Good study materials

desertdog71

desertdog71

Girthy Member
I am looking for some suggested reading to prepare for my CFI. Mainly in the Fundementals of Instruction portion. Any suggestions would be great.
 
From everything I've read from you on here it sounds like you're a top notch pilot, but I'd have to say, even for the best private pilot, don't bother with CFI stuff yet. You'll get it naturally with time if you just work hard and really truly learn everything possible during each rating. Also, the FOI stuff is mostly common sense. You can study it over the course of a couple weeks and be fine. It's important, but it's not heavy, intense stuff either. The Gleim FOI written exam test prep book, in conjunction with picking the brains of experienced instructors, is all I ever used and it was fine.

Here's a piece of advice I wish that more private pilots took to heart--and with you, I think you're already doing it, which is awesome: push yourself to experience as much as possible. Do things just for the sake of doing them. Fly at night so that you get really comfortable with night illusions. Fly in busy airspace so you get used to managing the cockpit. Fly to the aircraft's absolute ceiling just to find out how it compares to the POH. Fly a few long trips (3, 4, even 500+ miles). Fly off of grass strips. Fly solo to build confidence. Fly with your friends and family to learn how to deal with distractions. Fly with other pilots to get used to working as a crew. Fly in ridiculously hot weather and ridiculously cold weather. Once you're instrument rated, go IFR sometimes no matter if the weather is good or bad. Try to learn something new on every flight you go on.

Experience will make you a better instructor than almost any book you'll read. You can get a CFI ticket with less than 20 hours of solo time and without hardly ever going more than 51 miles from your home base. But I guarantee you, CFIs like that suck. Go out and use your licenses to the fullest extent possible and everything will fall into place when you become a CFI.
 
jrh said:
From everything I've read from you on here it sounds like you're a top notch pilot, but I'd have to say, even for the best private pilot, don't bother with CFI stuff yet. You'll get it naturally with time if you just work hard and really truly learn everything possible during each rating. Also, the FOI stuff is mostly common sense. You can study it over the course of a couple weeks and be fine. It's important, but it's not heavy, intense stuff either. The Gleim FOI written exam test prep book, in conjunction with picking the brains of experienced instructors, is all I ever used and it was fine.

Here's a piece of advice I wish that more private pilots took to heart--and with you, I think you're already doing it, which is awesome: push yourself to experience as much as possible. Do things just for the sake of doing them. Fly at night so that you get really comfortable with night illusions. Fly in busy airspace so you get used to managing the cockpit. Fly to the aircraft's absolute ceiling just to find out how it compares to the POH. Fly a few long trips (3, 4, even 500+ miles). Fly off of grass strips. Fly solo to build confidence. Fly with your friends and family to learn how to deal with distractions. Fly with other pilots to get used to working as a crew. Fly in ridiculously hot weather and ridiculously cold weather. Once you're instrument rated, go IFR sometimes no matter if the weather is good or bad. Try to learn something new on every flight you go on.

Experience will make you a better instructor than almost any book you'll read. You can get a CFI ticket with less than 20 hours of solo time and without hardly ever going more than 51 miles from your home base. But I guarantee you, CFIs like that suck. Go out and use your licenses to the fullest extent possible and everything will fall into place when you become a CFI.
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This guy knows what he's talking about. Working on my CFI right now and havent done my instrument since 04. Barely kept current. Did a few approaches on my Multi checkride, but otherwise forgot a ton about instrument flying. Wish I would have kept up with it.

Anyways the Aviation Instructor's Handbook is great and its an FAA publication so they always like to see that come checkride time. The number is FAA-H-8083-9
 
jrh said:
From everything I've read from you on here it sounds like you're a top notch pilot, but I'd have to say, even for the best private pilot, don't bother with CFI stuff yet. You'll get it naturally with time if you just work hard and really truly learn everything possible during each rating. Also, the FOI stuff is mostly common sense. You can study it over the course of a couple weeks and be fine. It's important, but it's not heavy, intense stuff either. The Gleim FOI written exam test prep book, in conjunction with picking the brains of experienced instructors, is all I ever used and it was fine.

