‘Becoming a CFI: A story about the right seat’ published

Aviation educator Radek Wyrzykowski has released his first book, “Becoming a CFI: A story about the right seat.”

Based on the scientific study of student behavior and the author’s 20 years of experience as a certified flight instructor, the book, published by Trafford Publishing, shares practical advice to identify the critical elements in effective aviation education. Wyrzykowski provides insights into the process of flight instruction by blending his personal flying experience based on real-life events with his flight instructor’s experience, as well as his beliefs and philosophy on how he thinks it should be done.

“I believe that the flight instructor certificate is the highest privilege among the brotherhood of pilots,” he says. “We have to prove that we are trustworthy and skilled to provide others with our experience and talent. With the benefit of a flight instructor’s license comes an obligation and responsibility to be the best among the best, to train ourselves continuously and fine-tune our skills, to educate ourselves about new techniques and technologies, and to keep our flying to a higher measure.”

“Becoming a CFI: A story about the right seat,” is written for pilots who already provide flight instruction and would like to take it to the next level, he notes. It is also for those who are in training to be a flight instructor, as well as student pilots who want to see what they should expect from their flight instructor, he adds.

The softcover book is available for $19.99 on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Born in Poland in 1960, Wyrzykowski came to the U.S. as a political refugee. As he attended the higher school of education in Rzeszow in Poland, he became involved in the student independence movement. When the Polish government declared martial law in December 1981, Wyrzykowski was imprisoned in January 1982. He came to the U.S. in 1983. He obtained his professional pilot degree from Mohawk Valley, under the SUNY Albany program, and has more than 6,000 hours’ dual given. He was a chief flight instructor for Horizon Aviation from 2007 to 2009, and a chief flight instructor for Northampton Aeronautics from 2005 to 2007. He is a certified flight instructor and instrument and multiengine instructor. He is the founder of IMC Club International and served as the president of that organization until 2015 when the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) acquired the program. He now serves as a manager of Flight Proficiency at the EAA.