How to give a good discovery flight as a CFI

[xshuttlefa]

Anyone have any guidelines or know of a place I can find guidelines on giving intro or discovery flights as a CFI? I kind of remember my intro ride, but not really.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[nosehair]

"This is The Stick. Pull it back to go up,..push it forward to go down.
These pedals on the floor steer it. Push on the accelerator one to go right, push on the brake one to go left..."

Seriously, it is your time to "hook" the helpless victim. Show him/her a litle basic control and let them "fly" around a bit. The main objective is not to "learn" a specific skill, but to get a "feel" for being in the air hanging on to the flight controls.

Don't overkill with a sudden rush of all the "clocks and watches" on the panel or the demanding skill of altitude control or landing. Make him/her believe he/she can do it. Keep doing this on subsequent lessons until they are "addicted" to flying, then start the hard part.

 

[yaya]

Excellent topic. When I did this, I would make it my job to talk the recipient through as much of the flight as I can, "hands off" as much as possible. From take off to the landing. With experience, you will learn how to do this. Depending on the type of student and your experience, it may be easy, difficult, or impossible. You may be the newest guy/girl on the CFI line and can talk your newbie even through the landing, or you could be the most experienced guy on the block and you can't even get your student to achieve hands on control without freakish emotion... This is up to you to figure out, dear PIC. The fact that you even asked the question, makes me think you care. And this is a pretty important to both your students and your future.... Best of luck.

ps: I have 900 hrs cfi/cfii/mei and now have been 7+yrs at the regionals...

 

[Kaudbron]

I had a tool bag doing 60 deg. turns on one of my first flights, trying to impress me. He called up the FBO and pretended he was an inbound Lear and to get the car ready.... Don't be that guy. I wasn't impressed, atleast he gave me a good example of what not to do with my students. Oh yea and I never went back.

 

[yaya]

I had a tool bag doing 60 deg. turns on one of my first flights, trying to impress me. He called up the FBO and pretended he was an inbound Lear and to get the car ready.... Don't be that guy. I wasn't impressed, atleast he gave me a good example of what not to do with my students. Oh yea and I never went back.

RU serious? what an asp. so you ended up doing what????

 

[Kaudbron]

This was when I was about 12, I didn't really start working on any ratings until I was 18, but I flew about once a year until I really started my training. I told my pops about the experience, who's an armchair pilot and he was pretty pissed, I don't think he ever confronted the guy about it...

 

[VNugget]

While you're chatting the guy before flight, try to find out as much about his background as possible, and then tailor the flight to that. I gave an intro ride to a guy who was comletely at the ground-zero, "this is a stick, this is a rudder" level, and constantly found myself backtracking and simplifying things, even down to the most basic level. But if you talk like that to somene who is already an enthusiast and knows his way an airplane, it would be demeaning.

 

[part61]

this was always fun for me.

I instructed in a city with a VFR corridor thru downtown so i would do the takeoff once we got up i would give them the yoke and explain how to turn to headings. Then vector them around the corridor, point out landmarks, try to find their house if it was nearby and be back at the airport before the hour was up. I'd give them vectors to join the pattern and take over as they turned final. My goal was to let them have as much fun as possible with very little thought required.

The only thing i tought was: Banking, pitch up to climb and airspeed decreases pitch down to descend and u go faster.

I would run radios use rudders and set power, but try to make them feel like they are doing it all alone.

If they were serious about becoming a pilot they always came back to fly with me.

 

[ReportCanoa]

I would run radios use rudders and set power, but try to make them feel like they are doing it all alone

That way, you can get the damn bird in a cross-control stall. That'll keep 'em coming back for long time.

 

[part61]

yep works every time!

 

[pilotpat]

That way, you can get the dang bird in a cross-control stall. That'll keep 'em coming back for long time.

Why flame the guy? So, at speed and altitude if you're inputting a bit of rudder while someone else is turning, you're gonna cross control stall?? You have no idea what you're saying. Let these guys talk about the topic instead of trying to pick apart their ideas on how to get more people interested in aviation, you tool.

BTW, when I did intro flights, it was always more fun than "normal" lessons to me. Having someone come in who had no idea about flying and your job was to get them interested was always a challenge. Obviously, if they came in for the flight, they were already interested, however, a good instructor could shape that into a full time student. As above, the guy showing off with 60 degree banked turns, is the absolute worse thing you can do.

First ~ you have to get the cleanest airplane in the fleet. I had a choice of 152's, 172's, and Katana's. I'd let the prospect take a look at all 3, give them an idea of each capability, and allow them to make the decision. A ton of them went for the Katana simply for its looks, and then they were really sold in the sky with the visibility of the canopy. I'd allow them to ride along on the controls during take off and landing, and like most have said, at altitude let them fly as much as possible. You don't need to do anything "daring". They're flying for possibly the first time....daring enough for them! Be enthusiastic when talking to them. I don't care if they're in their 50's or older, sound like a kid when talking about learning to fly. Chances are, their flying dream began as a kid anyway. Answer every single question you can positively. DO NOT BS. Especially, when they ask about cost. If you have the ability, try to always...always put cost off to the person in charge of the flight school. You are a CFI ~ not a banker. Let someone else deal with the money issues. If they ask how much you paid, give them an idea but always remind them each student is different.

The look of an intro student is usually priceless. We had a camera and would take a pic before take off, and the front desk person would download it and print it out for them to take home at the end of the flight. Treat them well, and you could find another student on your roster very soon.

P.S. I always took the intro flights, because a lot of the other CFI's thought they had too many students and didn't want to be bothered...then at the end of the month, they always wondered why I sat atop the list of flight hours of instruction.