All of us have to start somewhere. Off airport strips or "backcountry" is the destination.

I have an instructor chosen for PPL- a CFI building time as usual.

How do you guys / gals suggest getting the most out of instruction and learning the most?

Any recommendations? First flight this week with the CFI and could use some advice.

Thanks

Well, i am no backcountry expert. Infact far from it. One huge obvious suggetion would be to find a mountain flying school like the Mcall, Idaho mountain flying school.
Ditch the guy who is as you say "just building time". Get someone who has a vested interest in your learning. Find someone who became a CFi because they enjoy instructing and have a passion for teaching and hopefully are good at it too!

Good Luck!

Find a CFI with some gray hair. Make sure he's really picky. I had one of those. There were times I told him to get out and walk. Yes we were at altitude. However, I think I'm a better pilot than I otherwise would have been. And now, he and I are great friends. I wouldn't change my basic instruction for anything.

My own PP instructor was a brand new CFI, he was motivated & did a good job (I think) guiding me to my PP-ASEL ticket, but was more of an "IFR geek"--not a tailwheel,grass strip, or homebuilt sorta guy at all. There are some older guys around instructing, retired airline or militairy pilots or just long-time CFI's. Some of them are good stick & rudder guys but alot of them are stuck in the past-- they still think VOR's are the hot new item. GPS navigation and LSA/sport pilot?-- forget it! One of them around here doesn't even believe in headsets- "aw, just crank the speaker up". Pretty hard to get comfortable working with ATC while the speaker's blasting and both of ya are yelling & fumbling for the handheld mike.
I wouldn't worry too much about finding a back-country capable instructor for your initial PP training. The goal should be to learn how to handle the airplane in normal situations.. after you get your "license to learn" you can move on to more advanced techniques.
My best advise would be to fly as often as possible- I tried to fly at least 3 times a week, and got my PP ticket in about 3-1/2 months & 55 hours. At the very least, fly once a week-- if you can only fly a couple times a month, you'll spend as much time every lesson relearning stuff as you do learning new stuff. It's awful easy to become a "career student pilot" thataway.
I would also recommend that you try to spend some time just hanging out at the airport, in the airport cafe or the FBO or somebody's hangar, to immerse yourself in the "aviation experience". You'll hear a lot of bullshit among the pearls of wisdom, but even that might at least be entertaining if not educational.
Good luck with it!

Eric

Well, its not a perfect world so you must do with whats available. Most instructors you run in to are of the "building time" type. Some are okay to pretty good, and some not so good. This is very expensive stuff and you dont want to waste your time. A good instructor can make the difference between becoming a safe proficiant pilot, or one that throws the towel in on the whole thing after a series of frustrating lessons. For everyone that has earned their PPL there are probably 10 who started but never completed. A great instructor can make the difference. If at all possible, find one who is a true professional instructor who is doing it for the passion of teaching the craft from the get go, or maybe a semi retired gray head who does it for the love of it. If all you have is time builders, change instructors if you get a sense you are wasting time. And multiple instructors isn't always a bad thing and can be a very good thing. Different perspectives and emphasis. Good luck.

whynotfly wrote:Well, its not a perfect world so you must do with whats available. Most instructors you run in to are of the "building time" type. Some are okay to pretty good, and some not so good. This is very expensive stuff and you dont want to waste your time. A good instructor can make the difference between becoming a safe proficiant pilot, or one that throws the towel in on the whole thing after a series of frustrating lessons. For everyone that has earned their PPL there are probably 10 who started but never completed. A great instructor can make the difference. If at all possible, find one who is a true professional instructor who is doing it for the passion of teaching the craft from the get go, or maybe a semi retired gray head who does it for the love of it. If all you have is time builders, change instructors if you get a sense you are wasting time. And multiple instructors isn't always a bad thing and can be a very good thing. Different perspectives and emphasis. Good luck.

I agree totally. I know of such an instructor here in Anchorage, but he uses the student's bird to teach.....wheels, floats, airbatic, etc. I plan on getting with him some this summer regarding gravel bars in my 182 and a bit of mountain and canyon flying and butt saving tactics. Then we have several schools at PAMR where you will sometimes find the old timer, but most often the newbie time builder. Where are you flying out of AK Dreaming?

Thanks for the help...

I will be flying in the lower 48 at school. Once back home (FAI) plans are to first get tail wheel endorsement continue training and get instrument, and multi and keep training. I would wait for summer at home to get PPL, but I don't know if I'll have as much time. I know more instructors at home and am more familiar with pilots and CFIs in general. I have one lined up for tail wheel endorsement in May.

Why not just get your ppl in a conventional gear bird?

I got my first training in a Cessna 170. I am glad I did, as I learned to use those things that you rest your feet on. My instructor was my partner and also a CFI. I had to fly when he could as he was a farmer also.

Check out studentpilot.com It's dedicated to flight training and has tons of good info about learning to fly.

