Finding a needle in the middle of engine oil, lead build up and gasoline can be a hard and stressful task. Hearing the right words of encouragement and support can change an almost unreachable goal into reality. That’s what it’s like when you find the right instructor.
            The right instructor should not only show signs of knowledge and experience (which are qualities an instructor must have) but he should show a love and passion for flying as well. If you asked an instructor why they are instructing they should not respond with, “I am just trying to build my flight time”. If you run into this, move the fishing pole into another lake.
            According to Rod Machado of AOPA Pilot Magazine, “no single question is going to reveal all the strengths and weaknesses of an individual, but ask a variety of well-targeted questions and you’ll learn a lot about someone” (www.rodmachado.com). He came up with a variety of questions that are targeted to find where the instructor’s passion lies and whether or not they are able to teach well. The questions are as follows:

• How many private pilots have you trained, and how many have passed their check ride on the first attempt?
  
• Tell me about your best and your worst students and why they became the best and worst.
  
• What is the average length of time and how many hours does it take your typical student who trains consistently to obtain a certificate?

One of the most important questions is:

• How much ground instruction do you do on every lesson?

            As the instructor answers these questions pay attention to how they answer them and listen for key words such as: I love, is exciting, passion, fun etc… If high altitude is what you want, then the attitude must be low. Attitude is one of the six main personality traits you should find in your instructor:

• Attitude
• Knowledge
• Interpersonal Skills
• Confidence
• Patience

            Remember, find an instructor that you feel will give you the best training possible so that when you are a Private Pilot, you will be able to fly high in confidence.