The Reach of Those Who Teach
A couple of years ago, I was enjoying a quiet evening at
home after a long weekend of teaching at a clinic hosted by one of the national
training providers for owners of Beechcraft Bonanzas. As usual, the clientele
included a mix of pilots with varied experience levels from folks who had just
purchased their first Bonanza to others who had been flying the same model for
many years. Everyone hoped to pick up a few new nuggets of knowledge while
polishing their skills by flying with our skilled cadre of instructors who
specialize in sharing the nuances of all things Beech. The various “type
groups” that support specific aircraft breeds perform a valuable role by
providing specific training and resources for owners and operators that are usually
not available from a local CFI.
As I watched the last embers fading from the warm fire
beside my chair, contemplating trundling off to bed, my cell phone rang.
“Hi Ken, It’s Rob. We flew together last Saturday in my
Bonanza. I’m sorry to call you so late, but I needed to let you know what
happened earlier today.” Now, fully awake and wondering what was up, I assured
Rob that there was no problem with the call. Rob’s voice conveyed a definite
sense of stress and anxiety so I wondered what could have caused him to contact
me. He was clearly emotional and seemed upset about something.
One aspect of our Beechcraft training syllabus includes the simulation
of various emergencies along with an opportunity to practice the proper
response under controlled conditions. This always includes several varieties of
engine failure scenarios from both high and low altitudes. Rob and I had
faithfully practiced all of these until he could reliably perform the maneuver
successfully. The Bonanza, being aerodynamically quite “clean”, loses altitude
rapidly when power is lost so learning the proper sight picture and managing
the glidepath and energy correctly takes proper training and repetition. It is not
something that most pilots practice regularly, nor should they without an
experienced instructor on board. Rob completed this part of the training
successfully and we moved on to the other tasks on our list. By the end of the
afternoon, Rob had finished everything on the list, and I was very happy with
his performance, so I endorsed his logbook for the Flight Review and the
Instrument Proficiency Check. Given how well he had done, I was curious about
the reason for his call.
More recently, I spent a few hours visiting with a young
pilot who was working on his Flight Instructor Certificate and who asked for
some advice. Dominic was not sure he wanted to follow the well-worn track to an
airline job and wondered if flight instruction offered an alternative. “I know
the money’s better working for an airline, but I believe I would be happier
teaching people to fly.” He wondered about the challenges and rewards of
pursuing a career in aviation education, so he came looking for some perspective.
We talked about the teachers he had interacted with during his educational
journey, discussing the attributes exhibited by those who had crossed his path.
Terms like “caring”, “invested”, “knowledgeable”, “positive” were written on
the whiteboard as we talked. I shared insights learned over the many years and
thousands of students who have shared a classroom and cockpit with me. I
confirmed Dom’s speculation that it was difficult to earn a reasonable income,
particularly early on when lack of experience combined with a pool full of
wanna-be airline pilots chasing the dream by serving their apprenticeships as
newly minted CFIs made finding a job difficult in many instances. However, I
also explained that once dues had been paid through effort, perseverance and
humility, he would find that students would begin to seek him out as his skills
and abilities became known. “The fact is, good instructors are in short supply
and the great ones are in demand.” I explained. Pausing for a moment,
remembering something I wanted to share with Dom, I continued. “Helping people
achieve a life-long dream of learning to fly is hugely rewarding despite the
modest financial benefits. You are giving them the tools needed to do something
so few ever get to experience.” I explained. “If you stay with it, years from
now, you will hear from some of your former students who will remember your
time together very fondly. Now you may not always remember them, but they will
certainly recall the time you spent with them. Many will go on to have
wonderful aviation careers that began with the basic skills you taught
them.” “But I hope you appreciate that
your role comes with an immense responsibility to get it right because people’s
lives are at stake.” Dominic thought about this for a moment and added
“Teachers and coaches often mention that they “change lives”, and we have all
seen examples where that’s true. So that must be part of the equation.” “Of course,” I agreed, but there is another,
larger, far more important element that lies at the heart of this. Otherwise,
spending endless hours grinding around the pattern on a hot Texas afternoon in
a cramped cockpit with a sweaty student struggling to learn to land, will
quickly demoralize most instructors.” I explained.
As we continued our conversation, my mind flashed back to Rob’s
phone call where he continued. “I just wanted to call to thank you for the
training last weekend. As it turns out, you probably saved my life.” At this
point, Rob choked up a bit and paused to collect himself before continuing. “On
the way back home in my Bonanza, I was in cruise at 9500 feet when I noticed a
slight “miss” in the big Continental. I quickly scanned the engine instruments
and noticed a fluctuation in the oil pressure reading. Within a minute, the
roughness increased dramatically, oil sprayed onto the windshield and the
engine lost almost all power. I hit the “nearest” button on my GPS and found a
nearby airport, declared an emergency, spiraled down over the runway and landed
without power. It wasn’t my best landing, but I was down and safe.” Once again,
he had to stop for a moment before continuing. “I just had to let you know
that, had we not practiced the “engine out” procedures, I’m pretty sure the
ending would have been far worse.” We talked about his experience for a while
longer before hanging up. Rob admitted to being scared but somehow, he was able
to focus on what needed to be done during the forced landing, however, he said
after the dust settled, he was an emotional wreck. “I really lost it when I got
home to my family. I just needed to share with someone who could understand.”
As I reflected on Rob’s story, I felt immense joy and relief that he had done
so well, and I appreciated his sharing how much he valued the training I had
offered.
So, it was Rob’s experience that was on my mind as I
continued visiting with Dominic about the challenges and rewards of being an
aviation educator. “Once in a great while, if you do this long enough, some
long-forgotten student will call to share a story in which they heard the echo
of your voice coaching them through their fear and the danger of some awful
aviation event to a safe homecoming. Your effort, your diligence and your
teaching will make a difference in their survival. And that, for me, more than
anything else, is why I continue to teach.”
Many of my high-time instructor buddies have similar stories
to share. Open any of their logbooks and similar memories reside. I don’t know
what Dominic will decide to do with his aviation career, but I hope that our
conversation will help him in some small way with his decision. I am looking
forward to watching how it unfolds. And when, sometime in the future, my last
endorsement is given and the last line is entered in someone’s logbook, it will
be the memories of all those times that are the true reward.
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