What Makes a Great Flight Instructor?

Ah, so many aspects of the definition come to mind. I have had four formal instructors so far, and to name each of their good qualities would be to write a book. Sticking with what you mentioned I would have to say that

Professionalism: Good instructors are punctual, and mindful of the student’s time. They show up with a plan for your period of instruction, and treat you as an individual in preparing for your lesson (no “uhh, what are we doing today?”). A professional instructor is tactful, yet uses authority when it is needed during flight training. A professional instructor also keeps tobacco and cellular phones away during your sessions.

Safety: Great instructors make safety of flight the utmost priority. A good instructor will never allow a student to forget to clear their airspace or use appropriate crosswind correction inputs on the ground. A cunning instructor will emphasize the dangers of the lack of attention to safety factors without scaring the student away!

Knowledge: A good instructor does NOT necessarily have all of the answers on hand; however, a good instructor will not bluff when he/she does not know the answer. A good instructor will find multi-faceted ways of explaining topics to students, should they need. If an instructor does not know the answer to a question, he/she will admit it and research it both for the student and themselves.

Though an instructor may not have immediate knowledge of a particular item, an instructor should still have a command of the overall subject that they are teaching! I had an instructor take me in a glass cockpit for the first time to familiarize myself with it. He waited until the engine was on before he told me it was only his second flight in the aircraft. He was an excellent instructor with all of the other areas we were covering, but he was not prepared for this out-of-curriculum flight I had asked him to do. Good instructors know their boundaries, and will find someone to help you if they cannot do so themselves.

The last thing I can think of, which actually applies to all pilots, is that a good instructor is always learning. Our world of aviation is ever changing, and it is up to us to stay current with regulations, safety, and other trends in the industry. Stay sharp!

1. The ability to let the student do things their own way all things being equal, that is, not insisting that their way is the only way.
2. Striking a good balance between telling the student what to do and letting them make their own mistakes.