Can two flight instructors teach you more than one? Learn from conflicting opinions and healthy debate to make yourself a better pilot.
During the course of typical flight training, we spend lots of time with our flight instructors (CFI). They become trusted advisors, so when they tell us something, we tend to accept it. When we hear other CFIs teach their students differently, we think how lucky we are to have the CFI who is right.
Given this allegiance, it’s often tough for a student pilot to consider “cheating” on his or her CFI. Perhaps we’re inherently faithful to the ones who said “You’re getting there!” each time we botched our first hundred landings; or, perhaps it comes from the wholly unconvincing tone of voice CFIs use while encouraging students to fly with other instructors:
“I think flying with another CFI could be good for you,” they say, as if suggesting decapitation as a cure for a brain tumor.
I had two CFIs during my training: the boy CFI and the girl CFI. The boy CFI taught me the basics, and when I figured I had taught him all I could about the management of a problem student, I moved on to the girl CFI. They worked together, so this wasn’t awkward at all. Nope, not at all.
Okay, that’s a lie—it was quite awkward. But, true to my nature as a troublemaker, I immediately sought ways to get them into disagreements about as many topics as I could. I figured a few good cat fights would—you know—help break the ice. At the very least, it would be entertaining for me to watch… And, dammit, I was the one with the credit card!
Most of the time, it was tough to get them going—they agreed on pretty much everything. But, one day I struck gold. Before I knew it, one of my innocent (really!) questions erupted into an airport lounge debate, the likes of which I could only previously fantasize. All I needed was Barry Schiff to play the part of Jerry Springer, and I swear I was seeing a whole new genre of hanger talk.
Here’s the synopsis upon which my innocent question was based…
The airport is tucked under the class bravo airspace of San Francisco International (SFO). In order to fly anywhere, we must consider the SFO airspace and, of course, avoid stumbling into it uninvited. Right next to the airport is the San Francisco Bay, all big and wet. The floor (bottom) of SFO’s airspace over the Bay is 2,500 feet.
My innocent question was, quite innocently: What’s the best altitude to fly across the Bay?
Much to my delight, Boy CFI and Girl CFI disagreed. Girl CFI’s opinion was, “Fly as high as possible, so if you lose your engine, you’ll be more likely to make it to shore.” That made sense, but Boy CFI saw it differently: “Stay at 1,200 feet to make sure you stay clear of the wake turbulence that comes from the jets headed into SFO.” Wow, another good point. Those jets were very low as they passed by, and I could see myself getting thunked on the fuselage by the wake of any one of them.
Others in the lounged weighed in, but no one could offer the most convincing answer. It was a debate with no resolution. No winner. There would be no closing thought for Barry Springer.
Only later did I realize that something did, in fact, come from that afternoon’s CFI slug fest. Each time I cross the San Francisco Bay now, I’m keenly aware of what could happen if I fly too high, or if I fly too low. Each time I cross, I choose an altitude; I don’t just fly an altitude. I learned more from conflicting opinions than I ever could have from a chart or an agreement between my CFIs.
About David
David Diamond is a writer and 3D illustrator focused on aviation, who lives in Northern California. Visit his blog and portfolio at www.AirDiamond.com.
