I wanted to take a minute and share my impressions of the A.F.I.T. 10 day course and especially my instructor, Bill. If I had to sum up Bill in one word it would be patience. We began the course in Georgetown flying my Piper Archer II which I thought was in the best shape ever. After one day of flying the autopilot gave up followed by the number 2 navigation radio. I was really upset about the autopilot! Bill used his relationship with Central Texas Avionics to get the equipment back online the day before the check ride. In the interim we flew approach after approach in the gusty central Texas winds with Bills voice calmly goading me with the phrase, “okay now level the wings and you’ll fly right back into the donut”. One of the many phrases that was helpful to remember during the check ride although I still hear them in my sleep. We visited a number of airports around Texas with a variety of approaches and environments in differing conditions. The only constant was Bill’s patience and calm demeanor; oh and the aviation stories and his experiences weren’t bad either. We reviewed for the oral when we could and dined at some of the best small Texas town restaurants around.
Bill in conjunction with AFIT was a great way, albeit intense at times for this gray haired guy to complete my instrument training successfully.

Thank you very much and best regards to all.

• Donald Rae - Rockport, Texas