multi21

The airline reward miles, duh..

good hands

The hat and the jacket.

DaveM993

The word "Certified" is out. The lawyers will have a field day with PCA over that term if, heaven forbid, a PCA "Certified" Instructor is involved in a serious incident.

I think it is only National Instructor now? "Certified" implies a level of care or responsibility for the instructor's quals that PCA is, rightfully, reluctant to accept.

SundayDriver

Two reasons and only two reasons:
1. So I could drove other people's cars.
2. To wear my Ferrari drovers suit and look cool.

RedlineMan

Hmmm...

I had such great instructors (Derek Bell, Peter Uria, Dennis DeFranceschi, Bill Adam, Peter Alves) and such a great time learning, I thought it would be neat to share what I had learned so others could have that kind of fun.

I learned a lot about driving from instructing too, eh?

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Reporting Live from Brockville, Ont., Canada.

Professor Helmüt Tester

Why no "Because the Mary Kay franchises in this area were all sold out" choice ?

Bryan Watts

Prestige? Ha.

jscott82

What he said.....

But a side benefit I did not anticipate when I made the decision to start. I have become a much better driver, and still learn something new from every student.... even if it is a new "wrong" way to do it....

JClark

So people would stop telling me to slow down at DEs.

TedA

The opportunity to go off at T10 at VIR with 2 of my first 3 students and not hit anything. I rock.... Oh and NASA sent me this cool plastic card that says "Official Instructor License". So I look pretty cool in the paddock if you leave out the helmet hair.

trumperZ06

Accelerator

That is my understanding also. I took the National program which is PCA's certified program but I don't believe it produces a graduate that is considered "Nationally certified".

TREMPER

By being National "certified" means at some point in time I or my successor will have to "re-certify" you...which at this point in time, we(PCA) does not plan to do..therefore, the operative phase is "Nationally Trained" Instructor..
Pete

Crazy Canuck

I'm Nationally Trained because Pete, and Bob Rouleau and a few others from Rennsport Region, trained me. Nice to give back and I'm finding I'm learning a lot in the right seat.

NaroEscape

Rick,
What I can tell you about the program is that it helps teach people how to TEACH driving, not just sit in the right hand seat and say "brake, turn here, brake, etc." For new instructors, it's a great wake up call to have them understand what they are getting into - especially the role playing excercises. For veteran instructors like me, it gave me a few new tricks of the trade to work with my students on. Better communication, and the idea of how to provide a much better overall experience to the student.

The other thing is it helps create a baseline. There are a lot of small regions that run maybe one DE per year and don't have a big instructor core of their own, so they rely on lots of outside help. If an instructor has taken the training course, you at least know they have some level of knowledge about instructing and can hopefully handle themselves. Is it the end all-be all in instructing? No, but it gives another tool for the DE chairs, and the instructors themselves, to understand what's going on.