The right way to fire your CFI

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hyphen81

Pre-takeoff checklist
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hyphen81
What's the right way to switch instructors? I feel like I should at least talk to the guy on the phone, but I called yesterday morning, no answer, left a voicemail. No return call. Called again today, went straight to voicemail. At what point can I just send him an email and be done with it? Why does it feel like breaking it off with a girl rather than just switching to a different business...am I making it more complicated than it needs to be in an effort to do the "right" thing? what is the right thing in this situation? does it even matter?

:dunno:
 
Just don't schedule another lesson with him. You've made your attempts to reach him.
 
You don't give enough information about your current on-going relationship with your CFI. Is there one? ...or is it "just a business"?
Was there an implied commitment that he/she would be available yesterday and today?
Where are you in training, and what are your options? Do you wanna switch anyway?
 
Does not matter. If he eventually asks why you switched just tell him that you need
an instructor that has more availability. If he has half a brain he will get the message.
 
nosehair said:
You don't give enough information about your current on-going relationship with your CFI. Is there one? ...or is it "just a business"?
Was there an implied commitment that he/she would be available yesterday and today?
Where are you in training, and what are your options? Do you wanna switch anyway?
Click to expand...

I've been training with him since May. We don't have any sort of friendship or rapport outside of the CFI/student relationship. I recently posted about the situation here: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74101

There was no implied commitment that he would be available, but he's retired and has placed no boundaries on when I should or shouldn't call him. We text mostly, but talk on the phone periodically.

I'm training out of KMQY right now, but got a recommendation for an independent CFI out of KJWN, so I might go that route. There are other instructors out of my current school that I could go with too, so I've definitely got options, I just want to make sure its the right fit.
 
Sounds as though he may have fired you, but he should at least man up and tell you.

That being said, I would just find another instructor, you've already tried to call him many times...
 
VictorValencia said:
Does not matter. If he eventually asks why you switched just tell him that you need
an instructor that has more availability. If he has half a brain he will get the message.
Click to expand...

He does do a lot of ferrying so he's gone a lot for weeks on end. I'd say since May he's been on 4 or 5 different ferrying trips or vacations of different lengths. He's leaving for iceland in a couple days for another ferrying gig. The availability is a legitimate issue, aside from other legitimate issues I've previously posted about.
 
PaulS said:
Sounds as though he may have fired you, but he should at least man up and tell you.
Click to expand...

and that's fine if he did, I think we probably both know it wasn't working out too well, especially after the last flight which I've posted about previously.
 
hyphen81 said:
and that's fine if he did, I think we probably both know it wasn't working out too well, especially after the last flight which I've posted about previously.
Click to expand...

I edited while you were posting this, I would just call another instructor and not worry about this guy why aggravate yourself trying to get through to him.
 
You are making this vastly more complicated that it is.

Leave a two word message on the machine "changing instructors", nothing more, and just schedule with the new guy and don't worry about.
 
hyphen81 said:
What's the right way to switch instructors? I feel like I should at least talk to the guy on the phone, but I called yesterday morning, no answer, left a voicemail. No return call. Called again today, went straight to voicemail. At what point can I just send him an email and be done with it? Why does it feel like breaking it off with a girl rather than just switching to a different business...am I making it more complicated than it needs to be in an effort to do the "right" thing? what is the right thing in this situation? does it even matter?

:dunno:
Click to expand...
Left two or more message and he hasn't returned the calls? Not good business practice.
 
VictorValencia said:
Does not matter. If he eventually asks why you switched just tell him that you need
an instructor that has more availability. If he has half a brain he will get the message.
Click to expand...
Based on everything else, this is the most practical reason, no other explanation. No need to go into any other issues, not your problem. It's keeping you from progressing.

Go find another CFI. Now.
 
murphey said:
Based on everything else, this is the most practical reason, no other explanation. No need to go into any other issues, not your problem. It's keeping you from progressing.

Go find another CFI. Now.
Click to expand...

This was all relayed to him on this post, his lost on planning post as well as his followup to lost on planning post. So he's either really indecisive, is looking for a certain answer or just wants to make posts on the forum.
 
OkieAviator said:
This was all relayed to him on this post, his lost on planning post as well as his followup to lost on planning post. So he's either really indecisive, is looking for a certain answer or just wants to make posts on the forum.
Click to expand...

Actually I made the decision after the last post, this post is more about how to handle it correctly. I apologize if my excessive posting is getting on your nerves. I must have mistaken this for a forum..
 
You made the attempt to contact him. His cellphone will let him know you've tried to reach him. Move on.
 
hyphen81 said:
I apologize if my excessive posting is getting on your nerves. I must have mistaken this for a forum..
Click to expand...

