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@flywithaopa

Not only has 2017 AOPA Scholarship recipient Sam Hince earned his pilot certificate, but he has also gone on to become an engineer for @cubcrafters! Our scholarship application window is live so make sure to apply! @flywithaopa

Flight Training online

Online Resource

Flight school finder
Find a flight school near you with AOPA’s flight school finder. You can sort by types of aircraft, certifications, and more—and you can even find out if a school has been honored with a Flight Training Experience Award.
aopa.org/flightschoolfinder

Podcast: Ask the A&Ps
Expert mechanics answer your toughest aviation maintenance questions.
aopa.org/podcasts

Quizzes
Can’t get enough of Flight Training’s Final Exam quizzes? Test your knowledge with dozens of interactive quizzes online.
aopa.org/ft/quizzes

Explore more training topics in our expanded online content hub aopa.org/ft

AOPA Pilot Video
Get the latest in general aviation news, watch interviews with pilots, and see the places you can visit on your next trip: aopa.org/pilotvideo

Letters

Put a Cork in It

I truly appreciated Jill W. Tallman’s article in the August 2022 edition of Flight Training (“Put a Cork in It”). Sadly though, it reminded me of one of my very first training flights. I had just gone up with a friend for my first flight in a Cessna 172N in Southern California. He took us over the ocean near Oceanside and let me take the controls. I was so absolutely thrilled that as soon as we landed, I went over to a small flight school at the airport and signed up for lessons.

From the word “go,” the CFI assigned to me reminded me of R. Lee Ermey in the movie Full Metal Jacket, constantly yelling at me to “fly the (expletive) plane” even though we were in moderate turbulence at the time. I chalked it up to him possibly just having a bad day, but on the second lesson, he was a half-hour late and continued with his tirade when I couldn’t demonstrate exactly what he wanted. Two lessons were enough, and I decided to train at the same airport with a reputable academy.

What a change! My instructor was patient, encouraging, and passionate about instructing. We took off in instrument conditions (fog) and as we were approaching cloud tops, he told me to look behind the airplane. A beautiful burst came out of the clouds we were in, and he told me to remember that image, because that is one of the reasons we fly!

There is so much to learn and demonstrate from training, and there is no place for bully CFIs who very easily could turn folks away from our beautiful community.Thank you again for this important topic!Chris AndersonFresno, California

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