Students

A's first student as an instructor passed her check ride. Â I'm so proud of him. He was so nervous. And since it was his first students checkride, the examiner and other CFI's did a little hazing on him. But he made it through and has 2 more students getting their tickets this week.
 After all of the confusion of what/when A was going to teach, he ended up as an add on instructor. So he gets people for a few days to teach them the info for additional license, like an ATP or MEI. It's definetly the hardest type of instructing, but also the fastest to accumulate hours. It's hardest because you get all sorts of people with a wide range of flight skills and he has to get them comfortable in the plane and teach them the knowlege, in as little as one day. Occasionally this involves bringing people's skills up to par.
One of the reasons he ended up teaching the add on's is his age. At 35, he is more mature and has more credibility than some of the younger guys at his school. It seems that some of these high time pilots who come in for add on certificates don't really dig being taught by a 21 year old punk. I don't blame them. He's also less likely to make an ass of himself in front of a female student. He'll probably end up with a lot of those because of it. That doesn't bother me much; if it did, I would just pop on down to the airport to bring them all a snack and make myself known. He's a good guy and knows what he's got in me.
On jetcareers, someone made a comparison that was interesting and seems right on. The private pilot students are like your children. They arrive with no skills, you spend a lot of time with them (two months or so) to teach them everything you know. Then you see them progress and you feel the pride of a parent. Add on students are like step children. They arrive out of the blue, you have no idea where they've been and what they've been taught. You spend a few days with them, teach them what you can and send them on their way.

The amount of time he is spending at the airport is definetly taking it's toll on everyone physically. We are all exhausted and he rarely has much time for us, which we all feel and hate. He comes home so tired that all he wants to do is go to bed. I've pretty much had to take over all of the household duties for the time being. I'm willing to do it for a few months, to get us through this stage, but it will not become a forever thing. If we are both working full time, it will be a 50/50 split. He knows I would never stand for that. In the meantime, I'm plying him with healthy food and vitamins to keep him going and plying myself with nice shopping trips at the mall to keep my lonliness at bay. As if I needed an excuse for that!