Doesn't bother me. Just not sure what answer you're looking for.
 
hyphen81 said:
What's the right way to switch instructors? I feel like I should at least talk to the guy on the phone, but I called yesterday morning, no answer, left a voicemail. No return call. Called again today, went straight to voicemail. At what point can I just send him an email and be done with it? Why does it feel like breaking it off with a girl rather than just switching to a different business...am I making it more complicated than it needs to be in an effort to do the "right" thing? what is the right thing in this situation? does it even matter?

:dunno:
Click to expand...

If you don't like to give feedback or confrontation...then just move on. Each time you go up with a CFI its an appointment. Just don't make another one with the guy you want to change.

Or, if you want to take a chance tell the guy you are not progressing the way you would like and want to switch to someone else...
 
Move on ,if he's not returning your calls ,he probably doesn't have the time,you need for adequate instruction.
 
You made two attempts. Send an email, let him know you tried to reach him in person but you've decided to move on.
 
You tried to contact him, if he has not had the common courtesy to return your call, jut move on. He will get the point. You do not need to explin yourself. It's not like you are life log BFF's. It's business.
 
Looks like a Dr. Phil episode to me
 
murphey said:
Left two or more message and he hasn't returned the calls? Not good business practice.
Click to expand...

Well you tried to do the right thing here, I'd say your at the point of shootin him off a email and calling it a shut case IMO
 
hyphen81 said:
He does do a lot of ferrying so he's gone a lot for weeks on end. I'd say since May he's been on 4 or 5 different ferrying trips or vacations of different lengths. He's leaving for iceland in a couple days for another ferrying gig. The availability is a legitimate issue, aside from other legitimate issues I've previously posted about.
Click to expand...
If he's busy a lot, I'd find a different CFI. You want your CFI to be available when you need him.
 
You don't have to do anything, just switch instructors, when he asks why "I could never get hold of you."
 
hyphen81 said:
What's the right way to switch instructors? I feel like I should at least talk to the guy on the phone, but I called yesterday morning, no answer, left a voicemail. No return call. Called again today, went straight to voicemail. At what point can I just send him an email and be done with it? Why does it feel like breaking it off with a girl rather than just switching to a different business...am I making it more complicated than it needs to be in an effort to do the "right" thing? what is the right thing in this situation? does it even matter?

:dunno:
Click to expand...

Since you go by your real name, post on here about all of your CFI's mistakes/flight history in our tiny world of aviation instead of going to him, the school directly or just switching CFI's, I'd say he has bailed out on training you. Some people are not into telling the whole world every little detail of their life.

From your prior thread...

"He seemed very seat-of-your pants in his flight planning."

"but never cracked a POH."

"I'm interested to know if this type of "seat-of-your-pants" planning will suffice with a DPE? My guess is probably not"

"I'm really rusty and immediately start making mistakes, and my CFI is immediately frustrated and is all but yelling at me to keep right rudder in (I know this, but again, I'm rusty.)."

"We fly out a few miles from the airport and we fly through a rain cloud, it was bumpy and I couldn't see anything, but we came out the other side, no biggie."

"At this point I'm a bit stressed from being rusty, getting fussed at, and then doing a horrible job managing"

"I then see te airport before my CFI which he was apparently pleased with. I do a horrible landing and get yelled at again and we take off to head home."

"At this point I'm not sure if this is normal or if I should be questioning putting my life in this CFI's hands, but I'm there regardless. I still don't know if this is a normal thing or if my CFI shouldn't have had us go up after hearing the SIGMET. Either way though, given my rustiness, I don't feel like it was a good day to experience new scary things."

"Anyway, we find a clearing to the airport and head in, they turned the ILS lights on for us, which was helpful. I did another horrible landing (at this point I was so frazzled that I don't know if I could have possibly done a good landing even if I hadn't been rusty) with 3 or 4 bounces, which I got yelled at for again...taxi'd back as the rain started pouring down and the ramp guys picked us up from the hangar and took us back to the FBO. One of the ramp guys asked me what it's like to fly with my CFI kind of insinuating that the general opinion is my CFI is crazy, which didn't make me feel great either. After getting a couple of jokes about my "multiple landings" from the ramp guys, I headed home wondering if I have what it takes to do this..."

"I'm not giving up, and I already scheduled another dual XC flight for next Saturday, but I'm definitely feeling pretty low about my flight training right about now."
 
