I’m Wes Roche, a professional flight instructor who’s been flying for over 35 years. There’s only one thing in aviation I enjoy more than flying itself, and that’s teaching others to fly. While some CFI’s view flight instruction as a necessary duty to build hours before moving to better jobs, I view professional flight instruction as THE BEST job in aviation. I have no ambitions of moving on– just becoming the best flight instructor I can be and sharing that passion with the next generation of pilots. That’s why I do what I do.

Why the Luscombe? Of all the planes I’ve flown, I’ve found none more enjoyable than the Luscombe. It’s a good, solid, honest plane. It’s not particularly difficult to fly, but does require good fundamental habits, smooth use of controls, and some amount of precision to fly well. Best of all, it will let you know if something’s off, and because of this it makes a great airplane in which to learn to fly. 

Do you give flight instruction in other aircraft?  Absolutely. I’m happy to instruct in your aircraft, and have access to other training airplanes on the field as well.

What to expect? I will come to each lesson prepared. Regardless of your training goals, we’ll follow a written syllabus, and you’ll be kept appraised of your progress. Each lesson will start with a ground briefing before even climbing into the airplane. During the flight portion, we’ll first spend time mastering the fundamentals through various exercises proven to work well.  This can’t be over-emphasized and is foundational to the rest of your flying.  After each lesson we’ll debrief, which may include reviewing portions of the lesson recorded on a GoPro. I’ve found taking time to review video footage immediately after a flight lesson pays big dividends reinforcing the concepts taught.  It’s almost like getting two flight lessons for the price of one. Before you leave, we’ll discuss the plan for your next flight lesson so you will know what to expect and can review those specific topics at home.  Flight training isn’t cheap, and I want to make sure you get as much out of your flight training as you put in, and aren’t limited by the instructor. This is all about being prepared. 

But what if it’s just not working out? There’s something to be said for a good student / instructor match. If it’s just not working out, there’s no shame in saying so and then finding a different CFI. Professional flight instructors understand this, though new students typically don’t. In fact, my recommendation to students learning to fly is to take a lesson with a few different instructors before deciding which will be the best instructor for them.