Power Hour Lesson Outlines

Outline:

The mixed bag of good and bad. 

1. You are part of the machine. 

2. Most of your coworkers will have the same goals. 

3. You will receive and deliver standardized instruction. 

4. You will follow a syllabus, and you and your students will be held accountable for staying on track. 

5. If you stay long enough, you may become a check airman, assistant chief, or other positions. 

6. You will most likely wear a uniform. 

7. Students will be typically 18-24 years old. 

8. You will build time quickly. 

9. You won’t have to worry about TSA eligibility for students. 

10. You probably won’t get paid more than $30/hr. 

11. You will have a full, predictable schedule. 

12. Management, the assistant, or the chief pilot can address student problems. 

The day-to-day reality

1. You will work primarily with young, not quite mature, line CFIs. 

2. Things you think a person should know or situations that require different behavior may not always be the best. 

3. You will do the same thing day after day and probably burn out by 1200 hours. It’s like when you have to pee, and the bathroom is far away at first, then it’s more of an issue the closer you get!

4. You will hear people talking about how they are so out of here and then going through a list of who’s hiring, upgrade times, junior bases, etc, all while with a student. 

5. You will hear some of the worst ground instruction and overteaching you’ve ever heard. You will also listen to things misdescribed. 

6. You will hear outbursts that are not appropriate in any other professional environment. 

7. You won’t be making a difference. 

Why this isn’t necessarily bad

1. If you want to work for an airline, you won’t make a difference there either. You are not paid on merit. 

2. Everyone at an airline is always looking for the next upgrade, base, etc. too. 

3. You will get burned out there, too, but you’ll be paid better and have more time off. 

4. You are young, and so are your co-workers.

For the older CFIs

1. You will be the oldest!  You will also be the smartest!

2. You have a chance to work with people that are excited and will put in long hours. 

3. You will be able to carve out a good bitch if you are a 2yr CFI. 

4. You won’t need to market yourself. 

5. You may have a boss that is much younger than you. 

6. You can get a lot of time quickly. Time is clicking. 

7. You will have to bite your tongue on occasion.

8. Your input may only sometimes be welcomed.

9. You can become an assistant, chief, check airman, or land in management quite easily.