A Calling.

I had to complete a form the other day, detailing my qualifications and experience. As I wrote down various dates, times and places, one particular element jogged my memory and drew my attention. It was that I gained my Flight Instructor Rating in 1988. I juggled the maths in my head for a minute and came to the conclusion that I had held my rating for 38 years. That couldn’t be correct – but maybe it was.

When I associated longevity with flight instruction, certain names came to mind from my early days. They were wizened old pilots who resembled Merlin more than modern aviators. Then I looked in the mirror and realised that the young chap who first became an instructor wasn’t looking back at me anymore. I contemplated both the passage of time and my appearance as I recalled those old instructors of my youth. Equally, I remembered that age didn’t necessarily indicate quality. For the majority of their number, their wealth of experience gave them a superior edge at identifying issues quickly and a bottomless bag of techniques to get the student back on track. However, there were also those who were just going through the motions.

I also pondered the career paths of my contemporaries, many of whom were brilliant instructors. As I recalled their names, most had let their ratings lapse when the flight deck of an airline called them away. Some had become trainers within the airline system, but most had not. So many men and women with so much to offer, who had left this field of endeavour where experience is so valuable. And why had I continued to keep my rating and go through the renewal process every two years?

Without sounding dramatic, the best answer that I could come up with was that it was a “calling”. Not a calling in a religious sense but the feeling that being a flight instructor meant far more to me than just a job or a qualification. To see a student nervously fumble with checklists on that first day and progress to flying solo gave me an extreme level of satisfaction – and it still does. Troubleshooting a student’s issues and finding remedies is a challenge which never tires me. To put it simply, flight instruction gives me as much pleasure as it ever has.

I am far from the wizened Merlins that I had held in high regard in my youth and I learn a little more each time the wheels leave the earth. Being a flight instructor is not a skill you master; it is one that constantly challenges you and encourages you to be better. At a stage of life where I could be tempted to lean back and rest on my log books, training others keeps me from fading into that groove. So, every two years I will renew my rating until I recognise that my best days are behind me. I would prefer people ask why I gave instructing away rather than wish that I would. Until that day, I will continue to strap into a light aircraft or a simulator and do my best to answer my calling.