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7 Answers

Looking for a Freelance CFI with a Cessna 150/152 in Central FL to train me for PPL

Asked by: 2070 views , , , ,
Flight Instructor, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

Hi everybody,

I am in NJ and looking to accelerate my flight training. I only work weekends usually. I am looking to make 2 or 3 trips to Central FL, where I have a free place to stay and fly 5 times a week (assuming VFR conditions) for 4-5 hours per day. I am already doing ground school. Just looking for a good instructor who's prices are reasonable for dual as well as hourly rental (wet). I looked up some flight schools down there and they are outrageous. I would do it in NJ, but weather this time of year is mostly crappy and there is only (1) C-152 and it is down right now for maintenance. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

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7 Answers



  1. KDS on Dec 04, 2019

    What part of central Florida?

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  2. imjustjeff on Dec 05, 2019

    Hi KDS,

    I would be in Astatula. Where are you located?

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  3. KDS on Dec 05, 2019

    Much further south than you will be. You’re on the north side of Orlando.

    If you cannot come up with a good solution, you can try this:

    https://www.iflightplanner.com/FlightInstructors/

    Of course, the problem with a search like this is you never know what you’re going to get. It might be great and it might be horrible.

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  4. Russ Roslewski on Dec 05, 2019

    This site isn’t really the best place to be looking for instructor recommendations in specific areas; there’s just not enough of us on here to make that a viable option.

    I’d recommend you go onto one of the social networks and search for pertinent groups. For example, I see there is a “Orlando Pilots” group on Facebook, they would likely be able to recommend someone to you. There’s also a “Pilots of Florida” group and one called “Florida Aviators”.

    Good luck!

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  5. imjustjeff on Dec 05, 2019

    Thanks, Russ. I’ll check it out. I do have a question for you.

    Do you think it would make you a better pilot to train in a Cessna 150/152 or a Traumahawk? From what I’ve read, the Piper Tomahawk was built to make it more difficult for a pilot to recover from a stall/spin.

    And does it make you a better pilot when you train under more adverse conditions i.e. an airport that usually has a crosswind vs. an airport that has mostly calm winds a majority of the time (i.e. KPMP) ?

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  6. Craig on Dec 05, 2019

    You could also try posting your inquiry on the pilots of America site, flight training section.
    Could also search the gleim or NAFI flight instructor databases.

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  7. KDS on Dec 05, 2019

    As to the question of what makes you a better pilot, I would say the two biggest points are the pilot and the instructor pilot.

    The pilot needs an attitude commensurate with safety. That takes in a wide spectrum of little things, but it starts with attitude.

    From there, the instructor makes a big difference. The student doesn’t know if what they are seeing and hearing is right and they mold themselves in that image. I’ve seen a lot of students messed up by careless, reckless, or incompetent instructors. I’ve also seen unethical instructors do a lot of damage to trusting students. For that reason, I would recommend care in selecting an instructor as a much higher priority than aircraft or location.

    The type of aircraft, the location, and the time of year do factors into the equation, but it is minor compared to the first two. I’ll give you an example of what I mean. There was a landmark accident back in 1996 out in Cheyenne, WY where a CFI and a little girl died in a Cessna Cardinal. It was talked about at length in the pilot community. Although the details are complex, one factor was that the CFI normally flew from a low altitude airport and was not knowledgeable or skilled in operations from an airport more than a mile above sea level. In one discussion I overheard, a pilot mentioned that the CFI lacked that knowledge and skill and that if he had been in the same situation he too may have forgotten those things he heard about in ground school but never used. Another pilot said, but I know you well enough to know that before you undertook flying in a different environment, you would have gotten the necessary training. So, the key is to be honest enough with yourself and know what you can do and what you cannot do with ease and take precautions as appropriate.

    However, despite having said all that, if I were to make a recommendation on aircraft, I would say start in a glider and when you get good at that take lessons in a tailwheel airplane and then move on to something with a glass cockpit. That or do what I did and fly anything you can get your hands on.

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