CFI instruction

S

skypilot

New Member
Hello all,

It's been quite some since posting anything. Anyhow, I'm finally working on the CFI rating, and wanted to get some oppinions.

My current instructor is a indepnedent CFI, and I just don't have the structured feeling with this CFI. So far I have only flown 4 hours with this person in a Cherokee trasitioning into the right seat. Again, the CFI is a nice person, but I don't feel there is any structure. Lessons are sort of like "So what do you want to teach me today?" Maybe I'm just sort if used to "OK, next time I want you to know ABC." Also fell that the CFI is not really being hard enough or holding me to a standard. Thinking of breaking camp and finding someone else.

Am I just being too hard on this CFI? Anyone have any helpful advice? Maybe I'm just paranoid from all the trauma of the last 3 years with CFI's FBO etc.

Thanks..
 
My CFI did nothing more than use the PTS as the syllabus. After all, other than getting used to the right seat and learning to teach, there's nothing new there. Didn't bother me much, but then I was used to pretty unstructured instruction anyway.

If the lack of structure bothers you, talk to the CFI about it. If that doesn't work, you have two choices, both of them pretty good.

The first is to find another CFI.

The second is to create your own structure. Get or create a syllabus for your CFI training. After all, learning to organize instruction and teach is what the certificate is all about anyway. If you can successfully teach yourself, think how good you'll be at teaching others.
 
When I was training for my CFI, The structure was set by me. I was told to treat the flights as if I was the one giving the instruction, and I would dictate what would happen next, This may be what your instructor is trying to get you into the mindset of doing.
 
I think you need to create the structure for yourself, and your instructor is giving you an opportunity to do it. After all, when you start training student pilots, you're going to be the one creating the structure, might as well start getting used to that now.

There's nothing all that complicated about the flying you'll have to do for your CFI. It's a commercial checkride from the right seat. Learning to talk and fly is really not a huge deal....after a few practice sessions, the process of verbalizing your internal dialouge becomes automatic. In fact, once you reach the point where you can take off and land safely from the right side, you should probably make most of your flight solo. When I was gearing up for my CFI, I flew solo twice a week and with my instructor one a week, practicing chandelles, Lazy Eights, Eights on Pylons, Steep Spirals, Steep Turns, Slow Flight, Power on/off stalls, Turns around a point, S-Turns across a road, rectangular courses, Short Field Take Offs and Landings, Soft Field Takeoff and Landings, Power off 180 degree approaches, and simulated engine failures.

The oral is what you need to worry about. My CFI had give him 10 one hour long lectures over the FOI then we did about 5 hours of ground discussing regulations, endorsements, part 61, etc.

It all turned out pretty well.
 
I agree with what most of the other folks are saying. The CFI rating is where you get to make up the syllabus and dictate the pace.

I know what you mean about the CFI being different, though. I felt the exact same things. I was used to having my next lesson planned out for me. When I was doing my CFI, my IP was a good guy, the lessons weren't all that hard to do or prepare for, but I had to basically 'drive' all of the training. My IP was just there to answer questions and sign the logbook.

Reflections:

1) The flying part wasn't hard for me. In fact, I couldn't wait to get in the plane.

2) The oral was a certifiable pain in the ass, though. I got to the FBO at 0700 for an 0800 show. Started the oral at 0800, went over logbooks, test results, and the A/C logbooks. Did the FOI stuff and took a lunch break. Took the examiner out to lunch, (he wouldn't let me pay, but we rode together to the restaurant, I would definately recommend this) and got into the technical part of the oral.
I screwed up the description of the wing, couldn't remember which side of the wing was curved, (turns out it was the top side), which took an hour to fix. I almost hooked my ride because of this brain fart.
We didn't step to the plane until nearly 1700. It was awful. I was incredibly relieved to get to the plane. Once I started the pre-start checklist, I could do no wrong.

3) I don't know if all examiners look for this, but I had to show documentation of my ground training for the CFI rating. I was lucky to have my CFI in the building, so that was easily taken care of. If my CFI wasn't there, though, my DPE said that he would not have been able to give my my certificate until my CFI could have given some documented proof of ground instruction.
 
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3) I don't know if all examiners look for this, but I had to show documentation of my ground training for the CFI rating. I was lucky to have my CFI in the building, so that was easily taken care of. If my CFI wasn't there, though, my DPE said that he would not have been able to give my my certificate until my CFI could have given some documented proof of ground instruction.

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YES, YES, YES!!! Both my CFI & CFII examiners wanted to see the ground instruction!! That hooks alot of people, because unlike the other ratings, you have to "recieve and log" ground instruction. It's the first for alot of folks! Before my first CFI checkride, I think I'd only logged like 2 ground lessons!!
 
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