructors should not be the ones operating the club, acting as
officers, and otherwise administering mundane duties.
4) Your instructors should not be the ones running down the maintenance on
your aircraft, or even worse, mowing the grass, and painting the hangar.
5) Your instructors should have only one duty, teaching. That's what
they love to do, so let them do it and help to get everything else out of
the way so they can concentrate on that.

It takes far more than money to become an instructor. This is why I feel
that although sponsorship like Burt Compton has identified will probably
create more CFIG's, I don't think it will create more active CFIG's. Too
many sites put demands on their instructors that are beyond what they really
should be asking, and it is no wonder that people get burned out and/or find
something else to do with their time. That is what happened in Knoxville,
and I suspect it isn't the only place.

Regards,



Mark Lenox, CFIG
Chilhowee Gliderport
Benton, TN
www.chilhowee.com

"Mark Lenox" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Some USA clubs have sponsored potential instructors


Sponsorship is a nice concept, but I doubt that it can significantly help
the underlying issues about the club's needs versus what it is getting in
terms of instructor time. This is not really specific to Kansas City,
but
really inherent throughout the soaring community. I don't mean to pick
on
them in particular, as I believe this is a much broader issues than that.
Instructors form the backbone of most clubs. As the KC folks are
seeing,
it is a bit more difficult to operate a soaring club without an active
instructor. Here in Knoxville, we once had an active club. We even
sponsored the national soaring convention one year. Four ships, and
about
30 members. On most any given weekend it was not unusual to see all
four
in the air over the city. What we really had was one very active
instructor. Through the usual issues, politics, overwork, and personal
conflict, he eventually left. Now, just very few years later, the club
is
gone. Nobody stood up to take his place and voluntarily throw away most
of
their free time to be at somebody elses beck and call. Fancy that.

At Chilhowee, about an hour drive south of Knoxville, we have a
significant
number of instructors, and commercial pilots studying to be instructors.
It is, in fact, quite pleasant to teach there. The owner/operator,
Sarah
Kelly, does a very nice job of making it so.

I think if there is a shortage of CFIG's, there is a reason. I offer
the
following:

1) Your instructors should not be the one getting the ships out in the
morning, or putting them away at night.
2) Your instructors should not be continuously running the launch line
all
day.
3) Your instructors should not be the ones operating the club, acting as
officers, and otherwise administering mundane duties.
4) Your instructors should not be the ones running down the maintenance
on
your aircraft, or even worse, mowing the grass, and painting the hangar.
5) Your instructors should have only one duty, teaching. That's what
they love to do, so let them do it and help to get everything else out of
the way so they can concentrate on that.

It takes far more than money to become an instructor. This is why I
feel
that although sponsorship like Burt Compton has identified will probably
create more CFIG's, I don't think it will create more active CFIG's. Too
many sites put demands on their instructors that are beyond what they
really
should be asking, and it is no wonder that people get burned out and/or
find
something else to do with their time. That is what happened in
Knoxville,
and I suspect it isn't the only place.

Regards,



Mark Lenox, CFIG
Chilhowee Gliderport
Benton, TN
www.chilhowee.com



Perfect! Mark, you hit the nail right on the head.

Bill Daniels

My way of doing this has been to teach the FOI and
get potential CFIs to take the Advanced Ground Instructor
license before continuing on to be a CFI.

So far, all of those who have shown the energy and
desire to finish the AGI have all gone on to become
CFIs, and benefitted from giving ground school
in the meantime. All of those who have balked at the

AGI have also not continued with CFI (generally not
because of money or lack of skill, but time constraints).

At least where I live, personal/family time constraints
are more of an issue than lack of money or skill...

Beyond that, some people like to teach, and judge their
success on the progress of their students. If you
find
someone with this attitude, that is a biggie also.

It may be worthwhile to find someone who is already
a
teacher in another field...but good teachers are harder
to find
at the gliderport than good pilots.

Good luck!

At 02:00 03 June 2005, wrote:


Roger Kelly wrote:
Our CFIG has become unavailable and our (small) club
near Kansas City is
looking for a CFIG.

Some USA clubs have sponsored potential instructors
by paying $500.
towards their Commercial rating, then contributing
another $500.
towards the cost of earning their CFI Certificate.
Sending them to a
commercial soaring operation for this training may
be a very good
investment when considering the future of a soaring
club.

But training expense is not always the problem. The
instructor
candidate must commit time and effort to earn the CFI
Certificate.

Most SSA Commercial soaring operations and some clubs
with active
training programs can help pilots reach the COM-Glider
/ CFIG level,
usually on a one-on-one basis. Your instructor cannot
spoon-feed all
the knowledge, but if the applicant arrives having
read the recommended
texts, done their homework, passed the 'written' tests,
they can meet
the challenge and accomplish their goals.

Look for a US soaring site that offers training and
practical tests at
www.ssa.org Click on the new interactive map to
learn about the
services offered by dozens of capable flight instructors
and examiners
across the USA.

Cultivate new instructors. Mentor them. Sponsor them
if necessary,
for the future of soaring.

Burt Compton
Master CFI, FAA Designated Examiner
Marfa Gliders, west Texas
www.flygliders.com


Mark J. Boyd

Also consider looking to the airplane instructors in your area. They
would need to add the Commercial - Glider and then after 15 hours PIC
in gliders, add Glider to their CFI Certificate.

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) publishes a list
of active CFI's at www.nafinet.org
Click on "Find An Instructor" then the state.

The listings include their CFI ratings such as Glider and their
telephone numbers. I looked and found a few glider CFI's in your
state.

Burt Compton, Master NAFI CFI, FAA DPE
Marfa, west Texas
www.flygliders.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
Also consider looking to the airplane instructors in your area. They
would need to add the Commercial - Glider and then after 15 hours PIC
in gliders, add Glider to their CFI Certificate.

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) publishes a list
of active CFI's at www.nafinet.org
Click on "Find An Instructor" then the state.

The listings include their CFI ratings such as Glider and their
telephone numbers. I looked and found a few glider CFI's in your
state.

Burt Compton, Master NAFI CFI, FAA DPE
Marfa, west Texas
www.flygliders.com


Burt, I understand the sentiment, but what we need is more Diamond Badge
pilots as instructors. Many, if not most, power instructors are so steeped
in power flying attitudes that it is hard for them to teach anything beyond
the basics in gliders. We need glider pilots as instructors who may also be
power pilots, not the other way around.

I think there are plenty of good glider instructors and glider pilots who
could easily become instructors if they wished. The problem is what Mark
Lennox stated in his post. Club managements need to stop treating
instructors as hired help or worse, political rivals.

This is the reason that I suggested on this forum last year that club
by-laws be changed to require that all officers and board members be current
glider pilots who would be less likely to feel politically threatened by a
knowledgeable flight instructor.

Bill Daniels

Speaking of Diamond badges, congrats on getting yours, Bill.
Bill H.