A CFI is a service provider. We charge the customer a specified dollar amount for instruction. If the service is good, customers come back. If the service is lacking, customers tend to go elsewhere. And as service providers we win or lose based on the quality and timeliness of the service we provide.
Opinion
Human Factors: No gentleman
In a strange case of life imitating art, an Oregon pilot crashes into the ocean after learning he has Stage 4 cancer. Can we learn anything from this crash?
What is causing that popping noise in my engine?
Question for Paul McBride, General Aviation News’ engines expert: I’ve noticed that if I reduce the throttle quickly I get a popping noise from the exhaust for a few seconds that then quits. A slow reduction in power to idle doesn’t cause it.
World’s oldest Liberator is the CAF’s crown jewel
The Commemorative Air Force’s B-24 Diamond Lil has been flying more than 80 years. More than a half-century of that time has been under CAF stewardship. Lil has never looked better.
Fear not the feds
It is a head-scratcher for me to understand why so many of us are afraid to seek real help from the folks who have the greatest control over our future as active participants in the industry: The FAA. With air show season underway, FAA personnel are at the biggest shows ready to lend a hand, solve problems, and keep you flying.
One Pilot’s View: The fear of NOT flying
There will come a time in my life when I must quit flying. This is the big creeping dread that hangs around in the back of my mind. It scares me.
Questions from the Cockpit: ADM for Dummies
The dad of an airline-bound student pilot writes: I know I probably shouldn’t, but I find myself reading about pretty much every small airplane crash online, and much of the time I find myself shaking my head and asking myself, “What was the pilot thinking?” So that’s my question: Don’t they teach pilots to think in flight school? Or is it all just about how to operate the controls?
How did I get here?
When I was 15 years old I had a plan for where my life would take me. It was a very specific plan, one that I followed for many years with great diligence. Then, I took a turn in an unexpected direction. That new road led me here. To where I am now. To a whole new place where I feel comfortable and content.
Hamilton Metalplane’s pedigree
There’s a reason the Hamilton Metalplane reminds you of a Ford Trimotor. The original Ford 3-AT Trimotor, as well as the Hamilton aircraft, were worked on by a young aircraft designer named James McDonnell — yes, that James McDonnell.