Aviation Instructor's Handbook FAA-H-8083-9A

For the record, i'm not saying that the FOI isn't important to know and understand. I simply wanted to say that the Aviation Instructor's Handbook (FAA-H-8083-9A) is just really not written well, and I was hoping there was an alternative to this book.

I can appreciate that it's used by Fortune 500 companies to train employees, but the fact of the matter, is it's a complete bore. The information seems disorganized. Just simply having better organization would allow me to digest the information easier. I mean just look at Chapter 2: "The Learning Process". One minute it's discussing "Motivation", and then all of a sudden it starts discussing "Memory". What's the correlation between these two concepts? There are no building blocks. Explain a concept to me and build on it, don't just mentally vomit on a piece of paper then expect me to understand the concepts and how they related to what i'm going to be doing in the air with a new pilot.
 
Its dry, boring, but its good stuff to know. When you have around 500 dual it will all start making sense; until then try to endure.
 
It's funny, but I both agree and disagree; I think the information contained is fantastic, but I think the presentation is fair, at best ... and the FOI test is awful.

That said, if you really dig into the FOI even as it stands you'll likely find yourself better equipped with terms and general rules to cement the concepts that you've probably already recognized in 'real life' ... and if you're not a "student of people", it's certainly more effective at helping you gain a fundamental understanding of how many people think and learn than trying to figure it out from the start for the first time ... no?

-Fox
 
felixk said:
The information seems disorganized. Just simply having better organization would allow me to digest the information easier. I mean just look at Chapter 2: "The Learning Process". One minute it's discussing "Motivation", and then all of a sudden it starts discussing "Memory". What's the correlation between these two concepts? There are no building blocks. Explain a concept to me and build on it, don't just mentally vomit on a piece of paper then expect me to understand the concepts and how they related to what i'm going to be doing in the air with a new pilot.
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It's funny you say this, because I remember thinking the EXACT same thing as I was reading through it for my CFI. They really don't practice what they preach...

This stuff is best used for regurgitation to the FAA for the checkride. For the practical experience, find a CFI who you like that's been teaching for a while (teaching because they want to not because they're just there to build time) take them out to lunch or buy them a beer to two and ask them questions. That is the most valuable information you can get.
 
I learned more about the FOI while I was acting as an instructor than reading out of the AIH. In the end it boils down to one major thing. Every student learns differently and requires an instructor to be dynamic in their teaching and personality to be successful. This is a big reason why I don't like schools that are "my way or the highway" as different instruction techniques can help a student more than just rinse and repeat tactics.
 
Maurus said:
I learned more about the FOI while I was acting as an instructor than reading out of the AIH. In the end it boils down to one major thing. Every student learns differently and requires an instructor to be dynamic in their teaching and personality to be successful. This is a big reason why I don't like schools that are "my way or the highway" as different instruction techniques can help a student more than just rinse and repeat tactics.
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This.
 
FlyByWire22 said:
http://joe.emenaker.com/Aviation/CFITraining/Aviation Instructors Handbook - Highlighted.pdf This is the highlighted book Sandy is talking about. I don't take any credit for the book or highlighting. It's the 1999 version but hopefully it will give you the right idea.
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Nice find.

I hated that book, but the link you provide does the work that technical people expect the author of the book to do: present the material in a way that is succinct, correct and clear. In my opinion, the hard part of the FOI was sorting out the gobbledy-gook from the stuff that I was supposed to know.
 
Blackhawk said:
Having been an instructor in both the military and civilian side for many, many years I would say that the FOI are not a bunch of hooey. When I first started teaching in the military I was like most military instructors- I took my copy, memorized a few key acronyms for my IP check ride, then filed it in a box. It was only after years of instructing that I realized the stuff in the manual was not a bunch of garbage. My epiphany came while teaching a pilot NVG dust landings in a combat zone. The guy was already nervous enough about the task at hand and my typical military IP style was only making things worse. The poor guy was more concerned about the cranky IP in the other seat than the task at hand.
I realized I was really often concentrating on minutia- I mean who really cares what the limitations are for the GE-701C? We have stupid chick lights- green good, yellow not so good, red bad. Can you really tell what the exact number is any way without the digital read out? I took out my copy of the FOI, dusted it off and realized I was not nearly as effective as an instructor as I could have been.
So I would say the FOI is a good foundation. I'm sure in the beginning you will be like most of us- you will memorize it for the written and the check ride, then file it away. Hopefully some of it will stick. For example, I see many instructors who will concentrate on RU... not RUAC. In other words they will teach Rote, Understanding... then stop. Application and Correlation is left to the student to figure out on their own.
Good luck.
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I agree that the subject matter is important. I do find the way the subject matter is presented is an impediment to understanding it.
 
felixk said:
My question is how in-depth should I study this book? I can pass the written no problem, but I'm worried about the Oral exam questions on the FOI. Also is there a better resource for this information?
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This coming from a guy who's college stage check started on page 1 of this book and thumbed through till the end. In other words, we were required to not only memorize that book, but my first check was failed because I couldn't apply it to their standards. I could rattle off nearly every topic in the book, but could thoroughly explain each.

The book actually teaches you how you should learn it. Check up on the levels of learning section, this is how our brains learn any new information. We must first know of the topics existence, this involves memorization; termed rote learning. This level is by far the most tedious to achieve with this content because there is just so much of it. For me, I went with notecards.

Go through that book, find every major topic title and write it on a notecard. On the back of the card write down each of the sub levels. Example: Levels of learning (flip card) Rote - briefly define; Understanding - briefly define; etc. I totaled on the order of 150-180 notecards which I read for 15-20 minutes each night before bed for over a month.

As you do this you'll build both rote and understanding. The understanding comes from not just noting the sub topics, but briefly defining them on the notecard. Understanding can be helped along through discussions with an instructor who doesn't think the FOI is garbage and in fact knows the FOI themselves. If you have a few buddies training for their CFI, talk the FOI over with them also. In other words, using the information you memorized will help you begin to understand.

Now the tough ones, application and correlation. I don't have any quick answers for you here. It is a slow process that will require active thinking on your part. When you study how to teach particular maneuvers or lessons, think about how the information you've now memorized/understand is applicable. In time you'll begin to see connections, but you need to have the information memorized and understood before you'll have any chance at beginning to apply and correlate. (THIS BASIC CONCEPT APPLIES TO THOSE YOU WILL TEACH! You can't expect to teach them application before they understand.)
 
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