Flight instructor characteristics and responsibilities

•  Characteristics and qualifications
• Sincerity
• If not sincere student could lose confidence in the instructor.

• Acceptance of the student
• Mutual acknowledgments, same goal.

• Personal appearance and habits
• Instructors who are rude, thoughtless, and inattentive cannot hold the respect of the students.
  

• Safety practices and accident prevention.

• Proper Language

• Self-improvement
  

• Demeanor
• Instructors should avoid distracting speech habits, and changes in mood.

• Dealing with student stress, anxiety, and psychological abnormalities
• Normal reaction to stress.
• Respond rapidly and exactly, within the limits of their experience and training.
• Rationally, and is extremely sensitive to all aspects of the surroundings.
  

• Abnormal reaction to stress
• Responses may be random or illogical.
• More than is called for by the situation.
• Extreme over cooperation, inappropriate laughter or singing, and very rapid changes in emotions.

• Abnormal stress
• Carefully examine student responses and your own responses to the students.
• May be the normal products of a complex learning situation.
• Can also be indicative of psychological abnormalities that inhibit learning.
• Can be hazardous to future piloting operations.

• Student anxiety
• Probably the most significant psychological factor affecting flight instruction.
• Range from hesitancy to act, to the impulse of “doing something even if it’s wrong.”
• Teach fear as a normal reaction rather than ignoring.

• Psychological anomalies 
• Have student fly with different instructor (second opinion)

• Supervision and surveillance 
• Student performance is concurrent with the instructor supervision.
• Instructors have the responsibility to provide guidance.
• Instructor is the only one that can say if student is ready for solo.
  

• Responsibility for endorsements and recommendations
• Endorsements 
• The authority and responsibility for endorsing student pilot certificates and logbooks for solo and solo cross-country flight privileges are granted in 14 CFR part 61.
• These endorsements are further explained in AC 61-65.
• Responsibility to make logbook endorsements for pilots who are already certificated.
• Keep record of endorsements for at least three years.

• Recommendations 
• A flight instructor should require the applicant to thoroughly demonstrate the knowledge and skill level required for that certificate or rating.

• Required FAA flight review
• An instructional service to assess knowledge and skill
• Intended to be an industry-managed, FAA-monitored currency program.
• No person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft unless a flight review has been accomplished within the preceding 24 calendar months.
  
  
  
  
  
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