That being sad, there were still students with personalities so different than mine that we were not a good fit. I couldn't explain things in a way that would help them understand.
During my flight instructor days, I was always proud of the fact that I could teach any student to land an airplane smoothly- no slamming it onto the runway or turning one landing into three. It is a finesse to be able to do that, and I felt my students mastered it quite well. I even had multiple examiners call me after the checkride to tell me that my students had awesome landings (proud CFI moment). Here's a pic with me and one of my students after her first solo- she did awesome! As did all my other students, but that would be too many pictures to share in one post. :)
However, I had one student about a year after I began flight instructing that I could not teach to land. We'd spent countless hours in the traffic pattern, but to no avail. I could not figure out what the problem was. The approach was always so beautiful, but then it got a little sketchy during the flare with me having to take over the airplane more often than not.
After weeks of trying I didn't want to waste the student's money anymore, so I sent him with a new instructor. There were no hard feelings and it wasn't awkward. I kid you not, just a few days after flying with this other flight instructor, he could land like a pro. Did this offend me? Of course not! I was happy for him and the other flight instructor.
For whatever reason, my tips didn't help him out at all; but this other instructor was able to teach him things I could not. If you are having issues with your flight instructor, or if you are a flight instructor having issues with a student, do not be ashamed to switch things up a bit. You should both want what is best for each other, even if that means meeting with a different flight instructor. Make it a positive experience for all the parities involved.
Happy Friday, and have fun flying!
