Best of the best of the best of the etc

[Dr Jekyll]

When I'm watching an RAF aircraft display at an airshow and the commentator is talking about the pilot, it often tunrs out that the diplay polot did so well in training that he or she was taken straight on as an instructor.

Why would a really good student make the best instructor? I'd have thought if you going to make someone relatively inexperienced an instructor, a pilot with less natural ability would understand how to teach better than someone who had found it all easy.

Is it that they do well because they understand the aircraft systems properly? Like a learner driver who knows what the gearbox does instead of saying 'always change up at 20MPH'?

[Hooli]

Dr Jekyll said:

Is it that they do well because they understand the aircraft systems properly? Like a learner driver who knows what the gearbox does instead of saying 'always change up at 20MPH'?

I'd guess it's a good grasp of the theory as well as the ability to articulate it to others.

[Simpo Two]

I can imagine that a true 'fighter jock' could make a bad instructor and vice versa. Different skills.

[ETOPS]

Interestingly, the military in the UK have a different ethos on this, to what you may expect. Through all of the leadrship and 'soft skills' training an Officer goes through, it is, to an extent, assumed that the ability to teach, demonstrate, discuss and evaluate is there. Consequently, many of the Hawk and Tucano instructors are placed during their Hawk training, when it is deemed, perhaps, that the individual does ultimately have what it takes, but would personally benefit from a short stint instructing before heading to front-line single seat operation.

It's an old practice,and a fine job they do, too..