CFI Initial Checkride

Whatusername

Well THIS is awkward!
Quick note: This may take a few posts and I'll likely edit a few things as I go. So bear with me.

Ok I'm going to try to cover what I can here and I might be spotty in some places but hopefully this will help. The exam was done with a DPE in Council Bluffs IA.

11/17/2015 Oral Exam: This was about five hours or so with some breaks in between. I got there about a hour or so early to set everything up. The DPE and I went through the usual administrative paper work then on with the test. Things that were covered:

- The learning process, defense mechanisms, RUAC (Rote, Understanding, Application, Correlation). I think we also covered learning plateaus and types of practice.

- Professionalism: What it is to be a professional flight instructor/pilot. Should be fairly self explanatory (be fair to students, just go through the motions, etc.).

- Aerodynamics: How an airplane flies, left turning tendencies (be sure you can explain gyroscopic effect, P-factor, corkscrew effect).

- Cross country planning: Does a student need hood time before doing a solo XC, solo XC endorsements. Also know the Pvt. and Comm PTS tolerances for way points. Also wanted to know how familiar I was with a sectional (air space, symbols, etc).

- Teaching maneuvers: Takeoffs and landings (normal, short and soft feild), traffic pattern operations, eights on pylons, stalls. Also he was a huge proponent of Operation Lights on. Oh speaking of traffic pattern operations really talk through runway incursion avoidance. What you can do to avoid it (ahem airport diagram, looking for traffic).

- Bi-annuals: What is needed. What document should can a CFI reference for a bi-annual (Conducting an effective flight review).

- MX: Discuss MELs, aircraft registration (make sure you have AC 45-4 handy), as well as being able to talk through a special flight permits.

- Weather: Is winds aloft a forecast or what the winds are currently doing? Also talked through METARs and TAFs. Not sure I can remember anything else about this.

That was about it for the oral. Unfortunately I was not able to fly as the ceilings were a bit low.

On my iPad I had the following documents on hand:

Aviation Weather (really didn't needed but nice to have...)
The FOI
My Binder
Quick reference guide for airport markings
Pilot's Handbook for Aeronautical Knowledge
Conducting an Effective Flight Review
Proposed Rule making for the CFI check ride to be used as a bi-annual
Aeronautical Chart User's Guide
NORAD Intercept Procedures, ADIZ, and TFRs (didn''t need to use this but nice to have on hand).
GNS 430 User's guide (did not ask about this but had it on hand anyway).
AC 00-30B: Clear Air Turbulence
AC 45-4: Aircraft Registration Plates
AC 60-11: Test Aids
AC 61-65e: Endorsements
AC 61-67c: Stall/Spin Training
AC 61-134: CFIT
AC 91-51A: Icing (did not ask about this but nice to have on hand)
AC 91-73A: Runway Incursions (a must have)
AC 120-27D: Weight and Balance
8130-6: Application for Airworthiness certificate.
Pvt - CFI PTS
Ferry permit application
CBF airport document.

On my paper documents it was my binder, airplane flying handbook, a few of the ACs (I'd have to go home and look).
 
12/4/2015 The flight portion: This was delayed several times because you know Nebraska/IA. But the day came and it was time to fly!

Pre-flight: Basically talking my way through EVERYTHING. What I'm looking for. Being "Propeller Paranoid" (IE looking for other planes on the ramp that are starting their engines). The importance of checklists, taxi briefing, take off briefing. Emergency briefing if power is lost on take off roll, rotation, in-flight below 500ft, below 1000ft, and at or above 1,000 feet. Also discussed exchange of controls.

Did a short field take off with a crosswind. Walked my way through everything on it (crosswind correction, technique).

In cruise hammered the point of using the cruise checklist, briefed clearing turns for our maneuvers. And ATC communications.

Steep Turns: Talked my way through what the errors are, any mistakes I made, and what the PTS is for the maneuvers.

For stalls we did power-on, power-off, accelerated stalls, secondary stalls, oh also did a turning stall. Again trying to teach my way through it while flying.

Lazy Eights: Mentioned what the mistakes are. How some people will "force" the maneuver instead of being gentile with it. Also ran through the PTS standards.

Chandells: Again common errors, how to fly it. Keeping the plane co-ordinated.

Unusual attitudes: The DPE flew this one. I talked my way through recovery. And watched the DPE like a hawk. I didn't have to take the controls.

Steep Spiral: Really hammered home the point of glide speed and flying the plane. Also dividing attention between the emergency checklist, working with ATC, and briefing what happens on your are on "final" for your field/road.

From here the DPE flew some of the ground maneuvers:

Turns around a point: Again taught my way through it. But I was really keeping an eye on the DPE and the plane. Also set the 430 to terrain mode to keep any towers from ruining my day.

S-Turns: I was VERY VERY picky about where I wanted these done due to the terrain feature. I taught but he flew and again I was watching everything.

Emergency procedures: Again watching and talking my way through everything. I actually did take the controls when he recovered. I really didn't like how the nose was getting a little too high.

Eights on Pylons: And this was strike one... I busted this when I added power in the maneuver. No excuses I screwed it up due to nerves. But the show must go on.

Crosswind landing: Again tried to talk my way though this. Still had some nerves and landed a bit rough.

Soft field landing: Tried to talk my way through this but it wasn't soft (good if it were a carrier landing). I only have myself to blame here.

So with that I had my first checkride bust. I was the cause of it pure and simple.

1/18/2016 Re-Test: So weather and life pushed it back a bit. But in the meantime I went up and really worked on my sticking points. And hey look I think I upped my personal minimums a bit!

Eights on pylons: Again learned from my mistakes and aced it. We went back to the field.

Soft field landing: Talked my way through it and greased that sucker.

From there I passed.
 
Thank you for the informative write up. I'm working on an initial CFI as well and your post has been very helpful.
 
Nice to share. Did you keep the nose wheel off on the soft field? Sounds like you had a fair examiner overall.
 
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