Accelerate your flight training journey
My goal is to accelerate your flight training experience. Learning is multifaceted… Your mind develops insights and depth of understanding when exposed to a subject in multiple ways.
This is not intended to replace a flight or ground instructor. They are simply resources to make your ‘Homework’ more vivid and engaging.
I hope that this truly does ‘Accelerate your flight training journey’!
About Me
Ron Craighead
I am an independent flight instructor operating out of Gillespie and Montgomery field in the San Diego area. I have a degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and am a retired veteran of both the U.S. Navy and Army. I currently volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol as a Pilot and Aerospace Education Officer.
I am passionate about aviation and learning. Flight training is often the most challenging thing that students have attempted. My hope is that this content enhances your flight training experience.
If my ‘Tips and tricks’ help you along in your journey, please ‘pay it forward’ and introduce this site to another aviator!
How You Can Make The Most Of Your Investment
The most valuable thing I’ve learned in my flight training is that the more you learn on the ground, the faster you will learn in the air. The learning law of Readiness essentially states that you must be prepared to learn for learning to happen. Studying material in small, easily absorbed ‘chunks’ using written materials and videos can help you in the cockpit and will maximize the effectiveness of the instructor you are partnering with.
Read the articles
Your flight training textbook might look thick and daunting, but any topic in aviation can be thoroughly explained in a short article that takes 20 minutes or less to understand. Read the blog article on any of the subjects here, then move on to step two…
Videos and Resources
It’s said that to really get a point across, you have to say things seven times, seven different ways. Each subject has a curated collection of resources, created by OTHER CFIs, for you to review. Repetition invokes the learning law of “Exercise”… The more you do something, the better you learn it!
Flight Simulation
The secret to maximizing your flight training investment and experience is to learn as much as possible on the ground. The cockpit of an airplane is a terrible classroom! My 50+ hour simulation curriculum sets students and cadets up for success! Check out the simulation section for more.
News
First Business Trip!
It’s always been a dream of mine to simply fly myself somewhere on a business trip. This last week, I finally did it! Beth and I flew an Arrow 2, N4389X from Montgomery Field in San Diego (KMYF) to Hawthorne field (KHHR) to drop off the airplanes owner. Then we continued north to Palo Alto airport (KPAO) for a week in Silicon Valley for work!
The trip home, we ended up threading the needle between a couple areas of heavy rain. Made it back to Montgomery with no stops! We hit some headwinds that cost us about 15 knots… So flight time was about 3 hours and 11 minutes. Beth did a great job handling the radios and talking to the center controllers! It was a great trip all around.
Become a student
If you are considering beginning your flight training, or if you want to re-start after taking a break, click the link below for a packet on flight training in the San Diego area.
CFI Ron Student Portal 