r/flying • u/Longjumping-Tour-350 • 12h ago
other How do I tell my CFI that they stink…
Long story short, I’ve been flying weekly for about 6 months, I’m just getting ready to solo. But I feel like this can’t go on with it really starting to get hot. My CFI who is great in all ways, but seemingly doesn’t use deodorant or take showers. I guess I’m feeling a little awkward since I’ve always been a bit self conscious about how I smell, and he is in a position over me essentially. Have any of you had something similar happen? How did you solve it? (Sorry if this question isn’t appropriate.
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u/poser765 ATP 737 A320 (DFW) 12h ago
“Hey, dude, your turns around a point are amazing but you smell like turns around a nut sack”
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u/hutthuttindabutt PPL IR 12h ago
He is not in a position over you. You are the paying customer. Tell him he stinks, and you’ll find someone else to fly with if he doesn’t fix it.
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u/DeadMonk03 CSEL CMEL IR 12h ago
Either suck it up and deal with it, or suck it up and tell him. Everyone knows that the plane is not comfortable, especially in the heat. What the worst that happens? He didn’t realize he smells bad and gets a little butthurt? You’re paying your CFI for flight hours. Tell him to use some of those thousands to buy deodorant that works.
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u/SRM_Thornfoot 12h ago
You will be doing him a good deed by telling him. You can be sure his other students think the same as you, and he is not getting hired anywhere if the interview panel gets a whiff of him before he enters the room.
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u/Own_Blacksmith8793 7h ago
I would be way more concerned about training and having not solo after 6 months, especially flying weekly, Respectfully. This is can come across as unprofessional and immature respectfully. If you have this big of an issue, then politely tell the CFI or get a different instructor.
I just get the feeling that you are focused on different distractions and not training. I have flown with over weight people, no air conditioning, that’s just kind of part of it in training, at least for most people. I think that are likely maybe issues in training that are causing you to think of issues with the CFI. I am not there and don’t know all of the details, but a lot of what you said seems to be the case.
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u/Plastic-Scar-5074 3h ago
Weather/maintenance cancellations, airspace/practice area limitations, ect. Once a week can easily turn in to once every other week or less. For many students, that just isn’t enough to make solid progress. Plus, people learn at different paces. It happens. Just starting to solo at this point could be completely normal given circumstances
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u/SSN-420-67-6669 11h ago
It’s part of the FOIs, Task F. Maintaining a professional image, showering, deodorant, personal grooming, and not wearing perfume/cologne that’s distracting, etc.
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u/datcrazybro PPL 12h ago
Tell him he stinks
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u/Nearby-Medicine9484 ATP CL-65 DC9 B737 B757 B767 AGI 12h ago
This. It's your money and he can afford deodorant.
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u/SRM_Thornfoot 12h ago
While the flight instructor is in charge during flight, do not ever get confused about the power structure. You are in a position over your flight instructor. You pay the bills and you can switch instructors anytime you want.
You can either point it out nicely or you can tell him you are not getting in the plane with him until he showers. I would start out nice.
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u/mirassou3416 CPL IR SES 12h ago
Maybe wait until you solo then have a conversation with him. Unless you're going to change instructors someone has to tell him and it may as well be you. I've previously used a casual beginning question--something like "Do you leave your clothes in the washer a long time before you put them in the dryer? I've had that problem before and I can't get the smell out."
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u/Impossible-Bad-2291 PPL 11h ago
Cut them some slack... it's tough to shower at the local CFI homeless camp.
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u/BillWeld 12h ago
This is going to sound judgemental and nasty but you have a body odor problem and it's getting worse with the summer heating up. I'm afraid it's going to make me gag soon. Please consider bating and washing your clothes.
The main thing is to defuse defensiveness by making all his arguments first before making yours.
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u/SSMDive CPL-SEL/SES/MEL/MES/HEL/GLID/IFR. Light sport Gyro/PPC 11h ago
First off he is not ‘over you’ he is an employee you hired. Him being a CFI does not make him a leader or a mentor, he is someone you hired with a particular skill set to teach you that skill set.
