Looking for a Instructor in Texas

Dirtydog

Best seat in the house!
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
2,298
Location
South, SC
Aircraft
Dogbee / Gyrobee
Total Flight Time
18 duel/ 55 hrs in the Dogbee
A guy is looking for an instructor in Texas......anyone know of one?:phone:
 
As a guy from Texas who has been looking.... there ain't one.

I went to Steve McGowan in Georgia.
 
GaryMac :
What about this guy?

I saw it in the instructors list. Really guys the list needs to updated. I myself tried to get in touch with Maxie only to find out he was not doing it either and I had to travel to Macon, Ga. but I have to leave the house at 4:00AM to get to Macon by 7:30 AM Long drive.

Mike Solano
Caddo Mills, TX
eMail: [email protected]
Home: 903-364-5082 Cell: 903 815-3494
 
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Didn't Mike 'used' to instruct for A/C?
I thought that Greg Bradley (gab76 here on the forum) replaced him in 2005.
He worked for the airlines and would commute to Caddo Mills by appointment.
He is a top notch instructor and flies a tandom A/C w/2.5 sub.
 
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GaryMac :
What about this guy?

Mike was an Advanced Flight Instructor under the Ultralight training exemption. He did not upgrade to his Sport Pilot CFI rating.
 
I belong to Chapter 62 in Houston and that is our #1 problem, no instructor. We have the potential to be one of the strongest chapters in the PRA but as interested persons become involved, they drop out just as fast when they find out that they have to travel 8-10 hours away to get instruction. This is a very interesting sport but also very expensive. When you have to add in travel and expenses on top of your lessons you are easily looking at $6,000 to $8,000 to get your wings. There's also time off from work and most people only get a week or two a year and that usually has to be spent with the family, not traveling to another state to spend on training. Texas is not the only area with this problem, the PRA and the current CFI's realize this and are working at bringing in more CFI's but that is a very tough job and it seems as though most pilots that are interested in getting their CFI live in areas where there is not such a shortage as is the case in Texas.
 
I live in southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles to be precise. I got my first bit of training, from Steve McGowan when he came to our Chapter 20 fly inn in Jennings, LA. I bought my gryro the following year at Bensen Days 2007. I waited almost 4 months until i had some time off of work and trailered my gyro to Macon GA to finish my training. Fortunately only took me a couple more hours before Steve signed me off for solo. Unfortunately, there are not many instructors near Louisiana and Texas, that is true. But with some planning, it can be done. I know for myself, it was the best 10, 12, 14 hours, or whatever it was, of driving i ever drove. The anticipation was driving me. It is not the most practical training scenario, but it is what it is, for now anyway.
 
Terry Brandt may be training in Texas soon.

Terry Brandt may be training in Texas soon.

I have heard that there has been an effort made to get Terry Brandt to come to Texas and do some training in a Golden Butterfly. You might want to contact him and see if that is indeed going to happen. That will be an excellent trainer for people who want to eventually fly a single place machine.

Go Terry!!!!

Gyro Doug
 
I thought I might be able to help someone that is looking for an instructor in Texas.
Sorry Frank you are on your own!


Again someone needs to update this page!
http://www.rotaryforum.com/faq/instructors.html


Happy 4th of July guys
:usa2:
How is PRA to know who to remove?
1) Has anyone notified PRA?

Ask Instructors that do notify PRA to changes and they are made the same day!

The instructors need to take some responsibility to audit their info and inform PRA of any changes needed.

Removing an instructor could be a problem, what if someone emailed us and told us Steve is no longer training.

If you are tired of this, volunteer like I have, we could use a person to call or email all of our contacts and get actual current information.

Any takers?
 
John, Dirtydog isn't referring to the PRA info. He is referring to the info here on this forum.

I don't know what the arrangement is between the PRA and the instructors now that LODA has replaced the 5209 exemption. I suspect that you are right and the instructors have to monitor their info and revise or remove as required.

In checking the latest issue of the PRA mag, I don't see any any instructors listed that operated under that ASC exemption like Mike Solano did. The ones listed are all FAA CFIs.
 
Oops, sorry Dog, my bad!

Thanks Dean for the heads up!
 
I don't know what the arrangement is between the PRA and the instructors now that LODA has replaced the 5209 exemption.

