DARRYL KALTHOF - CFI -West Valley Flying Club, Advanced Flyers, Sundance.
GENERAL CFI QUALIFICATIONS
FAA certificates ratings: airline transport pilot, airframe & powerplant mechanic, and flight engineer turbojet. Flight Instructor: single engine, multi-engine, instrument, advanced ground instructor.
EDUCATION AND FLYING EXPERIENCE
Graduate of Sacramento City College's aviation maintenance program AS- spring 1991
United Airlines Flight Officer intern - DC10/A320 Fleet, Denver, CO - spring semester 1993.
Graduate of San Jose State's aviation flight operations program BS- fall 1994.Ameriflight (FAR part 135 air cargo), Oakland, CA - Captain & Training Captain - Piper Lance & Chieftain.
Trans States Airlines (FAR part 121 commuter airline US Air, Alaska, Northwest Express feeding SFO and LAX airports), Saint Louis, MO - First Officer - British Aerospace Jetstream 32 (19 passenger turboprop).
NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System, Mountain View, CA - Assistant Analyst.
INSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE AND FLIGHT TIME
Certificates and rating earned by students (as of 12/31/2011):
Private Pilot Airline Transport Instrument Rating Flight Instructor Initial Commercial Instrument Instructor Multi-engine First Solo's Flight Hours (as of 12/2011) Total time Tailwheel Instruction Given Instrument (Actual & Hood) Multi-engine Night Complex Turboprop
BIOGRAPHYI began a career in aviation in 1988 when I took my first flying lesson in a Grumman Trainer. My original goal was to get a job flying with the major airlines. I pursued that goal until I reached the commuter airline level and realized that although I enjoyed my job I spent two-thirds of my time away from home. I decided to go back to flight instruction and find a great place to do it. Giving flight instruction has become my passion, and I intend to do it until I am very old.
Our family lives in the east bay. When I am not teaching I enjoy: playing with my daughter, hiking, bicycling, water-skiing, movies, and entertaining at home.
AVAILABILITY
I am usually available 45-60 hours a week. I try to schedule lessons within the following three time slots Monday through Friday so I can teach 15 lessons each week (lessons run about 2.5 to 3 hours):
8 AM TO 11:00 AM 11:00 AM TO 2:00 PM 2:00 PM TO 5:00 PM I work on most Saturday's and many Sunday mornings.
I do fly at night as requested or necessary.
INSTRUCTION RATES, BILLING, AND FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS
Flight instruction is my full time profession and I work diligently to provide professional instruction. I charge $90.00 per hour for flight and ground instruction. I give discounted rate of $80 per hour for instruction during the week (Mon-Fri 8-5 pm).
Students pay as they go at the end of each week. I do not charge block to block time I only charge for the time I am giving a student instruction. I do not charge for canceled lessons due to bad weather, student illness, or aircraft maintenance issues.
If you do need to cancel, please try to give at least 24 hours notice, more if possible. If you cancel with more then 24 hours notice please notify me via email. If you are canceling with less that 24 hours notice, especially on the day of the flight please call my cell phone (510) 299-3940 and leave a voice mail, or send me a text message.
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION
You reach me on my cell phone at (510) 299-3940 between 7:30 am and 9pm. There may be a two hour response time if I am flying at the time you call.
Or, you can email at d.kalthof@sbcglobal.net - I check it once or twice a day.
I AM ABLE TO INSTRUCT IN THE FOLLOWING AIRCRAFT TYPES:
Aeronca: 7AC Champion Beechcraft: BE35 BE76 Dutchess Bellanca: 7ECA Citabria Diamond DA42 Twin Star DA40 D-Star
Cessna: 152/162 172n/p Skyhawk 172SP 172RG 177RG 182RG 206 P210 Cirrus: SR20 SR22 Grumman: AA1B Trainer AA5B Tiger Mooney: M20K Piper: PA28-161 PA28-181 PA28R-201T PA28-236 PA32R-300 PA38-112 Piper Twins: PA23-160 PA23-250 PA31-310 PA31-350 PA34-200 PA44-180 Socata: TB20 Trinidad
HOW TO CHOOSE A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
An ideal flight instructor is one that you enjoy spending time with who has good theoretical knowledge and a variety of experience in flying and teaching to draw upon, and loves to instruct as an end, not just a means to an end.
Most flight instructors teach as a way to build flying time required for a job with the airlines. Most who do this are good pilots, but do not consider flight instruction as a career, but as a means to an end. They do not put much effort into improving their instructional abilites over the years.
Most flight schools take advantage of this and pay a flight instructor a fraction of what they charge the student for their services. Because of this most instructors can only afford, or want to instruct for a few years, (often less that 500-1000 hours) and leave the moment they get a job with the airlines. This can be very frustrating for the student who must now look for another instructor, or worse have one assigned to them by the school.
When you fly with a more experienced instructor they can help you learn and progress faster. They are able to quickly pick up on student mistakes, common reasons for mistakes, and have more than one solution to solve the problems students might have. They are more comfortable letting students make mistakes, and this leads to less time learning how maneuver and land. They develop special techniques that isolate needed skills and improve the students handing of the aircraft. They also have thousands of hours interacting with air traffic control and weather, and can pass this practical experience on to their students.
At flying clubs the flight instructors are independent contractors the students choose, and pay directly. Because of this many of the instructors at West Valley can afford to be full time career flight instructors who love to instruct and have given many thousands of hours of dual flight instruction.
A flight instructor should be well prepared for each lesson and keep track of a students progress through the use of a written syllabus that is given to the student. I use a written syllabus in conjunction with dozens of my own written handouts that let a student know exactly what to do and how to do it. This saves my clients time and money learning to fly and preparing for the FAA pratical test.
Click on the link below to see my handout list and a few sample handouts:
http://www.bayareaflyinglessons.com/resource.html
It is important to look for an instructor who can fly when you are able to fly.
If you would just like information on flying I would be happy to meet with you or answer your questions over the phone for FREE.