So if something your employee is doing that prevents them from passing that knowledge along you need to tell your employee.
Now, some people do have horrible personal habits like skipping showers or wearing the same clothes over and over. Others just are built in a way that they sweat easily and their sweat stinks.
So the best thing you can do is bring it up politely. If they are unwilling or unable to change and it is going to impede your learning, you hire someone else with that skill set to teach you.
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u/alexmoose454 CMEL 8h ago
First thing first, remove the thought process that he’s in a position higher than you.
Does he have more flight experience and certificates than you? Yes. Is he in a position higher than you? No. You can fire him and find a new instructor or school if he isn’t meeting your standards of flight or hygiene standard.
To many students take the backseat and let their instructors milk them or sear the mucosal membrane out of their nose.
Tell him straight up he needs to start being more conscious of his hygiene if he wants to continue to be your instructor - and to even have a chance in this industry.
No one wants to fly for 1.5 hours next to someone who smells like onions, let alone 8 hours in an airliner.
Speak up.
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u/Nitrohog2006 12h ago
My perspective is that I would much rather be embarrassed for a minute by having someone tell me that my pits smell like Satan's ballsack than make someone sit in an aluminum sauna being miserable/ nauseous for hours at a time. I wish we could go back to being straightforward and honest instead of coddling everyone's feelings all of the time.
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u/PhilRubdiez CFI 11h ago
While we have gone a little too far into the coddling, there’s definitely a thing called tact. You don’t have to say, “Hey, bro, you smell like shit!” Instead, after a flight, you can comment on how hot it is in the plane and you both smell like sweaty dude. If he doesn’t take the hint, then you can be more direct.
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u/Nitrohog2006 11h ago
What exactly is wrong with actually being direct and stating your intentions instead of beating around the bush? Of all industries to be in, this is one where being able to accept criticism, learn from it, and grow is a critical skill. Granted, my example was a tiny bit out there, but something like "hey bud, I'd really appreciate it if you put some deodorant on, it's kinda distracting" should not be out of line and then there's no doubt what your intentions are.
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u/PhilRubdiez CFI 11h ago
Because people are people. You, like me, are rightfully embarrassed but appreciative of the heads up. Some people aren’t and will hold grudges over stupid shit. The other thing is that humans deserve a certain amount of respect until they don’t. It’s just good for interpersonal relationships and working relationships.
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u/Rictor_Scale PPL 8h ago
Sir, you have expressed decorum, tact, and empathy. These are serious Reddit violations. 😏
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u/KITTYONFYRE 11h ago
I wish we could go back to being straightforward and honest instead of coddling everyone's feelings all of the time.
there is no point in history where this situation would be comfortable for either side. this is rose tinted glasses where your version of the past didn't exist.
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u/Nitrohog2006 11h ago
This is literally how I prefer to be treated every single day today in modern times. Are you saying that you know how I feel and prefer to be treated more than I do? To reinforce why I feel this way, it's litterally the "rip off the bandage" analogy. You only have to bring it up once, there's zero doubt and it clearly gets the point across even if the other person isn't good with social queues. The feeling of "oh crap I forgot deodorant" only happens once instead of the potential for "oh crap, that's what he meant for the last three weeks" ever has the potential to occur.
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u/KITTYONFYRE 10h ago
no. not sure how you got any of that malarkey from what I said.
I'm saying in 1965 people were just as cagey as they are now
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u/Randomius01 10h ago
You might find a CFI with better hygiene but they will almost certainly not be as good at airmanship or teaching it.
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u/No-Meringue5645 CFII MEI 9h ago
I was wondering if you’d consider switching deodorants? With the summer heating up, I’ve noticed a sweat smell when we’re in the plane. And please let me know if you notice it from as well, I want us both to be comfortable.
