Joe Gutierrez of Kingman, Arizona sends in this advice: The best flight training tool is to commit yourself 100% to learning how to fly without reservation. To say you want to is not enough. You have to commit yourself.
Second, no sim time or DVD — this is artificial and the end result is still the same, didn’t learn nothing.
Third you cannot use the word low cost and quality in the same sentence. They don’t mix. You either have quality or low cost, but not both.
Lastly, to stay current, fly, fly, fly. The best training tool is still fly, fly, fly — and to stay motivated fly, fly, fly. There is absolutely no substitute that takes the place of actual flying.
Do not encourage new people to use flat panels and late model instrumentation, the old steam gauges are still the best for training reasons and the lessons learned on these are never forgotten, plus you spend the appropriate amount of time looking outside the window instead of having your head buried in the cockpit. You cannot see and avoid otherwise. Sorry, all the latest tech comes much later.
I was taught by a Navy jock CFI, and well taught, so lucky.
Source: http://generalaviationnews.comTip: Fly, fly, fly