I am contemplating flight instruction from a few nearby flight schools. Is there a website that provides information on certifications that a pilot has?

I suggest you ask the instructer for his/her logbook. This should have a entry in it as to when they completed the test for instructer. If they do not want to show you than they are more than likely not FAA certified. With the name of the pilot I would imagine the FAA could verify there status. I am not aware of a website that lists all pilots as this might be senestive information.

Thanks for the quick responses to all.

Certainly a direct questions is a good idea, but sometimes schools list their instructors without giving background. Was just hoping to do review what I could ahead of time.

Cessna

About a year ago I was able to find a site that gave me the certifications of a certain instructor that worked out of a local school. I had to know his registration? number to get the information. It was probably an FAA site. This year, however, I cannot locate any site that even asks for a registration number.

Cessna

What exactly are you looking for? Proof that a given instructor is really a CFI? If so, you can almost certainly rest assured that the school has already checked on that.


But if that's not satisfactory, if you do find a list of pilots and their certifications, you may not find any information that cross-references them to a particular flight school, so I'm not sure how this would help you, unless you get all the instructors' names first.

If you just want to know if said instructor is a good instructor, locate a student at the school you're interested in, and ask the student. Warning: answers may vary from student to student...


For what it's worth, I'd sooner want to see the aircraft's books than the instructor's...

Quote:

I would think that's fairly obvious. Some aircraft are better maintained than others.

Things have changed a lot since I was learning to fly. In those days instructing was seen as an honourable profession but nowadays it seems to be a stop-gap until something better comes along. At least, I get the impression that's how it is in the US.

Quote:

My point, I suppose, is that there are more lousy flight-school planes out there than lousy instructors... at least that's been my personal impression.

It's not a bad idea to at least ask to see the maintenence logs for a plane you're thinking of renting... if they refuse to show them, or make some fishy excuse, go somewhere else.

As for the instructors, even an outfit that skimps on maintenance will check out prospective CFIs pretty thoroughly.
New CFIs are a dime a dozen, and they don't stay long, generally- employers can afford to be picky.

  I wouldn't worry about their qualifications- it's more important to hook up with a teacher who's a good match to your needs and personality. And an impressive resume doesn't mean much until you fly with this person and see what they're really like as a teacher.

To further illustrate my point regarding average quality of CFIs vs. average quality of aircraft maintenance:
I once met a young, hungry CFI who had abruptly quit his first flying job, with a small flight school, after he saw the owner of the school out on the ramp straightening the prop on a trainer-with a hammer-  while it was still attached to the airplane...

Quote:

Interesting indeed. It would be very frustrating to find an instructor that suits you only for them to move on after a couple of lessons.

You can usually tell how well an aircraft is maintained just by looking at it. It's not so much the age that matters but general cleanliness, condition of tyres & things like that.

I don't mean to disparage FBO/flight school maintenance in general-
I guess my main point was that  the planes offer more unpleasant surprises than the instructors, on average. At least that's based on my experience: 5 instructors and about 6 or so different aircraft during my 2 years working on my PPL... liked some instructors more than others, but felt they were qualified to teach, regardless of what their resumes might have said.
As Hagar noticed, the annoyance of high CFI turnover is the biggest problem I had with that school... cost me hours of review, and yes, I lost a couple that I really clicked with, and had to adjust to a few that were not quite "on my wavelength".
  I'd advise a PPL hopeful who can't knock out the whole syllabus in a cuple of months to find a retired person or career instructor who will stick with you- young CFIs eager to jump off to the next rung on the ladder are often excellent pilots and instructors, but they don't stick around long.

On the other hand, as far as the aircraft go, during that period I had:
One starter failure
One smoking transponder
Two incidences of finding tools under the cowl or clamped to the cowl
One badly damaged brake line (noticed, fortunately, pre-flight)
Numerous radio and intercom problems
One landing light failure (the one time I arrived solo at sunset, of course)
Missing aileron balance weights
Inop flaps
Inop vacuum systems
Useless nosewheel shimmy dampers, usually coupled with badly worn tires and underinflated struts

... that's the ones I remember offhand...but my point is made.

We have to bear in mind, of course, that these are not things you'd find out about, necessarily, by looking at the maint. logs, but I mention doing so mostly because if the aircraft owner or operator is reluctant to produce them, you should walk away (or run, maybe).
  Doesn't matter if you know how to interpret the data- they should be willing to reveal all
If they won't, consider that a "red flag".

A Certified Flight Instructor's qualifications need to be broken down backwards.

Even this link  http://www.gleim.com/aviation/flight_ground/fgreqs.php ; doesn't give the whole picture. For example.. it just quickly mentions that one of the first requirements is a commercial or ATP rating. Those in themselves are rather involved accomplishments. A commercial rating itself has, as a bare minimum, 250 hours.

Basically.. A CFI is an instrument and commercially rated pilot; demonstrating a certification and aptitude for teaching; having passed appropriate written, oral and practical testing.

There's no doubt in my mind that path to CFI-dom has evolved into something that accommodates those using it as a step along the way to some other flying career. Ideally, it should be a viable career choice on its own. Unfortunately, it is not.

I'll bet there's an interesting story about how FOI made it into the requirements. It is logical, as you'd be a "teacher", and governments love their paperwork and certificates.  I've heard the test isn't any more difficult than any other, FAA writen exam. You gotta admit, they have a "civil service test" air to them.

I was a substitute teacher at a community college, right after graduating. I just called up the office and asked them to re-certify me, as if I'd be coming back to substitute again. That info on the college's' letter-head let me skip the FOI test.

I wish I had accurate (and fond) memories of my very first instructor. Iwas all of 19. He ran a slip-shot little operation in Escanaba, Michigan. His son still operates a private, grass strip on their property, just outside of Gladstone. He might even be dead now.. Last time I heard anything about him.. was when he flew drunk and landed on the freeway near the airport 

The instructors (and the guy who ended up being my mentor) I've met, flying out of KOSU have been wonderful. Ohio State University runs their Aviation Department out of that airport. In fact.. they RUN the airport. Most all the instructors that filter through the three clubs at KOSU, are fresh graduates from OSU's Aviation Program. High standards permeate the whole area; and it's a very tight fraternity. It's actually the busiest airport in Ohio, as far as take-offs and landings go. There are also two medivac operations there; and several corporate hangars. I'd guess that there are at least a dozen corporate jets based there. Even the tower guys are part of the "gang". Our club lets them access the internet via our wireless router so they can keep themselves entertained on slow nights.

The instructor who got me through my instrument rating ended up taking a job flying a Rockwell Commander for a company that does USGS, aerial photography. One of HIS instructors flies a Citation for Honda (won't be a Citation for long     ). The day I passed my instrument checkride, we got to go sit in that Citation and just talk pilot stuff (I got left seat in honor of my new rating).

Sorry.. got  to rambling...