So, how does one go about finding a CFI? Well, since I haven't yet found one, I can't say with authority, but here's how it has gone so far.
CFI Search Approach #1 -- Ask the Husband.
Husband flies, Husband trained for IFR here locally - KJGG in Williamsburg, VA. Husband trained with Jamestown Flight School with two instructors who were very different. Jamestown closed, so JGG has no flight school now, although they're putting together a new one called Colonial Flight School. But the fact remains that there is currently no school at JGG.
Back to the point -- he had two instructors. That's a starting point, right? Well, yes and no. One of them flies now out of PHF, which is ~half an hour away when traffic isn't all gummed up on I-64. Husband learned a lot from him, but it seems to me that it would be good to diversify; Husband will be correc... er, helping me and his instructors will manifest through that, I figure. So why not get another batch of tips, techniques, mannerisms, flight preferences, etc. and round out the arsenal?
Before going on, perhaps we should take a look at the criteria. Really, at this point, there is only one: train with my plane. (Oooh, I like the sound of that! Train with my plane!) That, in turn, introduces the next restriction: train out of JGG. This is of course what I'd like to do anyway; it's where the airplane lives but it's also the nearest airport to our house. PHF is next, but it approximately doubles the driving distance.
CFI Search Approach #2 -- Ask other pilots.
We have 1/4 share of a plane so perhaps the other partners have suggestions. Husband asked on my behalf and we got one name -- CFI#1. I called him and talked to him and really liked him. He was really easy to talk to, and when our cell phone connections dropped out he had no problem repeating things for me. He seemed interested in (1) my situation (why learn? what are the goals? schedule? etc) and (2) making sure we fit -- that he could provide what I wanted when I wanted.
The adept reader will be wondering at this point why I'm still looking for a CFI. CFI#1, unfortunately, is based in PHF. It would be possible for him to come up to JGG to train me, at least until I solo'ed and could then fly down to meet him, but the schedule would be harder and wouldn't be so great for him since he schedules his students for back-to-back timeslots; throw a 20-minute drive each way in there and it becomes less ideal.
Ok, so CFI#1 is regrettably on the back-burner. What's next?
CFI Search Approach #3 -- AOPA.org.
I tried two things next. I went to AOPA.org's database of CFIs and it gave me a handful of names and phone numbers. Several turned out to be obsolete (moved, retired, etc). One nice fella (CFI#2) lives in Williamsburg still and would be happy to freelance as my instructor, but the schedule would be pretty screwy since he's an airline pilot based in Chicago. Not quite ideal, but that led to approach #4...
CFI Search Approach #4 -- Ask other CFIs.
CFI#2 offered the name of a gentleman (CFI#3) who flies out of both JGG and PHF. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the chemistry with CFI#3 and he also wouldn't be available in the evenings for lessons, which I'd prefer. He offered another name of someone he believes has been recruited for the forthcoming Colonial Flight School who currently flies out of JGG, so I'll see if I can get in touch with him sometime soon.
CFI Search Approach #5 -- Ask the airport manager.
This is on my to-do list. The airport manager of JGG is the one opening the flight school and we're obviously going to get to know her a little better now that we have a plane based here. She has been out of town recently but next time we see her, I'll ask her about her CFIs and see if it would be kosher to have one start with me before the school officially opens.
If I talk to a few more, tho, and don't feel as good a "click" as I felt with CFI#1, I'll let the gas tank take a hit for a few weeks, swallow the commute, and try to solo as quickly as possible.
Aside from how to find one, there are some things I found out while talking to them.
- Schedule: They all ask how quickly/leisurely do you want to reach your goals? Do you want to fly during the day or at night?
- Syllabus: How they teach. If they're associated with a flight school, they'll have a curriculum and will probably have books or materials for you to acquire.
- Cost: A CFI's time obviously is worth money, so they'll have an instructor rate (CFI#1 is $39, set by the school he's associated with). Additionally, there will be a cost for using their planes ($95 for their (older) 172s, wet rate -- meaning it includes gas and such) or even for using your own ($12 they say for insurance, but that's probably an excuse to just get a few more bucks -- our insurance policy covers them in our plane -- but alas, it's non-negotiable, so there it is).
- Location: For me, obviously, I need to know whether we have the same base of operations or whether they'll come to me, at least to start.
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