getting the ratings

dakovich

Well-Known Member
finally ready to get rolling on my CFI, CFI-I, and MEI ratings and was looking for some advice from all the CFI's out there. first off, i'll be attending my local FBO, and really want to try to keep the costs down if possible. as for the rest of my concerns and questions for those who have gone through it:

-61 vs. 141: which is cheaper, also pro.'s and con.'s of either or

-whats the deal with combining CFI & CFI-I? for instance American Flyers offers a 30 day combo course, are both being taught together or one after the other?

-is there a cheap way to fullfil requirments of the MEI by taking CFI-I in a multi? i've heard that somewhere

-and lastly, what cost saving techniques have people done to save money during their instructor training?

thanks for any replies
 
I'm working on my CFI and I'm concentrating on the CFI material for now. Word around town is the initial CFI is much harder than any add on instructor ratings. I know a few guys who got their CFII in 2 weeks after they had their initial CFI.

I'm going to do the CFII in a twin. HERE is a link that shows you how it might save you some cash.

By the way, where in Buffalo? I was married there this summer.
 
thanx for the link. right now i'm living with my girl on the West side of buffalo...down near Rich Products and not to far from downtown. before moving to florida i was over in the university district and i grew up in Pendleton a bit north of buffalo. where'd you tie the knot, and what made you do it in Buffalo?
 
I was married at Deerhurst Presbyterian in Buffalo. It's really close to Tonawanda/Town of Tonawanda. My wife was born and raised there, and that's where her family is. After our Thanksgiving Fiasco (got stuck and had to drive to ROC to get a flight out on Monday, everything through BUF was booked thru Wednesday) we're planning our trips there in the summer. I can't wait til my next trips to concert in the square, Ted's, and some good wings from Anchor Bar. I think I gained 20 lbs over a month there last summer!
 
Alright, fellow New Yorkers! I'm originally from Rochester...
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61: probably cheaper, instructor is your only instructor, you make the syllabus, go at your own pace

141: more expensive, stage checks required (check your progress, and prevent you from moving on until you have completed the check), follow rigid syllabus
 
oooo can I pipe in on the NY stuff?? I am originally from poducnk Central New York? I remember the days workng in a local bar when we discarded the chicken wings before they got popular in the mid-80's.

Ya cant rent a plane wihin 50 miles of Utica, and if ya can please please please tell me so I can take my family flying.

As far as the 141 deal.. yes, less flight time required, but you'll pay for it sittin on your A*S in ground school. Ground material in aviation isnt hard, there's just a lot of it. Put your head down and get serious, you can save a lot of mula by feeding yourself (why pay for the spoon).
 
Actually, 141 CFI training requires more hours than 61. Part 61 only requires proficiency, which could be 0 or 5 or 50+ hours. Part 141 requires 25 hours toward your CFI rating.
 
If you do your CFI part 141 you will avoid taking a check ride with the FAA. If you are in the Orlando FSDO, you will have to fly to Orlando International for your check ride and the fail rate is something like 50%.

You have to do your initial CFI in a complex airplane. Some schools do not have a complex single. Then you do either your CFII or MEI first in the twin. The CFI-A is then done in a fixed gear single.

If you go to American Flyers, beware. I knew someone who went there in San Diego. The price quoted only included 12 hrs of flying for CFI and CFII. There is a reason why some schools advertise really low prices, it's because many times you end up paying more to finish.

Where ever you go, make sure you find out how many hours are included. At FSI it is expensive, but CFI includes 25 hours in the airplane.
 
You dont have to take your checkride part 61 with the fsdo. I am in the orlando fsdo area and am taking it with a dpe. The way it works is that you fax the fsdo a request for an cfi initial and the fax back wheather you take it with them, or the will give you a list of 3 dpe to choose from in your area.
 
some friends were mentioning that doing the MEI CFI-I first and then doing the CFI-A is a way to save some cash while getting instructor ratings. anyone ever done it that way?
 
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