CFI Practical Richard Tillery KCRG

chrisreedrules

Master Blaster
I finally heard back from the FSDO about who my initial CFI practical test will be with (It took a couple of weeks). Looks like they have assigned me Richard Tillery. I've never flown with him before but I have a couple of friends who have. Never for a CFI practical however. Have any of you ever had a CFI Initial with Mr. Tillery? If so, any tips or advice would be much appreciated. I feel pretty comfortable teaching, and my aviation knowledge is up to par so I feel pretty good about everything. Just ready to finally get the show on the road. Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
Well had my practical today. It went really well. I think I might of been a little over-prepared if there is such a thing on a CFI check ride. 8 hours of ground and we didn't fly due to weather. Hopefully I'll wrap it up completely in the coming week. Ground was about an hour of FOI stuff, 3 hours covering Endorsements, FARs, PTS, and Endorsement/Training Scenarios... And the other 4 hours were on aerodynamics, spins, performance calculations, Weight and Balance, and a little bit about Wx. All in all nothing unexpected and I can honestly say it was a relatively good experience. He even bought my lunch. I'll update when I finish the flight stuff. I'm doing it in 2 aircraft so I'm not really looking forward to that but I think I will do fine.
 
Well had my practical today. It went really well. I think I might of been a little over-prepared if there is such a thing on a CFI check ride. 8 hours of ground and we didn't fly due to weather. Hopefully I'll wrap it up completely in the coming week. Ground was about an hour of FOI stuff, 3 hours covering Endorsements, FARs, PTS, and Endorsement/Training Scenarios... And the other 4 hours were on aerodynamics, spins, performance calculations, Weight and Balance, and a little bit about Wx. All in all nothing unexpected and I can honestly say it was a relatively good experience. He even bought my lunch. I'll update when I finish the flight stuff. I'm doing it in 2 aircraft so I'm not really looking forward to that but I think I will do fine.

8 hours?!?

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Yea... It was long, but we covered a lot of stuff. It felt more like an insightful discussion than a "check ride" but I'm still beat. It was long haha.
 
Well passed the flight portion of my CFI practical today! 1 hour in the Micco SP-20 and 1.5 in the C-172 and now I'm certificated. The ride was pretty standard. Did some full-stop taxi-backs in the Micco. 3-point, wheel, short/soft field (basically the same as a 3 pointer) and power off 180s (no easy task in the Micco... It is probably the most humbling aircraft I have yet to fly). Then we hopped into the C172 and did some private maneuvers and some commercial maneuvers. Threw in an emergency engine failure and we had to do some spins because my actual spin endorsement wasn't from a 2-year CFI. It was the first time I've tried to spin a 172 and it was a lot more difficult than the other couple of aircraft I've spun. It doesn't like to spin I guess is a good way to put it. All in all it was a great experience and I encourage all pilots (experienced or not) to pursue their CFI rating. I have learned more during the training for my CFI than I have in any of my other ratings combined. Whether you plan on using it or not... GET IT!
 
Well passed the flight portion of my CFI practical today! 1 hour in the Micco SP-20 and 1.5 in the C-172 and now I'm certificated. The ride was pretty standard. Did some full-stop taxi-backs in the Micco. 3-point, wheel, short/soft field (basically the same as a 3 pointer) and power off 180s (no easy task in the Micco... It is probably the most humbling aircraft I have yet to fly). Then we hopped into the C172 and did some private maneuvers and some commercial maneuvers. Threw in an emergency engine failure and we had to do some spins because my actual spin endorsement wasn't from a 2-year CFI. It was the first time I've tried to spin a 172 and it was a lot more difficult than the other couple of aircraft I've spun. It doesn't like to spin I guess is a good way to put it. All in all it was a great experience and I encourage all pilots (experienced or not) to pursue their CFI rating. I have learned more during the training for my CFI than I have in any of my other ratings combined. Whether you plan on using it or not... GET IT!

Congratulations man and I definitely have been seeing the Micco doing a lot of pattern work lately.
 
Jeez, I don't see how you could cover FOI and endorsements that long. Either way, if you pass an 8 hour oral, you deserve it. Great job!
 
Congratulations man and I definitely have been seeing the Micco doing a lot of pattern work lately.

Yea I've been trying to keep proficient in it. I have almost 20 hours in that aircraft and it still kicks my butt on landings from time to time. Much more difficult than the other tail-dragger I've flown. Where are you out at CRG?
 
Jeez, I don't see how you could cover FOI and endorsements that long. Either way, if you pass an 8 hour oral, you deserve it. Great job!

Like I said earlier, he did ask some tough questions but the FOI stuff you basically just have to memorize and the Endorsement Scenarios were pretty tough. I remember a couple questions that had me thinking really hard and flipping back and forth in the FARs...

"So a guy comes to you and has an ATP helicopter rating and he wants you to teach him how to fly that little Cessna out there. He wants to get his Private Pilot fixed-wing rating. Can he use any of his helicopter time towards that rating"? -the key is that when you look at all the requirements for a single-engine airplane private rating, you only look for the requirements that specifically state "in a single engine aircraft".

"Does the ATP helicopter guy need a student pilot certificate for solo in a single engine airplane"? -hint: there is a specific endorsement that covers this scenario.

There was a weight and balance problem that I didn't have a problem with but that he said most CFI initial candidates fail for missing:
Take your W&B for your aircraft on the day of your check ride... They'll probably as you a few basic questions about how you found your CG etc... Then they'll say something like, "do you have any pets"? To which you will most likely answer "yes" (because its safe to assume most people have pets right). Then they'll say, "we'll what's your pets name"? To which you answer " ______". Then the examiner will say, "well today "______" weighs 25 pounds and she wants to go on this flight with us... What happens to the CG if "______" decides they want to sit up front? Then once you figure out that portion of the problem, they'll say, "we'll we didn't depart on time and "______" has been sitting up front and its getting hot. "_____" decides they want to move to the back seat because it is cooler in the back. What happens to my CG now"? Then you figure out this portion of the problem and they say, "______" has decided that we are taking too long and doesn't want to go with us now. She jumped out. Now what happens to the weight and CG?

Hope this might help some people.
 
8 hours?!?

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Yeah, I thought the same thing. My entire initial CFI checkride (CFI-IA) only took about 6 hours. Oral and flight, while doing everything that was required, wasn't some exercise in stump the chump.
 
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