By Tom Luca Schneider – Commercial Helicopter Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
The role of certified flight instructors (CFIs) has changed and expanded in recent years. Where once they gave cockpit instruction and helped students get in their hours in the air to eventually become skilled helicopter pilots, today’s CFIs are far more focused on producing safe and confident pilots who have skill sets that go beyond simply mastering controls.
As a CFI, I’ve learned over the years that instruction happens both inside and outside the cockpit. A modern CFI has to be not only a skilled teacher but also a mentor, a valuable resource for information, and an advocate for mental health. With a more comprehensive approach to helicopter training, CFIs can produce well-rounded, self-assured pilots prepared to face any stressful situation that they may encounter in the skies or on the ground.
Evolving beyond the cockpit
Since the beginning of my career as a CFI, I have been aware that effective, empathetic teaching begins before the flight and continues after. The moments that students remember the most — and learn the most from — do not necessarily happen during the flight. Important teaching moments can also occur during in-depth conversations before the rotor blades begin to turn or during post-flight debriefings.
Scenario-based training has become a significant part of my teaching approach. When I am working with a student, I find that diving into real-life scenarios during instruction can be far more effective and impactful than simply ticking items off a flight instruction checklist. I challenge students to think through challenging situations that could occur, analyzing their decision-making process and dissecting possible outcomes during our lesson debrief. Using scenario-based training can not only help students understand real-life scenarios that they may face as helicopter pilots, but it also occurs and helps me connect with my students on a more personal level.
Outside of scheduled training flights, I use digital resources to allow my students to keep learning in between lessons. Teachers can record and share scenario responses, maneuver reviews, and hosted Q&A sessions. As instructors, embracing the digital era and using technology tools to enhance our teaching allows us to remain accessible. In addition, we can evolve along with students, who will need to learn to embrace technology as full-fledged helicopter pilots.
Mental health in flight training
From an outsider’s perspective, mental health considerations may not seem crucial to helicopter flight training. However, mental health is equally critical to comprehensive helicopter training as airspeed and altitude. From the first lesson, instructors should integrate frank discussions about managing stress, anxiety, and the mental demands of being in the air into lessons. When students learn that they can be transparent about how they are feeling, not just how they are flying.
Even the FAA has started prioritizing the mental health of pilots, because a growing body of evidence shows that pilots who are mentally supported make smarter and safer decisions in the air. Pilots who take care of their mental health needs are more resilient, fly with less anxiety, and may enjoy flying more overall.
As CFI, we are not simply seeking to create competent pilots; we want to shape pilots who can handle pressure and hurdles that can occur and come away still excited to get into the cockpit on every flight.
Finding support and community on social media
Social media has changed nearly every industry, and the flight industry is no exception. The digital revolution has changed the way helicopter pilots fly and communicate. Through social media, pilots are able to connect with pilots all over the world, sharing not only what they have learned but also finding support for stress and anxiety that pilots often grapple with.
Many CFIs have created sites and platforms for pilots-in-training, and new pilots can come and commiserate with others, watch informative videos, and receive behind-the-scenes insight into everything that being a helicopter pilot entails.
By keeping continuous learning and support out in the open and accessible, the entire community can learn and be uplifted. In addition, instructors can expand their instructional reach beyond in-person lessons.
Reducing risk and supporting pilots
As supporting pilots become more of a focus for CFIs and the FAA, organizations like the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) play an even more crucial role in raising flight training standards and supporting the pilot community.
FAASTeam representatives often collaborate with instructors and industry leaders to create comprehensive training resources that focus not only on helping pilots build technical skills but also on pilot well-being. FAASTeam seminars and webinars go beyond cockpit instruction to give pilots direction on self-care, supporting personal growth, and reducing accidents, helping to ensure that pilots can blaze a pathway to a long career in the skies.
For helicopter pilots, technical skill is only one facet of their jobs. Modern pilots must build mental strength, stay connected to their aviator community, and be lifelong learners. Today’s CFIs are shaping tomorrow’s pilots in a holistic way, helping shape a future of flight that is safe and supportive of those behind the controls.