When I asked I was told only instructors who have a LODA will be listed in the magazine. They (PRA) have made a couple of exemptions for instructors (CFI) who only instruct in a students 2-place gyro.
 
Ron Menzie is also starting to train in Arizona some during the winter months. Contact him for details.
 
I will FWD that Tim Thanks!:yo:
 
Uh!! Think About It....

Uh!! Think About It....

Unless I tell you I'm not instructing any more.. Don't believe what your being told..

Dang Chris, I thought you said you enjoyed yourself ?? DUH!!!

I would and have traveled quite a bit to instruct. With GBA and probably do it again, Hopefully those that read this understand that it has to be under certain conditions.

There will need to be atleast 5 students that state they want instructions.

ATLEAST 5 hours per student to be paid in advance, Non- Refundable. This will be a guarantee that when I get there, the student shall also be there to schedule their time..

Travel expenses will also be part of the agreement.

To Me,, instructing is NOT a MONEY Thang.. but it takes it to operate, and as I have told each and every person that I have ever instructed,

IF,, You don't feel you've learned or enjoyed the time we have flown together.. You get your money back,, No Questions..

If you don't think I'm worth what I charge for instructions,, Look in the Mirror and tell me if your worth it.... This Ain't about me,, It Is About You!!

But Remember I will not be a part of instructing a student for a few hours and they go out and kill themselves..

It's like handing someone bulletts (instructions) and them not knowing what gun safety is. Them loading the gun (a Gyro) and go on to blow they're brains out.. Or crash a gyro killing themselves.

NowThink about it Yall.... You say you cannott get the time to travel for instructions, But want someone to come to you and you possibly not show up.

And a few hours won't make you a gyro pilot.. It doesn't matter what prior experience you have..

Now if this hurts your feelings,, You'll live to get over it.. But Don't ask me to lie to you about what Gravity will alway's tell you the truth about..

I do this 24/7 and know what I'm talking about,, You know it too, thats why this thread is here..

Steve

ps... there are other things that need to be checked,, airport acceptability, time of year etc..
 
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I don't know what the arrangement is between the PRA and the instructors now that LODA has replaced the 5209 exemption...

The current PRA instructors list on the website still lists them as instructing under Exemption 5209, so the weeds are pretty tall there, too.

It used to be that if the required activity reports were not received by the PRA from an instructor, they'd be dropped from the list. Now that instructors don't have to worry about keeping current on the 5209 list, PRA may have no way of knowing who's instructing.
 
I believe that a traveling CFI versus going to his facility is more of a gamble than it's worth.

Travel expenses are incurred either way and the CFI sure isn't going to be stuck with them so the student pays travel expenses no matter who incurred them.

The airport the CFI trains out of is familiar with gyros and has a standing relationship with the CFI, may be tough to find an airport at your location that could be as understanding.

If a CFI is traveling then most likely his time will be split between several students, if it's your time and the weather won't cooperate then you lose the time. If you were at his facility then time will be allotted as soon as the weather permits.

A CFI can train only so many hours in a weeks time so if you are splitting time with other students you will have a limited amount of hours, probably much less than if you were at his facility.

You will not "get your wings" in just one trip of him visiting your airport so you will have to schedule him back and hope that everyone else that was involved the first time will be able/willing to do it again.

I live in Houston and train with Ron Menzie in Searcy Arkansas. I feel as though I'm getting much more out of my training by going there and training at his facility which is first class and I don't have other students to share his time with. I'm just very fortunate that I have relatives that live close by so I save on hotel expenses and I work for someone that allows me to take the time off to get my training. I personally would much rather train at the CFI's facility than to have him come to me and have to depend on other students to come through with their promises to make everything work as planned.

We do need a CFI in Texas though, either Dallas area or Houston area. There are a lot of people in Texas that would get into gyros if they didn't have such a hard time getting lessons.
 
Thank YOU GUYS!

Thank YOU GUYS!

I was looking for an instructor in Texas for a guy that just bought a Starbee gyro. He e-mailed me asking a question so I was trying to help. I guess it you want instruction you are going to have to travel a bit is all I can tell him. Thanks for your help guys.

I still say the list needs to updated with some type of color chart telling people that is person is not training at this time or something like that.

Just a thought.

See you soon Steve McGowan for some more time.
 
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