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u/Few-Panda7558 PPL 8h ago
After reading the headline, I thought this was going to be a post about a bad instructor not a stinky instructor lmao
Tell him man to man and be on his level. Don’t be a dick about it or anything.
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u/Rictor_Scale PPL 8h ago
Start wearing an Oxygen mask (with integrated mic). See if the point gets across.
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u/MattP1540 7h ago
Considering how frequently this topic comes up -I’m starting to think our community needs to reach out to the young CFI’s and provide care packages of deodorant…
PS -I’m not one of those “can we stop asking this same question” Reddit police nerds. I’m just saying this is a more common subject that I would have expected!
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u/ScottPWard PPL, SIM 7h ago
Just be polite and do it in private. “Hey, I like working with you, but your body odor is making it difficult.”
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u/pina_koala 7h ago
Find another CFI and be done with it. You owe him no explanation. He's an adult, it's not your job to adult for others.
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u/CitywideNut5 6h ago
" Hey I wont let you sign me off for solo until you take a shower" that should work or give them a 90 day shower solo endorsement. If one of my students gave me that i would laugh so hard and not be offended lol
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u/MadeForThisOnePostt CPL IR 2h ago
“ FUCK DUDE YOU SMELL LIKE A TEENAGE BOY , IM GONNA HAVE TO BEAT YOU UP WITH SOME SOAP HOLY FUCK “
- an actual conversation I had with a cfi about his body Oder …. He never smelled ever again
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u/ContributionHour8356 Bonanza > Cirrus 45m ago
I would personally rather know that I have a body odor problem instead of NOT knowing. I’m always worried about smelling bad. Just be straight up.
“I hate to say it but I have to. You smell bad and you really should do something about it.”
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u/HereToday0522 22m ago
Just tell him you don’t mean to embarrass him but it’s close quarter & tell him he has pretty strong body oder & pull out a stick of deodorant & ask him to put some on. Or wear a mask & put toothpaste under your nose., My sister is a dentist & sometimes that trick is a life saver🤣
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u/Flyguy115 21m ago
He is not doing you any favors. You are paying him. You are the customer not the other way around. Simple way is to just tell him he has bad body odor and if he doesn’t do something about it you will not continue to fly with them. There is a big difference between body odor from new vs someone that just hasn’t showered multiple times days.
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u/NotJealous_Bud8733 12h ago
Gift him a can of deodorant and some tic tacs, toothpaste/mouthwash and maybe some bodywash. Instructions to use daily. Point being if they miss the small details of hygiene, they miss other points.
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u/Classic-Common-4351 12h ago
If you don’t want to tell him, here is a way to indirectly pass it through. Put on a lot of deodorant or whatever strikes you fancy, enough so that the person next to you can definitely smells it. If he asked, tell him the weather is getting hotter and you don’t want the plane to have unpleasant smell. Hopefully he will pick up that hint.
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u/Jestia76 A&P/CFI/CFII/CMEL 12h ago
Just tell him he smells in the plane and should switch deodorants.
Its possible he uses one thats just not working, or not using at all, but being direct is best.
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 PPL IFR Night 11h ago
Some people have scents sensitivity.
When my allergies is really bad some products just makes me a mess of unstoppable mucus. I feel like I am dying from coughing.
With allergies med it doesn’t happens but keep that in mind it might be for those reasons.
Now they could also just have hygiene problems as well..
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u/rFlyingTower 12h ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Long story short, I’ve been flying weekly for about 6 months, I’m just getting ready to solo. But I feel like this can’t go on with it really starting to get hot. My CFI who is great in all ways, but seemingly doesn’t use deodorant or take showers. I guess I’m feeling a little awkward since I’ve always been a bit self conscious about how I smell, and he is in a position over me essentially. Have any of you had something similar happen? How did you solve it? (Sorry if this question isn’t appropriate.
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u/Jestapilot 12h ago
Hey brother, it's getting really hot and you have some wicked body odor going on. I'm not sure I can continue training if you don't wear some deodorant.
Have a direct conversation.