RV10flyer said:
Since you go by your real name, post on here about all of your CFI's mistakes/flight history in our tiny world of aviation instead of going to him, the school directly or just switching CFI's, I'd say he has bailed out on training you. Some people are not into telling the whole world every little detail of their life.



From your prior thread...



"He seemed very seat-of-your pants in his flight planning."



"but never cracked a POH."



"I'm interested to know if this type of "seat-of-your-pants" planning will suffice with a DPE? My guess is probably not"



"I'm really rusty and immediately start making mistakes, and my CFI is immediately frustrated and is all but yelling at me to keep right rudder in (I know this, but again, I'm rusty.)."



"We fly out a few miles from the airport and we fly through a rain cloud, it was bumpy and I couldn't see anything, but we came out the other side, no biggie."



"At this point I'm a bit stressed from being rusty, getting fussed at, and then doing a horrible job managing"



"I then see te airport before my CFI which he was apparently pleased with. I do a horrible landing and get yelled at again and we take off to head home."



"At this point I'm not sure if this is normal or if I should be questioning putting my life in this CFI's hands, but I'm there regardless. I still don't know if this is a normal thing or if my CFI shouldn't have had us go up after hearing the SIGMET. Either way though, given my rustiness, I don't feel like it was a good day to experience new scary things."



"Anyway, we find a clearing to the airport and head in, they turned the ILS lights on for us, which was helpful. I did another horrible landing (at this point I was so frazzled that I don't know if I could have possibly done a good landing even if I hadn't been rusty) with 3 or 4 bounces, which I got yelled at for again...taxi'd back as the rain started pouring down and the ramp guys picked us up from the hangar and took us back to the FBO. One of the ramp guys asked me what it's like to fly with my CFI kind of insinuating that the general opinion is my CFI is crazy, which didn't make me feel great either. After getting a couple of jokes about my "multiple landings" from the ramp guys, I headed home wondering if I have what it takes to do this..."



"I'm not giving up, and I already scheduled another dual XC flight for next Saturday, but I'm definitely feeling pretty low about my flight training right about now."
Click to expand...


Wow...you went to great lengths to copy every comment I've ever made on here that you apparently don't like...congratulations. Seems like you might need a hobby.

Why does it bother you so much that I post questions on an internet forum to get peoples' opinions who have knowledge on a particular subject? Isn't that the purpose of the forum? Obviously I'm not concerned about my CFI reading this, not that that should be of concern to you anyway.

Geez...You and okieaviator must be on the same menstrual cycle.

The ratio of helpful people to total dicks on this forum is getting out of control.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
hyphen81 said:
The ratio of helpful people to total dicks on this forum is getting out of control.
Click to expand...

That's a common theme with all kinds of forums. I'm on 4x4, motorcycle, boat and all sorts of other forums and it's the same everywhere. Give a group of people a bit of anonymity and they can be complete pricks that they wouldn't be otherwise, myself included.

As for this post I think the only reason for the hostility is that the answer to this specific question was given in your last thread, even though you hadn't asked it yet. Just move on. Stop worrying about this guy and call someone else.
 
Could go to someplace like American Flyers, finish your ticket over the long weekend or whatever and no more need for your first CFI.
We seriously considered doing this.
 
Jon Mason - Good luck in your flight training. Hopefully your 4th CFI will be the perfect match.
 
StinkBug said:
That's a common theme with all kinds of forums. I'm on 4x4, motorcycle, boat and all sorts of other forums and it's the same everywhere. Give a group of people a bit of anonymity and they can be complete pricks that they wouldn't be otherwise, myself included.

As for this post I think the only reason for the hostility is that the answer to this specific question was given in your last thread, even though you hadn't asked it yet. Just move on. Stop worrying about this guy and call someone else.
Click to expand...

100% agree. Not sure what all the fuss is about here. You are paying a lot of money to get your certificate and it's not like it's just walking through the paces and easy living either. You need someone who you click with. When I went into my flight school they tried to just pare me up with whoever was sitting on the couch waiting for someone to stroll in but I made sure that I talked with all of them for a bit before making my decision. I think we all have a 6th sense that tells us pretty quickly whether we are going to jive with someone.

If you don't like the guy or it's not working out and he's already hard to get a hold of - just go find someone else. You can either work with the same school and talk to the head CFI as mentioned or find another school, if that's even possible.

I'm pretty lucky I guess in that I flew with 3 different CFI's during my PPL training that I really got a lot from and could have gone all the way through with any of them. But, I realize that there are some folks out there who demonstrate the ability to attain the CFI rating but from a practical sense don't do well...and not being personable or understanding the human psyche doesn't help either.

Good luck to you man - move on.
 
Just stop scheduling him
 
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