As of today, I have had 1318 flights and one crash. Why so few? Am I some kind of gifted prodigy? Nope, just a 58 year old guy with bad eyes and no athletic ability. So why so few crashes?

Answer is..I study with an instructor.

I can imagine some of you thinking, “that’s cheating” or “crashing and rebuilding is part of the hobby.” Yet you are totally comfortable taking guitar lessons, golf lessons, martial arts lessons, cooking lessons etc…

Working with an instructor is not some kind of “magic spell” that instantly turns a beginner into a 3D master with no work at all. Even with an instructor, you still have to develop the mental and physical abilities required to fly. The instructor simply helps make the process more efficient.

But probably the most important thing an instructor does is remove the fear. I can imagine some of you thinking “but I like the fear, I like the adrenaline”. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of adrenaline when you try the stuff on your own. It just helps a lot if the first time you try it, you can do it without fear.

When I try to remember my one and only crash, I find that I really don’t know what I did wrong. I was so filled with panic that I couldn’t think straight. As a result, I really didn’t learn anything from that crash.

With an instructor, when you get out of control, he will take over control and save the heli. But far more important, he will tell you exactly what you did wrong and what to do to avoid the mistake next time. He then knows your weakness, and will drill you on that maneuver over and over, till you get it right.

Todd is an excellent instructor. I really can’t imagine anybody doing it better. As the ebayers might say “AAAAAA++++++ will study with him again!!!!!”

Of course, a lesson with Todd includes some bonus stuff as well. Between student flights, he often flys by himself. The student then gets a chance to see a master pilot performing close-up. (much better than those crappy youtube videos). When he’s not flying, he’s a nonstop firehose of useful tips, observations, explanations and other enlightening stuff that he has learned in the many, many years he has been flying.

Some of you might be thinking, “yeah, but I can’t afford it.” I actually think of the cost as a bargain. Compare the cost of a typical two hour lesson with one bad crash. Unless you fly an mcpx, it’s likely that the lesson is actually less expensive. (If you fly a 700, a lot less expensive)

When I first saw Todd’s site, I thought “looks like grad school, bet he doesn’t teach beginners.” I was wrong. Todd teaches pilots at all levels, even first time noobs.

And no, I’m not some paid advertising guy, just a very, very happy and satisfied student.

-Mike Peterson, Computer Engineer (MpVpRb on Helifreak)

Come and see Matt in his Eagle 580 at the XFC this year. Matt puts on an amazing demo, it’s a real treat

www.mattchapman.com