Young students

RalphInCA

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RalphInCA
I am a new CFI, about four months. Not a new person about 58.

Just took on a new student who is 16. A young man. Smart, energetic, enthusiastic, wants to be a professional pilot.

Any “special handling” suggestions as I lead him through to his certificates?

I want to keep him motivated, and instill in him and attitude of safety, without scaring him off or burning him out, or having him think aviation is not worth it.
 
16 year olds usually thing they know it all. At some point when he gets too cocky, giving him just enough rope to scare himself is a good thing. A CFI did that to me when I was 17, scared the crap out of me, and taught me a lesson I'll never forget.
 
I am a new CFI, about four months. Not a new person about 58.

Just took on a new student who is 16. A young man. Smart, energetic, enthusiastic, wants to be a professional pilot.

Any “special handling” suggestions as I lead him through to his certificates?

I want to keep him motivated, and instill in him and attitude of safety, without scaring him off or burning him out, or having him think aviation is not worth it.

Depending on how he was raised and the stock he came from, you should be able to treat him like anyone else, if you can’t, he shouldn’t be in the cockpit.
 
Young people are just like older people: all different.

I'm in a very similar boat as you: I got my CFI in August, I am 44, and I currently have two students. One is 18, the other is 21. Both want to be professional pilots. They are as different as night and day! One is a "listener", the other is a "talker".
You can "size up their personality" just like you would with learners of any age.
 
Depending on how he was raised and the stock he came from, you should be able to treat him like anyone else, if you can’t, he shouldn’t be in the cockpit.
This.

Not all teenagers need to be on a leash, so I’d just tailor the lessons based upon their mentality.

FWIW:
I started at 16.
 
Talk to him,find out what he expects from the training. Also ask him what teaching style works best for him.
 
I instruct a lot of teenagers, 14-15-16 yr olds. Every once and a while you need that one on one discussion, how can I trust you with an airplane when you are doing x or y. That usually wakes them up.

It can be fun watching a timid 14 yr old turn into a confident 16 yr old rated pilot.
 
Talk to him,find out what he expects from the training. Also ask him what teaching style works best for him.

Heck, most adults can’t tell me their teaching style

Aside from that aviation does not care, physics don’t care, and 80 or 16 you’ll turn into a gut pile just the same, age is not a factor, I treat them all the same, just as gravity will treat them all the same.
 
Biggest distraction is their cell phones, texting friends and such. If you can momentarily disconnect them from that, so they focus on learning, it's helpful.
 
Make sure he keeps having fun and enjoying flying. I’ve said it other places here as well, but the one of the most helpful things to me in getting my license at 17 was that my instructor kept it fun. When I got stressed, he would back off a bit and take me to a grass field for a few landings. Or he’d ask what I wanted to do. Or he’d take me up in actual IMC (before I finished my private). Or he’d take me up in a different plane. The list goes on.
 
Biggest distraction is their cell phones, texting friends and such. If you can momentarily disconnect them from that, so they focus on learning, it's helpful.

Y’all baby sitters or CFIs, if a student is zoned out in their phone, I charge for full time and tell them to **** off.

This ain’t boutique tennis lessons, if you suck here you die, and my numbers and ink won’t be tied to that.
 
Y’all baby sitters or CFIs, if a student is zoned out in their phone, I charge for full time and tell them to **** off.

This ain’t boutique tennis lessons, if you suck here you die, and my numbers and ink won’t be tied to that.

Today's kids ain't like you were when you were a kid. Get used to it, it aIn't changin'. Maybe one of these days you'll be forced to fly with one professionally, while they sit the right seat. Good luck with charging full rate and telling them to...;)
 
Today's kids ain't like you were when you were a kid. Get used to it, it aIn't changin'. Maybe one of these days you'll be forced to fly with one professionally, while they sit the right seat. Good luck with charging full rate and telling them to...;)

Let me rephrase, I do not care.

You’re up to it and are good to go, or you suck the big one, it’s that simple.
 
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