2023 Newsletter > Danny Burns Q & A
You faced several challenges going into your CFI checkride (bad weather, trip to Germany and then Montpelier flooded). How did you keep your focus and get through it?
“The last couple days leading up to my checkride were definitely pretty hectic! Luckily my house was not directly affected and I had done a lot of checkride prep work before the flooding, so I was able to spend the last few days before the checkride mostly dealing with the aftermath and finding a route to the airport. Going into the checkride I was wishing I had had more time to prepare the last few checkride items, but it went smoothly and everything turned out alright!”
Your first instructional flight came the afternoon you passed your checkride, during camp #1, correct? How did it feel taking that first instructional flight?
“Correct, my first instructional flight was with Mike Vinton a few hours after the checkride. I had spent so much time preparing to be an instructor that it seemed very natural, although it was certainly strange to let someone else do all the flying! Mike is a very capable pilot, so that made my job a lot easier!”
How many instructional flights have you done at this point?
“I did 60 instructional flights this season.”
How do you like instructing so far?
“I'm really enjoying instructing! It is a great way to give back to the Sugarbush community, and I get to fly with all sorts of awesome people. It is always great to see a student improve, especially if it's something they've been working really hard to get better at, and it is very rewarding to be able to help in that process.”
What do you find most challenging?
“The most challenging part is finding new ways to explain or demonstrate things to different people. Everybody knows the feeling of not understanding something until it is explained a certain way, and it is the instructor's job to figure out how to get each person to that "lightbulb moment". Every student comes from a different background, so finding the combination of words and demonstrations that make sense in that person's mind is always an interesting challenge.”
What was it like helping to prepare Braden and Tim for their checkrides?
“Helping Tim, Braden, and Luc with checkride prep was a great way to grow as an instructor, as I had been in their shoes mere weeks before! I was able to answer checkride questions from my recent experiences, as well as make sure that they had all of their prep documents set up efficiently. They were all already super prepared and competent, and passed with nothing but praise from Daryl [the DPE].”
What kind of emotions did you feel when signing off Sebastian to solo? How did it feel to be the one cutting his shirt?
“Signing Sebastian off to solo was a great experience! He's an excellent pilot, and I had absolutely no doubt that he was ready to fly solo. On the last prep flight before signing him off I did an unannounced, simulated rope break in some tough conditions, and yet he somehow managed to turn a simulated rope break at pattern altitude into a full-length flight! To this day I'm not sure how he managed that, but it showed a tremendous amount of grit, determination, and piloting skills. After that, we waited a bit for conditions to calm down and off he went! It was a very rewarding experience to be able to play a role in that process, and I look forward to seeing where his flying career takes him.”
Any other reflections about this past summer that you’d like to share?
“Instructing at Sugarbush is a privilege and I wouldn't trade it for anything! Between the great people and awesome flying I truly couldn't imagine a better way to spend my summers, and I look forward to the 2024 season!”
What is your dream aviation job?
“My dream aviation job is flying medevac/air ambulance flights, although I hear that's pretty difficult in a Schweizer 2-33.”