Your signature in a pilot’s logbook serves as verification that you, as the CFI, have provided the required training. It also reflects on your teaching abilities and professional integrity. What you don’t want your signature to represent is a potential liability.
Tremendous responsibility rests on the shoulders of flight instructors when endorsing a student’s logbook for that first solo, a new certificate or rating, flight review, or even an aircraft checkout. Should something go wrong on the first solo, for example, the training record of the student will come under extreme scrutiny. As an instructor, will you have the proper documentation?
At Sporty’s Academy, we minimize our exposure through the use of our interactive flight training courses. We are training approximately 200 pilots at any given time with 20 instructors on staff and 15 rental aircraft. From the opening of business, we recognized the importance of protecting our instructors from this potential liability, the importance of providing a proven, standardized training curriculum, and the importance of creating a safe training environment by using these courses with every student enrolled.
The courses have made Sporty’s a leader in recreational to career flight training. The courses standardize the items to be taught through the Part 141 approved Training Course Outline (TCO) and also standardize and prepare the instructor for how to deliver the instruction through the Ground Lesson Guide. Each lesson in the TCO comes complete with objectives and completion standards and there is space on each lesson for instructor comments and grades.
Most importantly, this course has a proven record of success and ensures each required element is taught in a logical, structured manner. Proof that these elements have been covered not only comes from the use of the TCO, but also the included PTS Study Guide which cross-references each and every element of the Practical Test Standards with the location of where that element appears in the course.
Flight instructors have a difficult job. Complete Flight Training Courses from Sporty’s make this job easier, safer, and more fun. If you don’t believe me, remember the first volume of each of our courses is free. Leave the preparation to Sporty’s and enjoy the many rewards of the aviation education profession.
Hal Shevers is the founder of Sporty’s Academy and Sporty’s Pilot Shop. He is also a long-time sponsor and supporter of SAFE.