CFI: Sport Pilot

rnick23

rnick23

New Member
I have finally landed a CFI spot and am ready to start teaching for the first time. As nervous as I am about the sharp learning curve from student to instructor, I will most likely be handling sport pilot lessons. What is the deal with sport pilot certifications? Is there a PTS for it? Just thrown off....CFI got me ready for private and now I have to teach sport pilot (which I know nothing about)....which the thought of having sport pilots out there scares me anyway. (Teaching at a part 61, new school, no formalized curriculum at all)
 
No emphasis at all....Yeah I just don't want some 20 hour idiot flying off my certificate. Not good for me and definitely not good for the guy with the equivalent of a student drivers permit. Thanks for the pdf.
 
rnick23 said:
No emphasis at all....Yeah I just don't want some 20 hour idiot flying off my certificate. Not good for me and definitely not good for the guy with the equivalent of a student drivers permit. Thanks for the pdf.
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So, your saying that a sport pilot is not a legitimate pilot? They have to pass a checkride before they get the certificate, just like a private ride. The only things they don't do is the night stuff. Plus, alot of those sport planes are fun to fly. That said, there is lots of mis-information out there about sport pilot. Please, please don't go spouting off mis-information to students/other pilots in an effort to bash it.

Rant over.
 
Sport pilot training is exactly like private pilot training, minus night, instrument, and radio navigation. The sport pilot PTS are exactly the same standards as the private pilot PTS...all tolerances are the same. Remember, 20 hours is their minimum, and most take 40 hours to licensure, whereas most private students take 60-70 hours versus the 40 hr minimum. Believe it or not, I've seen sport pilots fly their aircraft better than I've seen private (and higher) pilots fly because they are so attuned to how sensitive their craft are....:)
 
Haven't bashed anything..needed information and got it. Nowhere in any of this does it say "not legitimate." Please don't assume that anyone has bashed anything and then go on rants. Low time pilots with as few as 20 hours can be a hazard so if I'm going to instruct sport pilots I want to cover the material thoroughly so I have confidence in them and they have confidence in themselves. These students are going to be my bread and butter so "bashing" sport pilots would obviously not be in my best interest.

Thanks for your concern....Rant over
 
One thing to help market yourself- since you're a "regular" CFI instead of a Sport Pilot Only instructor, any dual instruction you give to a sport pilot candidate can also be counted toward their Private license if they decide to upgrade in the future.

Sport pilots who do their training with a "sport pilot only" instructor would have to start all over again if they want to get their PPL later on.
 
Not bad information. That will come in handy if they finish and want to continue on with another rating. That and the fact that the prices for flying vary so much from place to place. The prices are much steeper here than back home. Getting people in to fly here costs so much more. There's a place around here that I tried to get on at and they charge nearly $15,000 for a private license. That's about $7,000 more than I paid. So I understand why sport pilot can be very attractive, which can also lead to future business....Good stuff
 
rnick23 said:
Haven't bashed anything..needed information and got it. Nowhere in any of this does it say "not legitimate." Please don't assume that anyone has bashed anything and then go on rants. Low time pilots with as few as 20 hours can be a hazard so if I'm going to instruct sport pilots I want to cover the material thoroughly so I have confidence in them and they have confidence in themselves. These students are going to be my bread and butter so "bashing" sport pilots would obviously not be in my best interest.

Thanks for your concern....Rant over
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Sorry for jumping on you. After a while of trying to convince people that sport pilot is a viable certificate, and the LSA's are good for more than sport pilot training, it gets frustrating. If I had a dime for every time I've heard an instructor say that a sport pilot can't fly anything over 100 horsepower, I'd be a rich man.

In any case, have fun with sport pilot training. What plane are you using for the training?
 
Old Pete said:
If that's how you refer to your customers, I suggest finding another line of work.
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I agree. Maybe you were just pissed at not immediately getting what you want, but I would not want to be your student after reading your comments.
 
Old Pete and Nosehair I think your names say it all....With that said. I know that anyone I teach is flying off of my certificate. I have trained with people that memorize the material and pass, and all though they do they don't quite get what they are doing they are up in the air. Everyone has flown with or knows a pilot that isn't quite to standards.

I wish people didn't get stuck on one particular line, but for some one line is all they can comprehend. Being a first time instructor I'm very nervous, as I'm sure most are. I don't want to run into someone that makes others put my judgement into question.

