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Flight Training Question

Asked by: 2148 views Student Pilot

Do most CFIs doing PPL training strictly adhere to some syllabus or agenda?  I am at 80+ hours and am now starting solo XCs towards my PPL.  My flight school does not use an agenda or syllabus.  The expectation, I think, is that you know what you want to learn before you show up to a lesson.  So basically I do my ground school with an online service and then tell my CFI what I want to learn - cockpit is generally silent unless I screw something up.  I would like to validate that this is normal.  How do other CFIs teach?  

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5 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Sep 06, 2016

    No, this is not normal. Flight instruction, as any instruction, starts with the most basic tasks and build upon those, progressing from the known to the unknown, the simple to the complex.

    In order to facilitate this, one needs to have a plan (syllabus). This syllabus should lay out all the tasks to be taught in a logical order.

    Further, there should be lesson plans for each task describing what is to be taught, how it is to be taught and the completion standards for each task.

    The ground school lessons which precede flight lessons should be taught by your flight instructor.

    I would run, not walk, to another flight school.

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  2. CJ on Sep 06, 2016

    Thanks Kris. CFI thinks I’m pretty much ready to start solo XC in the next couple of weeks. Should I question whether or not I really am? Hope that makes sense…

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  3. Kris Kortokrax on Sep 06, 2016

    I wouldn’t question whether you are ready for solo XC. I’m not commenting on your abilities. My comments are directed toward the “flight school”.

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  4. Dave M on Sep 06, 2016

    As Kris said, I would find another flight school. Their methods seem inefficient, to say the least. In those “couple of weeks,” another flight school/cfi can evaluate you to see if you are ready to solo/XC.

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  5. RickS on Sep 08, 2016

    Looking at this from the perspective of a fellow student, it seems like maybe your instructor/flight school has been holding you back to keep your money flowing. As was mentioned, I would take my logbook to another flight school (try to get some recommendations) and let another instructor assess your skills. I suspect you may be farther along than you think. Finally, a syllabus, or at least some sort of “road map” for your instruction should be provided.

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