Jim Davis has a passion for instructing. He has been training civil and military pilots, in the air and on the ground for 50 years. His other passion is writing, which he studied at Curtin University in Perth. You can see, and buy, his two pilot text books PPL and Flight Tests at www.jimdavis.com.au
As one of the most experienced instructors to teach flying in both Australia and South Africa, Jim Davis has amassed a wealth of personal knowledge about how to tutor both student pilots and experienced pilots at all levels of their careers. His advice laid out here is directed at instructors, but contains a lot of good material equally valuable no matter which seat you sit in.
Some philosophers hold that we have no free will – we are propelled through life by our genes and our experiences.
If that is the case, then I had no choice but to be a flying instructor.
Genetically, I am extremely lazy, easily bored, and strongly resistant to being a team player. So, when scanning the world for a career, I realized that aviation was right up my street. I also come from a line of teachers so it seems the philosophers are right – I really had no choice in my career selection.
So yay for genes and history! I can’t think of a more rewarding, and enjoyable way to be paid for having fun, and avoiding work.
This article is going to be Chapter 1 of a book about stuff I have learned while trying to be the best instructor I can. It’s going