Anyone can make a great pilot, including sport pilots. All it takes is some study time and some interest. KSCessnaDriver..no worries and thanks for your words. Since this is the job I found and this is what I'm going to be doing I want to make sure that everyone is safe and that they come to enjoy what I've come to love doing.
 
What plane are you using for the training?[/QUOTE]

Techam..I believe. Looks interesting. Very Small and not quite used to it yet, but it should be kind of cool to teach in
 
rnick23 said:
Old Pete and Nosehair I think your names say it all....With that said. I know that anyone I teach is flying off of my certificate. I have trained with people that memorize the material and pass, and all though they do they don't quite get what they are doing they are up in the air. Everyone has flown with or knows a pilot that isn't quite to standards.
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And thats why being a CFI is harder than becoming one. It's all in the amount of work and dedication YOU put into your student. Your students will be as good as you teach them to be.

Anyone can make a great pilot, including sport pilots. All it takes is some study time and some interest. KSCessnaDriver..no worries and thanks for your words. Since this is the job I found and this is what I'm going to be doing I want to make sure that everyone is safe and that they come to enjoy what I've come to love doing.
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Don't look at the 20 hours as a limitation, their training is just as good as that of a private pilot, except for the night flying and shorter XC's. However, look at the medical standards and push for safety from day one. The one thing I have noticed is that many people who can no longer pass or attain a medical certificate aim for sport, and somehow we are opening the doors for people who would usually not be found in aircraft. As we all know drivers licenses are issued to quite some funny people, and these people can be on all sorts of medications and still drive... :eek: Make sure they understand that flying in not for everyone, even though the FAA has significantly changed it's tone within the regulations that pertain to Sport Pilots. Looks more like a FAQ section, when you read through that, doesn't it? Make sure you don't fly with people you would not want in the left seat of a car. Other than that, focus on 14 CFR 61.301 - 61.329 and make sure you comply with the endorsement requirements as they apply to Sport Pilots.
 
Sport Pilot: All you gotta know is, flying in the clouds is totally fair game, the lower you fly over your buddy's house the better, and there aren't any laws because this is America.
 
rnick23 said:
which the thought of having sport pilots out there scares me anyway.
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Just what exactly "scares" you about sport pilots? If you're uncomfortable with them, just go ahead and send them my way...their dollars spend just as well as private pilot dollars.

If you'll open your copy of the FAR/AIM, you'll see that a sport pilot receives the same pre-solo training as a private pilot. Same maneuvers required, same pre-solo written, same endorsements required. So how is a "20 hour idiot" any different than a private pilot student flying on your solo endorsement?

Your best info on sport pilots can be found at www.sportpilot.org.
 
rnick23 said:
Nosehair I think your name says it all....
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Why, thank you, Sir, and let me be the first one to Welcome you to The Club...The CFI Club, anyway.
Seriously, Congrats on landing the CFI spot. Your first post was most warming to me as it indicated a serious interest in learning the craft...sooo,..when I saw this:
"Yeah I just don't want some 20 hour idiot flying off my certificate. Not good for me and definitely not good for the guy with the equivalent of a student drivers permit."
...I thought it might be a benefit to you to make you aware of the effect of such a negative comment.
Then you say this:
I wish people didn't get stuck on one particular line, but for some one line is all they can comprehend. Being a first time instructor I'm very nervous, as I'm sure most are. I don't want to run into someone that makes others put my judgement into question.
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I wish this also...or rather, I used to wish people would not get stuck on one particular line, but...being an Old Nosehair, I have simply accepted that's the way it is. Look around, the news is full of it. Checkrides are full of it. It is the way it is. Human Nature will focus on one line.
Students will comprehend your attitude, whether you intend it or not, so...you have to have image and first impressions as a top priority in your communications. Your judgement is already in question as soon as you speak of students as degenerates.
 
rnick23 said:
What plane are you using for the training?

Techam..I believe. Looks interesting. Very Small and not quite used to it yet, but it should be kind of cool to teach in
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Tecnam's are cool. Never flown one, but they are some of the bigger LSA's out there. Hopefully you've got the low-wing one, but either way, its an amazing airplane. Some of the Tecnam's are even IFR equipped/approved
 
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