"Trying out" a different insturctor just to see - good idea? Badidea?

GEG wrote:

Hi everyone,

I'm a student with about 10 flights under my belt.
I had an instructor for the first 4 that I really liked.
I departed for a while, then had a new instructor that
I also really like - but for COMPLETELY different reasons,
and I can consider him "acceptable", but not great.
I wish I could combine them both.
I do some teaching at my old University as a guest, and like
to balance the conceptual view, preparation, but also have
students work and struggle just a little bit in order
to make them think through situations and get a better grasp.
(I mean struggle with ground school issues, not while in the air.)
(I like this approach for me, anyway . . . hee hee.)

There are 2 other instructors at my school that I like as people
and as personality, and a friend of mine uses one of those guys.

I'm curious to know if it's a bad idea to "try" another
instructor for a flight, just to see.
Who knows, maybe he's really good.

On the flip side, if it's at the same school, will I create an
adversarial or acrimonious situation by "cheating" on my instructor -
who I'm actually quite fine with?

Thanks!

Gary


Hi Gary,

At 10 hours total I can't imagine many instructors woudl take it amiss if
you were to try several. Especially since you had one and that person
became unavailable. I don't know if it's possible to find one who exactly
fits your learning style, but there's no harm in trying.

I've flown with substitutes when my instructor was unavailable for that day
and it's beneficial. Some of them, I know, I wouldn't mesh well with.
Others would be ok.

Also keep in mind that you are free to suggest ways you more effectively
learn. When I started my IFR work my instructor began by talking about
several different sorts of approaches. I said that I was a sort of "top
down" kind of learner - I like a thumbnail sketch of the whole picture
before we get into details. I asked her if she could first give me the big
picture in brief...from start taxi to takeoff, enroute, to landing. She was
happy to do so. Now I understood how these approaches fit into the scheme
of things.

Best of luck.

--
Saville

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Restoration of my 82 year old Herreshoff S-Boat sailboat:

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