Neuroscientist and Science Teacher turned CFII

Type Ratings

Harvard grad experienced neuroscientist teacher and coach.

TRAVELING CFII

I can do all ratings FAST but instrument is my speciality.

Accelerated instrument rating training.

A.I.R. Training

STANDARD:

Zero to instrument rated in less than 5 weeks WITH A FULL TIME JOB: It’s 10-13 7 hours sessions plus 5 hours of independent reading and assignment between lessons. Meeting me a minimum of 2x per week.

FULL TIME:

Full Time Instrument: 13 days ($13500) 7-8hours lessons.

Full Time Commercial: 6days ($6500) 5-6hour lessons.

Full Time Private: 25 days ($19500) 4.5hours lessons half.

Lessons are half flight and half ground.  5 hours of studying to be expected between all lessons.  I provide the assignments and readings.

FAA written test must be completed in advance scores need to be 85 or higher. For all “full time” speeds of training the written MUST be completed in advance of beginning flight training.

I will even travel to you at your home airport and I can train you in anything from a Cessna, to a Cirrus, or a Mooney or a Beechcraft you name it.

How accelerated instrument rating (A.I.R.)training works…..

YOUR INSTRUCTOR (ME)

SKY SMITH CFI/I

Harvard BA

Michigan MS

Neuroscientist

High School Science Teacher

Soccer, Basketball and Track & Field Coach

30s woman

I can offer accelerated instrument training (as well as PPL and CPL) to anyone with a completed written test score of 85 or higher. As you have the rote memorization knowledge in place already—-nicely done. And you have shown the ability to self motivate and study independently. I can harness those abilities with my background in neuroscience and as a career educator and athletics coach into getting you quickly and effectively your instrument rating.

I then teach you how to fly instrument first from the fundamentals where you “see” learn to see where you are in space and time and build from there on up. I can teach on anything from a 6 pack with no GPS to a G1000 (I personally think the 650 and 750 are the best bang for your buck gps platforms) I will also teach you in your own airplane INCLUDING EXPERIMENTALS. I will prepare you for real world instrument flying beyond putzing around under foggles in sunny skies. We will file IFR flight plans and go into real IMC; the real word experience you need to be safe after checkride passing.

We will integrate what you’ve memorized in preparing for the written exam into practical application for skilled instrument flying and passing a checkride with flying colors. I can with my extensive background in neuroscience, teaching and coaching background dramatically reduce your time, headaches and also costs in obtaining this rating……

I also can get you a checkride as soon as you are ready this may require some travel —-and I will come with you to the checkride to prepare you for exactly what you will expect for checkride day. As part of your prep we can build in the trip to your checkride into your training syllabus out to Oregon or Nevada; this we can discuss based on your preferences. Or it you are willing to wait a little longer for a date the examiner can come to you and you can stay put. This is all built into my instructional costs I SEE YOU THROUGH TO CHECKRIDE PASSING (you just pay the examiner $800-$1000 for his or her time the only additional fee of any kind) and I take care all of the little things that take away all your time and energy away from learning instrument. Or you can also go solo to your checkride if you prefer; I leave that up to you.  I even have some examiners who are willing to give you a checkride in an experimental or a tailwheel if I put forth my good faith word it’s safe; not all will give checkride in such airplanes.

I want to be 100 percent transparent with my students about what I can and cannot do for each of them. As that is how I wish others were for me in my path to a career in aviation.

I will get you checkride ready for those oral questions that will be thrown your way. Your ability to study independently also helps reduce your costs and time to this rating. You must be highly self motivated otherwise this will not be the course for you.

The A.I.R. Training package 40hrs of instrument flight training (45-50 hours of flying total including the time not spent under foggles with run ups and taxing and flying below decision altitudes) with me personally plus as much ground as you need, likely 50 hours, as this is an “academic rating.” I personalize lessons to you so I put in time, A LOT, that you do not see but you will come to appreciate. With the package you don’t get “unexpected” costs you and you don’t feel the need to skimp on ground instruction, you save your most valuable resource which is time as I streamline the material you most need to know and give you focused assignments. So you know if you listen to my teaching, mentoring and coaching that in just 5 weeks or less you can have your instrument rating; no more gaps in training, or instructor moving to the airlines and leaving you hanging; you get it done!

If you do not have your own airplane I can provide you with one to train in for an additional cost.  This cost will strictly be what the airplane cost me to operate on a per hour basis with fuel, maintenance and insurance considerations in my IFR Cessna 150 (let’s call this roughly $85 per hour) You will be instructed by an academically trained neuroscientist and high school science teacher, soccer, basketball and track and field coach. I was academically trained at Harvard University. So I have the credentials to back my claims of being able to offer a superior service.

Others are cheaper, yes, but I give what many cannot and that is value for the price and savvy personalization from a career educator. Cheap does not equate to value and cheap can cost your more to get your rating in the long run.

No part 61 or part 141 instructor will get you more instrument knowledge and skill acquisition in 40 hours of instrument flying and 50 hours of ground together than I will. And if you find someone who can the I want to meet them!!!! This I can promise you.

I put my “money where my mouth is” so to speak in terms of my effectiveness as if I don’t find you competent of passing your checkride at the end of the 40hours I will refund you 1/3rd of my instructing costs. As if I choose to work with you because of your character and work ethic but if cannot get your ready well then I FAILED YOU.

Here is what the “outline” of A.I.R. training looks like.

I get my students who do all assignments, which amounts to 5 hours of outside studying between lessons passing there instrument checkride after lesson 13 can be done in 10 If you have flying stamina and are exceptional with independent studying (lessons average 7 hours). 5-6 weeks is average but faster can be arranged (I can guarantee 2x per week meet with any singular client). It is quick but NOT EASY as I skip nothing and do not leave my students with any Swiss cheese holes as I call them.  However after 40 hours of flying you are ready for real instrument flying on your own after you pass your checkride.

SAMPLE LESSON:

Lesson 1: 2.5 ground/.5 debrief.4.0 hour flight.

****My training is categorized by “high density of learning and maximum skill acquisition per unit time invested instructing.” Efficiency and effectiveness are what I pride myself in delivering to my students.**** this is what I believe separates me from your “average” instructor.

***Plate annotating together with my students is a big part of my ground—makes executing the approaches so much easier for my students.

Lesson 1 Flight Activities after my 2.5 ground session.

PLAN OF ACTION (P.O.A.)

I give your incrementally increasing in challenge assignments. And I meet you where you are at and customize our plan for the day to optimize your results not someone else’s.  I keep a motor skill developement first philosophy and I add layers of complexity and multitasking to your training as you demonstrate proficiency at each assigned task that I throw at you.

My attention to detail, my background in neuroscience, coaching sport from everyone from elementary schools atheletes to Olympic Athletes athletes and classroom teaching make me able to customize your training effectively to you and get you the results you dream of if you are willing to put in some hard work studying independently between our lesson.

I also own an IFR equipped Cessna 150 that I travel in and instruction with my clients in this plane can be negotiated for additional cost.  Clients weighing over 250lbs are those I would not recommend this airplane for training in you will be too sardined in.

I can meet clients at their home airport or I can offer you a $1500 discount on each course if your prefer to meet me in Livermore, CA where the skies are very flyable nearly everyday of the calendar year.  I’m spoiled here.

Happy hippocampus building and axion myelinating.

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If interested: call, text or email.