Variety

The great thing about this job is the variety in every day.

I might have a new primary student in the morning flying a 172, an instrument student flying a Cherokee and finish the day with a currency flight in the Cirrus. They're all very different experiences and it keeps me on my toes.

I was looking back through my logbook for April and I instructed in six different aircraft types (several Cessna 172s, a 182RG, a Piper Cherokee 180, a Mooney 201, a Beech Bonanza and the SR-20 Cirrus) based out of three different airports, plus a simulator, and flew with fifteen different pilots, ranging from new students to a high-time instructor.

I knew it had been a busy month but I was surprised at the variety. Every pilot is unique and it's interesting to see how different people approach the same airplane.

Something as seemingly simple as how to configure the CAPS (parachute) handle on the Cirrus for flight accounted for four different approaches among four pilots.

If you're not familiar with the CAPS, it's basically a small rocket with a parachute attached that fires out the top of the airplane and allows the entire airplane to descend under the canopy. The activation handle is located at the top of the cabin, between the pilot seats. Pull the handle and out comes the parachute.

There is a safety pin with a little “remove before flight” streamer, plus a plastic cover that contains the instructions for activating the CAPS that is attached with Velcro and hides the activation handle, which is a pretty bit of red anodized aluminium. The little streamer on the safety pin is normally left sticking out of the cover, so you can tell at a glance if the pin is in or out.

The configuration recommended by Cirrus, at least last I'd heard, is safety pin out, handle cover in place. One pilot did just that.

Another went with safety pin in, handle cover in place. That raised my eyebrows so we talked about it. His thinking was he could pull the pin via the little streamer, then the handle to activate the parachute.

I wasn't sure that was such a hot idea, because I've pulled the handle (in a simulator) and was shocked at how difficult it was to make myself actually pull the thing. I'd also watched other pilots wait far to long before pulling the handle (again, in the simulator) and fumble around when they finally did decide to pull it. Ultimately, it's the pilot's decision, so I said my piece and moved on.

A third went with my preferred configuration, which is safety pin out, cover off. I figure if I need to activate the CAPS, I'm not going to bother reading the directions and this configuration gives me the fastest access to the handle, particularly if there were an engine failure shortly after takeoff.

And the fourth totally forgot and we flew around with the safety pin in place and the little streamer tucked up inside the cover where we couldn't see it. Since he'd done the preflight, I'd assumed he'd removed the safety pin and replaced the cover. Silly me and a good lesson learned on my part.

Flying with so many different pilots in such a short time frame is awesome and I learn something from all of them, from the newest student to the most experienced instructor, every time I fly. Hopefully I'm getting to the point that they learn something from me as well.

All total for the month, I flew 54 hours and gave 59 hours of dual (the simulator accounts for the difference). That's a pretty good month but it also was a string of very long days. It was rare that I'd be home before 9:30 p.m. And I'd typically leave the house by 8 a.m. Luckily I was able to sneak home between flights fairly often and have some sense of normalcy.

The time in my logbook is interesting, but the progress among my students is what makes it so much fun.

I have one who is almost ready to solo and a couple of my instrument students have really turned the corner and are starting to think like instrument pilots, which is the biggest hurdle in that rating. They'll be ready for their check rides soon, which will be a huge accomplishment on their part.

There's just such a rush when you see pilots really starting to "get it" and know that you were a part of that process.