I have been taking lessons with Patrick Scanlon for the last 4-5 months and he is fantastic! It is very important to him that you learn good habits from the outset and that you understand the aerodynamics of flying as this will make you a much better pilot. At the same time, he feels it is just as important to teach me about decision making - when should I not fly, when are conditions or the weather not conducive to flying?
He is an active, involved teacher and also patient teacher and while flying is a very intense activity he is always encouraging and makes me feel at ease. I feel he gives the right balance of teaching, demonstrating, and then letting me work it out for myself, but he never lets me get too "off course" figuratively and literally! His insightful post-flight debriefings are right on target and help me make improvements next time. Lastly I feel he is a very honest, down-to-earth guy - what you see is what you get!
The course I am taking is a combined VFR-IFR course basically integrated into one with a kit and multiple textbooks that take you all the way through with appropriate IFR related topics integrated throughout the VFR training with the usage of the flight computers - rather than breaking it into two separate courses. I think it will take less overall time doing it this way.
Lastly, the Cirrus SR20 is a wonderful platform to learn on with a modern "glass cockpit" (gauges on the screen) and GPS map with many redundant safety features, not the least of which is the parachute which is attached to the airframe. Youtube video on "How Do They Do It?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_B--xSUxBA read more