Mentors

tonycondon

tonycondon

Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
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Tony
Was reading a thread over on studentpilot about student pilots having mentors. Of course AOPA has been pushing the Project Pilot thing hot and heavy here lately. Anyone have any experience with it? Some over there had bad experience getting paired up with it.

I didnt have an official mentor when I was training. My CFI wasnt particularly motivational, but i was highly motivated so it didnt bother me. I try to help my students out in that department if they need it. I have been more successful with this on some than others.

My big question is: Any students on the board who need/want a mentor? Really no need to run it through the Project Pilot, but we could.

Nice thing about being a mentor is you are not teaching them how to fly. Just giving a student someone to talk with about training and how they are progressing. Dont need to be anything but a private pilot. I dont plan on doing email ground instruction with any mentee of mine. Thats what their instructor is for and I dont want to confuse them.

So anyway, any students out there need a mentor, im offering. But I dont want more than one or two mentees.
 
I was initially interested in Project Pilot and the mentor program. Then I read through last month's magazine and discovered that I do not have enough money to be a desirable pilot since I don't make at least $100K year, so I figured I'd leave it to the rich folks they apparently feel are worthwhile.
 
Well Joe, lets throw out the Project Pilot thing and just be a mentor. Theres got to be students on POA or at our local airports that could use us.
 
I have signed up as a mentor for three different students. The firs t ime, it was a real help to the student. We talked a lot and I was able to explain things from a different angle than the instructor might have. whenever he was having trouble underestanding something.

For the second student, I was superfluous. He was on top of everything andjust didn't need any help.

I was able to help the third one a lot on understanding written test type stuff but he just doesn't seem to want to solo and get off on his own. He loves to fly and has his own plane and frequently goes flying with other pilots. His instaructor has told him that he is ready to be signed off for solo whenever he wants. I guess if he is enjoying it and getting what he wants, that's OK.

I have talked to more different instructors about being willing to mentor any of their students they thought might benefit from it but I get the impression that they don't like the concept. I haven't heard back from any of them.

There was some kind of rewaard for the mentor when the student got their license. I think it was a gift certificate from Sorty's. Whatever it was, I passed them on to the student and suggested they used the money they saved toeither join EAA or AOPA.

I'm in Russellville, AR and willing to mentor someone nearby.
 
Joe Williams said:
I was initially interested in Project Pilot and the mentor program. Then I read through last month's magazine and discovered that I do not have enough money to be a desirable pilot since I don't make at least $100K year, so I figured I'd leave it to the rich folks they apparently feel are worthwhile.
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One of the TV stations down here does a segment every few days on kids in Big Brothers/Big Sisters that need "bigs". They recently did one on a kid that wants to be a pilot, would love to fly.

If you can find something like that, it might be ideal. No Project Pilot involved.
 
Personally, i have been mentoring pilots for the last 40+ years, i wrote to aopa, told them i felt that their new program was a slap in the face to every pilot that ever mentored a student in the past, and a poor facsimile of a program to attract new people to GA,

We have been facing this problem for years, until the powers that be, dump the high priced ad agencies, stop spending advertising dollars in the industry rags and put it where people with no interest or a passing interest in aviation will see it, we are destined to continue the downhill slide.

We cannot continue preaching to the choir, while our efforts to fill the pews are at best ineffective but mostly non existant.
 
yes we sure are Ron. I was just thinking that if any students on the board wanted a specific mentor, we should make sure they know that we are available, or at least I am, for a few. And that maybe the project pilot thing is not the way to go.
 
I am mentoring my first student. Mostly helping him get through the "frustrating' issues of flight training ie CFIs dropping like flies, what to do when you have 4 wx cancellations in a row. Tell him its normal that one day out of the blue his greaser landings will go to crap and that its just temporary etc. I don't want to give flying advice that may conflict w/ what the CFI is saying. of course I can help with the written stuff.

Tony has a good idea but I also think that there are perks to being a mentor student team over at AOPA I think when the student gets his PPL both he and the mentor get something like a credit toward membership or a Sportys gift certificate. Etc.
 
understand there are perks for the project pilot thing adam, but it seems many have had trouble getting involved there, due to whatever reasons. Not saying we should not use it, but it really isnt necessary.
 
I'm an unofficial mentor for a buddy of mine up in Boston who started his PPl at the same time as me, but has been dealing with a variety of BS from his flight school.

He sure helped me out after 1. my CFI quit 2. a fatal crash killed a friend of mine 3. my flight school went crazy.

It would have been impossible to finish the PPL without a good friend to give a helping hand.

