Life as a CFI

I've really enjoyed working as a CFI in Phoenix.  I work out of Deer Valley airport, one of the busiest airports in the nation.  We have a fleet of 35 aircraft and counting.  It is not uncommon to be the fifth airplane waiting for takeoff or number five in the pattern on one of the parallel runways.  Due to the density of traffic our practice areas have been divided into sectors based on prominent landmarks.  Heading west from KDVT you can contact Luke Approach and receive traffic alerts within a Special Air Traffic Rule area while you practice maneuvers...something I had never heard of back in the midwest.



When we first relocated I went through a couple days of orientation and was required to complete flight standardization.  Once completed I was assigned four students, two Chinese and two Korean.  Although all international students at our school have completed English language acquisition training, learning to speak 'aviation' is no picnic as its very technical.  I expect to bounce many ideas off of Sara as she has three years of experience teaching ESL.  My students are full time and available six days a week during normal business hours...very different training regimen from my own experience.

Relocating from Minneapolis/St. Paul has caused me to grow a lot as a pilot and instructor.  Picking up a different flight school's curriculum has helped to fill in some of my own gaps in my learning.  Also navigating a new airspace has been a confidence booster.  At first, I was intimidated flying in a new location, but found myself able to adapt and learn quickly.  I'm very glad we decided to make the move and look forward to increasing my effectiveness as an instructor.