I second AKGrouch's opinion: learn to fly in a taildragger. I'm a student pilot, (whose Check Ride got scrubbed due to wx here in Susanville yesterday) who soloed in a Citabria GCAA, then moved into the Cessna 170B we bought for the balance of my training. Had a great time with a talented young instructor, who understands tailwheel aircraft, and feel like I'm ahead of the game for my future tricycle exposure. It's got to help make us better with our feet, eh?

Congrats on starting your flying experience. Started mine last year. Have an 80 yrear old inst with a 64 year old plane. Flying a 7AC off a private grass strip. Learn to fly before you learn to operate the fancy gadgets. Tailwheel is the way to go (in my limited opinion).

Forty-some years ago I was a CFI building time. I did the best job that I could and many of my students have flown successfully for many years. Just because your CFI wants to go elsewhere doesn't mean that he/she doesn't care about you and your success. It depends on the individual.

Regards,

Bill

I ended up with 30 something year old guy and am very happy with the instruction. Although he isn't a grey haired pilot, he does have lots of experience in backcountry strips. I have had 6 lessons so far, and it is going great. The weather hasn't always allowed for flights. I am trying to take three lessons a week. Although I am in a 152, I think it is still good. Once I get my PPC, I will take instruction back home in tailwheel. I know everyone says start in a tailwheel, but given the circumstances, I'm doing what I have to get learning!

Thanks for the help! I should be soloing within 2 weeks if everything goes well. Taking off today we had a 15 knot crosswind. I'm glad I have some wind to learn in so I'm not too much of a sunny skies flier. Still working on the crabbing though. By the time we landed it was only 8 knots. I'm getting pretty good with the wind! Seems like it always blows around here.

Learning in tailwheels on grass and in the hills sounds great and everything, but I wouldn't dismiss your basic, C-150 on a long paved runway with a low-time CFI. Ya gotta start somewhere, and that can be a fine base to build from.

When I was a wet-behind-the-ears pilot I had no hesitation about exploring the B/C envelope on my own, albeit cautiously. I would have had a lot of anxiety about going in and out of Anchorage airspace, figuring out my landing configuration at midchannel while watching for FedEx heavys overhead and F-15 flights of two underneath me, and worrying about who was talking to me on the radio. That was a big part of basic PPL training that I would Not have wanted to figure out by trial and error.

I have benefitted from a lot of B/C instruction and right-seat time with more experienced pilots, books and hangar-flying sessions. Heck, even from this site. I would say that that type of follow-up instruction is fairly easy to come by if you seek it out, especially if you are headed to AK. But time with an instructor when tower is transmitting continuously, and the sky is full of traffic, that is time well spent, IMO.

Anyhow, good luck to you- see you in the Great Land by and by.

-DP

Getting your PPL
First read Stick & Rudder, It is not a novel, understand, menially visualize go through the explanation. Reread as required to get the most out of it.
Be prepared; know what you are going to do for the next hr of instruction.
The more you are prepared the more you will learn and the faster it will go.
Save your money have most of it put aside for training. Plane to spend it as fast as you can learn. Try to get your 40 to 50 hr in 6 mo or less. Do not drag it out it will cost more. Hang out at the airport when you can, most pilots love to fly with some one and we all want to see and will help a new guy.
If you can not fly study for your written exam, try to have it passed by your first solo. I have a good way to study for that email for more info. But if you have a desire to get your PPL just do it No excuses. Jump in you will not sink; there is plenty of helping hands and great time that await you.
Good luck, study hard and your about to start smiley a lot more
Dave

I am almost finished (53 hrs). 2 x-countries and some night hours left. I am learning at a VERY crowded, towered airport. UVU flight school has 18-20 planes and they all seem to be in the pattern on some days. Returning from a practice trip and hearing that I am number 5 or 6 is common. Lots of “go-arounds” as my 182 eats those Katanas up. I am making the long drive to this airport specifically to learn in this environment, instead of the non-towered, deserted local airport. I have 3 instructors…none “building time”. My main instructor is middle-aged, ex-aviation instructor at UVU….with airline experience…...talks constantly. My other instructors are older, quieter, pickier with a variety of experience….freight haulers, CAP, glider tows, back country and zillions of hours. None are full time cfi’s. All love to fly and teach others. I couldn’t have a better situation to learn. I fly 4 times/week. Been snowing for a week and inversion fog the week before. Snowed out today also.
Jim

Just thought I'd update. I'm getting ready for my checkride in 2 weeks (as well as final exams)! I think I'm ready for it. It has been fun and the cross country flights were my favorite. I have my cross country flights done so the flights will be review. I am glad I didn't wait until I could train in a tailwheel. It was great to get started!

After my checkride, I am getting my tailwheel endorsement either in a cub or 170. Any reading material I should check out? I have Stick and Rudder.

I enjoyed reading Sparky's "Taildragger operations." It has some good tips to read prior to getting into the plane with an instructor.

ak_dreaming wrote:Just thought I'd update. I'm getting ready for my checkride in 2 weeks .

Congratulations on your progress. I imagine you'll do just fine on the checkride. Pass that and you will join a rather unique group of folks and start on your real learning curve.