Who knows better?

Back in my day, things were different…

That was the comment more than one CFI made today when we heard about a situation concerning one student. The student in question is enrolled in my school’s private pilot course. Earlier in his training, he got fed up with CFI#1 because the CFI didn’t think he was ready to solo. The student changed instructors because he disagreed with the instructor’s judgment that he was not ready to solo. The student moved on to CFI#2, and eventually did his solo flight.

Said student has progressed to the cross-country phase of his training, and is getting ready for his solo cross-country flight. CFI#2 doesn’t think he’s quite ready for a solo cross-country flight. The student disagrees. He has an impressive 31.3 hours of experience- ranging from flights in the local traffic pattern, to three or so hours of cross country flying with CFI#2. He calls on this experience to determine that his CFI (whose solo cross country time exceeds the student’s total time) is incorrect, and that he is indeed ready to solo.

So today, after much angst, he has moved on to CFI#3, who he hopes will allow him to go on his solo cross-country flight. Now, when I was in his shoes, there were surely times when I disagreed with my CFI, but good sense prevailed, and I realized that if my CFI didn’t think I was ready for something, there was probably a valid reason. It never once occurred to me that I should actually change CFI’s because I never got my way.

No CFI is going to solo a student before he or she is ready because the student’s safety is our main concern. If a student thinks he knows better than the CFI, why waste the CFI’s time? Why not just sign his own logbook?