Yes, But Do We Teach Them to Fly

[Len Lanetti]

FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WANTED. Teach flight procedures, techniques at Frederick Flight Center, Maryland. Contact Xxx Xxxxxx, XX/(nnn) nnn-nnnn.

The ad above from TaP just struck me as funny....teach them the procedures and techniques but don't let anyone actually fly.

Len

 

[Greebo]

Well...

...it keeps the insurance costs down?

 

[wsuffa]

That close to the ADIZ and Camp David, procedures may be the most impotant thing.

 

[poadeleted20]

I know those folks -- they are a first rate flight school.

 

[spiderweb]

They are very good. I have flown with 3 CFIs from FDK (for checkouts--not ratings).

 

[bbchien]

And I was there last weekend, when I popped out on the approach after having given warning and monitoring CTAF, there was a Cessna not 100 yards from me. They were giving instruction in 800-3.

I commented that there is no way they were legal. They reposnded, "It's perfectly legal, we fly 100 feet below clouds".

That's not first rate in my book. That's last rate, and I told them so in the office. Ron, I'd like to send them the case of the CFIs at Farmingdale, if you still have the decision.

 

[poadeleted20]

Ron, I'd like to send them the case of the CFIs at Farmingdale, if you still have the decision.

As that case didn't get to the NTSB, it is not available on line.

 

[spiderweb]

Bruce, I'm going offline now, but if you know the name of the specific CFI involved, please private message me with the name. I need to get a checkout there, and I want to know whom to avoid. (I won't use the name for reporting or any other purpose.)

And I was there last weekend, when I popped out on the approach after having given warning and monitoring CTAF, there was a Cessna not 100 yards from me. They were giving instruction in 800-3.

I commented that there is no way they were legal. They reposnded, "It's perfectly legal, we fly 100 feet below clouds".

That's not first rate in my book. That's last rate, and I told them so in the office. Ron, I'd like to send them the case of the CFIs at Farmingdale, if you still have the decision.

 

[bbchien]

I deliberately did not request that name. The person at the desk was not the same person but he affirmed "they're OK we we do it all the time!" I was trying to NOT be personal but to be constructive. As they admitted up front to it being 800-3 (which it was) there was no point to being confrontational.

I have no doubt they have good people. But the pressure of flight instruction does lead to creative interpretion of the rules and that's not an individual matter, it's an organizational policy matter. And any organization that behaves thusly is by definition NOT top notch.

I was being observed by a retired FAA inspector- who was my pax from Dayton to FDK for an AOPA meeting at HQ. His eyebrows were up VERY VERY high.

 

[John J]

I have no doubt they have good people. But the pressure of flight instruction does lead to creative interpretion of the rules and that's not an individual matter, it's an organizational policy matter. And any organization that behaves thusly is by definition NOT top notch.


Thank you Bruce for putting it so well. This kind of behavior hurts us all. The Baltimore Sun had an article about 2 months ago about FDK and it's change from a medium sized GA field to a very busy reliever airport for the DCA/BWI area. I stopped flying in there a little over a year ago due a simular situation you described. I was IFR pop eye and broke out with a plane turning base to final 400 yards in front of me. I did a missed approach and went around. to try again. The weather was 900 broken to over cast with 2 miles. I was annoucing all the way in.

The airticle mentioned that a Tower maybe coming in to sort out the traffic.
Sigh.

John J