In short: Good instructors want good students, but nobody teaches students how to be one. Rod Machado’s four rules are simple: show enthusiasm, do your homework and let your instructor know it, be on time, and don’t talk back. Follow them and your instructor will be inspired to go above and beyond for you.
Video: “How to Be a Good Student” by Rod Machado, from his YouTube channel.
What you’ll learn
- Why your enthusiasm directly affects how much your instructor invests in you
- Simple ways to prove you did your homework, and what to say if you didn’t
- How to handle running late, including paying for your instructor’s lost time
- What talking back sounds like in the cockpit and the better response
- A cautionary tale about a CFII applicant who always had an answer
Rules one and two: show up eager and prepared
Rod calls himself a lifelong student, and he’s learned that whether it’s golf, martial arts or flying, how you behave as a student shapes what you get from a teacher. His first rule is to show enthusiasm for what you’re learning. If you think you can’t act interested, he reminds you of the performance most people give when pulled over for speeding. Instructors naturally give more to students who are clearly excited to learn from them.
Rule two is to always do your homework and show proof of it. That can be as simple as telling your instructor at the start of the lesson and getting a nod, or bringing a one-page outline of what you studied. If you couldn’t finish it, say so plainly and ask whether there’s something useful you can work on that doesn’t depend on that assignment, rather than losing the lesson.
Rule three: respect your instructor’s time
Being late signals that you don’t value your instructor’s time as much as your own. If you think you’ll be late, let your instructor know as early as you can. If you are late, Rod’s advice is to simply pay for the lost time rather than offering and putting your instructor on the spot. It’s a small price for a good working relationship.
Rule four: don’t talk back
Rod’s big closer is about responses like replying that you were just about to do it when your instructor asks you to retract the flaps. It feels like saving face, but it comes across as argumentative. Instructors care about what you haven’t done at the moment they mention it. A simple acknowledgment and action is the better reply. If you didn’t understand or anticipate a request, ask how they’d like you to handle it in future; that’s learning.
Rod illustrates the point with a CFII applicant who answered every suggestion with a version of he was about to. The applicant eventually earned his rating, but left Rod with the impression that he hadn’t been a good student at all.
Go deeper with Rod Machado
Bring these habits to your lessons and pair them with Rod’s eCourse on how to fly an airplane, and you’ll arrive prepared and ready to get the most from every hour with your instructor. Learn more in How to Fly an Airplane eCourse.
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