I try to take new people flying as much as possible, they tend to enjoy it as much as me!
 
I'll throw my hat in the ring. If any Az student are looking for a mentor, Id be happy to help any way i can.
 
Oh, and if you want a mentor and live in or near NYC send me a PM.
r
 
I have mentored several students now throught Project Mentor.
It has been real fun!!!!!!!!!
Personally I have only flown with one of person that I mentored and that was after he had his license. There is nothing that says you need to be close by at all.
Most of the time I do it through email and phone, answering those "dumb questions", asking the questions that they need to know etc..

I would encourage anyone to get involved in it, it is very rewarding and helps keep you up on the stuff from when you took your private also.

Mark B
 
Joe Williams said:
I was initially interested in Project Pilot and the mentor program. Then I read through last month's magazine and discovered that I do not have enough money to be a desirable pilot since I don't make at least $100K year, so I figured I'd leave it to the rich folks they apparently feel are worthwhile.
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Ding! Ding! Ding!, we have a winner! I felt the exact same way as you do Joe when I read Boyer's column about mentoring. Basically, Boyer said that people who are not wealthy are uninformed about what it takes, and how much it cost to be a pilot. Apparently, you have to be 49 years old, self employed with children to fit the demographic AOPA is looking for. I understand that AOPA just wants to increase the membership and earn more money from dues.

Just recently, I received a call from AOPA about renewing my membership, I told the caller I wasn't interested. He launched into a speil about how I need AOPA. I again said no. He said if I give him a couple of minutes he could go down a list of benefits that AOPA provided me. I let him talk for five minutes and I again told him no. AOPA wants to tell you how powerful they are, yet they can't get rid of an ADIZ that is killing businesses in the Baltimore-Washington area, but they will take your money for dues and tell you to go look for rich people to mentor.
 
tonycondon said:
Well Joe, lets throw out the Project Pilot thing and just be a mentor. Theres got to be students on POA or at our local airports that could use us.
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There's an idea. I'm willing to yack about flying anytime, with anyone. Which I guess is basically what being a mentor is :)
 
Look who cares if you do it through POA, AOPA, FAA, EAA just do it. I don't think we should knock one mentoring program over another. What matters is that we get folks up in the air period!
 
AdamZ said:
Look who cares if you do it through POA, AOPA, FAA, EAA just do it. I don't think we should knock one mentoring program over another. What matters is that we get folks up in the air period!
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AMEN!
(Or as Picard would say, "Make it so!" Or as the Pharoahs would say, "So let it be written. So let it be done."):yes:
 
tonycondon said:
Anyone have any experience with it? Some over there had bad experience getting paired up with it.
Click to expand...
I was confused because it was my understanding you were supposed to already know your mentor/mentee, but I guess that is not the case . I can see how it would be hard to have much connection with someone who is picked for you randomly.

I did this once a long time ago when a guy I worked with approached me and said, "Hey, lets sign up for this, maybe we can get some cool stuff!" Really he didn't need a mentor since it was his job to fly around in airplanes, a lot of times with me. He probably had more time in the air in small planes than his instructor. :dunno:
 
flyifrvfr said:
Ding! Ding! Ding!, we have a winner! I felt the exact same way as you do Joe when I read Boyer's column about mentoring. Basically, Boyer said that people who are not wealthy are uninformed about what it takes, and how much it cost to be a pilot. Apparently, you have to be 49 years old, self employed with children to fit the demographic AOPA is looking for.
Click to expand...
The interesting thing to me is that if you didn't throw the magazine away after reading the first page, you might have gotten the impression that wealthy people AREN'T the only ones AOPA thinks might be good candidates.

Fly safe!

David
 
Joe Williams said:
I was initially interested in Project Pilot and the mentor program. Then I read through last month's magazine and discovered that I do not have enough money to be a desirable pilot since I don't make at least $100K year, so I figured I'd leave it to the rich folks they apparently feel are worthwhile.
Click to expand...

Joe,

Do you have a link to the article?

John, what's wrong with Project Pilot?

Clueless,
 
Phil Boyer's editorial has come up several times on this and other forums, always negatively and often venomously so. I don't get it. AOPA's conclusion was that the most likely demographic to become pilots was middle aged folks making 100k+ (this does not make one wealthy in 21st Century America). If you're going fishing, you go where you're most likely to catch fish. I fail to understand why anyone would take offense at that.
 
I'd like to read the article. Just because its a demographic dosen't mean its demeaning of exclusionary. Heck if Studies showed that coffee drinkers were ususally 20-25 year old women who Live in the southwest. I wouldn't expect Starbucks to market much to me in South eastern PA
 
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