As a professional pilot, I spent two years as a flight instructor before making it to the airlines. Across two flight schools in as many states, I was lucky to build valuable experience across seemingly countless scenarios. From the successes I would love to repeat and the mistakes I would rather not, I took innumerable lessons that I applied to future flights as an instructor and now as an airline pilot.
Teaching for so long, and now flying for the airline, I hold valuable knowledge and insight that I earned through hard work. I say this not to brag but rather because I find it critical to acknowledge that this knowledge and experience can play a critical role in guiding younger pilots and instructors starting their careers and facing challenges that are new to them.
Throughout my career, both as a full-time flight instructor and as an airline pilot, I have encountered many professional pilots who have intentionally distanced themselves from general aviation, and particularly flight instruction, since moving on into “better” jobs. Every pilot has their own reason for doing so, all of them valid and worthy of consideration.
I do believe, however, that there is an argument for keeping in touch with general aviation and the flight-instruction branch of the industry in one way or another. Career pilots hold a wealth of knowledge, experience, and skill that can be passed down to new learners as they start their journey at each new stage of flying.
Staying involved with GA and instructing can take different forms. Aside from flight instructing, staying involved with local flying clubs and special-interest groups is a great way to stay involved with the aviation community and constructively share thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Perhaps discussing current events, NTSB accident reports, or debriefing flights together at the local airport can be an effective way to pass on knowledge and offer insights into new approaches to accomplishing tasks.
Some pilots are involved in mentorship organizations that help new pilots pursue careers as professional pilots. This can be an effective way to help new pilots parse their paths, especially for those without family in the industry. Personally, I have found mentorship, both through personal connections and various organizations, to be among the most effective methods of pursuing my career; learning from the real-world experience lived by other aviation professionals goes a long way beyond the hard-and-fast experience minimums and marketing documents found online.
Especially in the post-COVID world, the turnover of qualified flight instructors has kept the flight training industry in a precarious position. This issue, especially felt throughout 2023 and 2024, evolved as an influx of students became instructors; and now, many new CFIs are struggling to differentiate themselves in the industry.
The need for experienced pilots and instructors to share their practical and institutional model is as prevalent as ever in this industry. It is critically important that we support new students and new CFIs to help them progress throughout their careers in safe and thoughtful manners, whether they’re flying for fun or to make a living.
In short, the more experienced a pilot becomes the more critical it is to share the experience with those who come after. At every level, pilots have great opportunity to help the pilots who come after them be safer and more proficient.
There is a limit, of course, to how much we can impart verbally. After teaching for years, I have learned the importance practical experience has on impacting students’ lives. Sometimes, the best way to teach a lesson is to actually get in the airplane and demonstrate, or to let new pilots fly solo and make mistakes within a controlled environment. That does not, of course, preclude the importance of sharing high-quality information beforehand or flying together to demonstrate a topic you have shared. So many pilots, after all, learn better by actually flying.
Ultimately, I find it important to share my experience, skills, and expertise with up-and-coming pilots just as I have learned, and continue to learn, from those more experienced than I am. This experience goes a long way towards helping pilots be as skilled and as prepared as possible. Plus, this mentorship can take on a variety of roles based on the needs and priorities of both the mentors and mentees. Through shared experience, the entire industry can be smarter, safer, and more connected.
