I am the best flight instructor in the world.
I have proof: I soloed my first student after exactly 5.5 hours of training, an accomplishment that clearly proved my superior flight instructing skills. Soon after the solo I called a mentor to relate the good news. “What were you thinking?!” he said. Not exactly the response I was hoping for. I attributed it to jealousy.
My second student soloed at what I considered an unimpressive 12 hours. It was only after flying for more than 20 hours in the pattern and getting nowhere with my third student that I came to terms with my complete lack of self-awareness. One student’s rapid progress didn’t make me a rock star, and being a good instructor means adapting to different students’ learning styles and paces. With little oversight at that school, I was at a loss for how to become better. It was only after many more students and a lot more experience that the traits of what makes someone a good flight instructor became clear.
This month we profile an instructor who truly is the best at what he does. This accolade isn’t a personal fantasy. Todd Shellnutt’s students rated him tops in this year’s Flight Training Excellence Awards. In profiling Shellnutt, we hope students better understand what to expect from a great instructor, and hope instructors gain insight into how to treat a student properly and what it means to be the best instructor you can be. Shellnutt epitomizes professionalism. His story begins on p. 29.
We also visit the AeroVenture Institute Flight Training Center in Southbridge, Massachusetts, the Best Flight School of 2015. AeroVenture is in many ways a typical school. It has a few older airplanes, lots of students who hang around to socialize in a cozy office, and a family atmosphere. What really sets the school apart is its place in the community, a philosophy many schools could adopt. President and CEO George Allen is a young and energetic leader, and his guidance—along with that of his mom, Debra, and dad, Bill—have shaped the school into a dynamic force in the region, despite a modest presence on a sleepy airport. Their story begins on p. 32.
Finally, as part of our special package on the awards, we provide the full list of the winners on p. 36, and we examine a few takeaways from the poll on p. 28. Check and see if your school made the list, and how your experience stacks up with others who completed the poll. There are definite bright spots, but many areas where we must improve if we are to attract the next generation of pilots.
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2015 Flight Training Excellence Awards.
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