I’m taking a break. I’ve been at this over a year now, and have had over 15,000 visitors. I get lots of great feedback, and I really appreciate it. What’s missing though is that I’m mostly providing a one-way stream of information, and that was never the point of the helicopter private pilot lesson plans area. I’m no expert at instructing (in fact, I haven’t provided even a single hour of dual), and even though I’ve put 100s of hours of thought into figuring out the best way to teach somebody how to fly a helicopter, the really valuable information is out there with the guys who are providing instruction now, and the students who are getting into a helicopter for the first time. I know the WP-wiki interface isn’t the easiest to work with (it’s better than Media-wiki tho), but if anybody has any ideas for how I can facilitate interaction here, I’m open to suggestions.
For the helicopter flight lessons section, I won’t be expanding those sections unless I’m particularly inspired by something. They’ll all remain open for contributions and editing, and I’ll still support anybody interested in doing that. Along those lines, a former Schweizer 300 instructor has generously offered up his lesson plans (thanks Damien O’ Halloran). I won’t be giving them away or distributing them, but all you Schweizer pilots: here’s your chance. If one of you out there wants to lead the charge, let’s come up with a plan and I’ll set it up. Or if you just have a topic you want to focus on, I’ll figure out a way to make that happen. Anybody who makes a significant contribution, I’ll add to the About page so you get credit for your efforts (how might that help you? I’m planning on writing up a post about the qualifications I was seeing in 1000-plus hour CFIs from the resume reviews at Heli-Success. Hint: you’re going to have some serious competition for that first turbine job).
I’ll still be keeping up with the blog. I have about 30 hours of video footage from the time building I did with Boatpix this summer, and will try and post videos of the interesting stuff. I’m also interested in expanding the career advice and new student guides (under the Ground Lessons section). But over the next few months I really want to focus on another project inspired by a FAAST seminar given by my good friend and mentor, Mike Franz. Hopefully mid-next year I’ll be able to let you all know about it. Most of all though, I need to focus on staying current and getting a job as a CFI next spring. Any leads would be greatly appreciated, or if you’re a student interested in training with me, I can put you in touch with like minded instructors, or schools that I think offer the best training value/experience. Along those lines, you can read my bio and view my resume here.