Here's a piece of advice I wish that more private pilots took to heart--and with you, I think you're already doing it, which is awesome: push yourself to experience as much as possible. Do things just for the sake of doing them. Fly at night so that you get really comfortable with night illusions. Fly in busy airspace so you get used to managing the cockpit. Fly to the aircraft's absolute ceiling just to find out how it compares to the POH. Fly a few long trips (3, 4, even 500+ miles). Fly off of grass strips. Fly solo to build confidence. Fly with your friends and family to learn how to deal with distractions. Fly with other pilots to get used to working as a crew. Fly in ridiculously hot weather and ridiculously cold weather. Once you're instrument rated, go IFR sometimes no matter if the weather is good or bad. Try to learn something new on every flight you go on.

Experience will make you a better instructor than almost any book you'll read. You can get a CFI ticket with less than 20 hours of solo time and without hardly ever going more than 51 miles from your home base. But I guarantee you, CFIs like that suck. Go out and use your licenses to the fullest extent possible and everything will fall into place when you become a CFI.
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Thanks for the compliment. I know I am probably getting ahead of myself, but I need another outlet of study until my experience catches up to my self study on the Instrument phase. Why not the instruction phase? Its useful for more than just CFI work. Might do some good with my children or something, you never know.
 
Hey, I'm at the closing phases of my Comm Ticket, and haven't read one book on being a flight instructor yet, but I have been an animal trainer for some time. It may seem unrelated, and to some it may even seem irrational to correlate animal training with human training, but the principles are synonymous.

Check out a book called "Don't Shoot the Dog"

Another great selection is "Whale Done"

Reading these may put an unexpected spin on your teaching/learning art. After reading those and experiencing what I have with people and their pets, I am REALLY looking forward to instructing!!! :nana2:
 
gypsimac said:
Hey, I'm at the closing phases of my Comm Ticket, and haven't read one book on being a flight instructor yet, but I have been an animal trainer for some time. It may seem unrelated, and to some it may even seem irrational to correlate animal training with human training, but the principles are synonymous.

Check out a book called "Don't Shoot the Dog"

Another great selection is "Whale Done"

Reading these may put an unexpected spin on your teaching/learning art. After reading those and experiencing what I have with people and their pets, I am REALLY looking forward to instructing!!! :nana2:
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That makes total sense gypsimac. A lot of the same concepts you use to train animals can transfer to humans. After all, we're just highly evolved animals. We all need the same things; physical, safety, social, ego, and self actualization. Look at psychological stuff, behaviorism is about reinforcing positive actions. So giving your student praise for not flaring too high is the same as giving your dog a cookie for not peeing in the house. It sounds silly but it's true.
 
That's TOTALLY what its about! Positive reinforcement! There are so many people that train with punishing the wrong, which degrades enthusiam. Only focusing on the positive, and timing your praise/rewards precisely gives such great returns because the student/subject is actually succeeding! Since no focus is on failure, there is the illusion of not failing, just waiting to succeed!

Its amazing to watch it work when you never use "no" "not good enough" "bad" etc.!
 
desertdog71 said:
Its useful for more than just CFI work. Might do some good with my children or something, you never know.
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Actually, that's a good point. When I started studying FOI material a lot of things clicked for me, even from a student perspective. I said to myself, "Aha! That's why my instructor did such-and-such..."

It can also make you more aware of how you learn and you can give better feedback to your instructors as far as what helps you and what doesn't.

I wouldn't stress yourself out trying to remember all of the nitty gritty details and terms in the FOI material yet, but if you want to casually read through it for your own interest, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure it could be a benefit.

Go get any FOI written exam test prep book and use that. There are true textbooks out there, like Jeppesen's "Flight Instructor Manual" which is what we use in my collegiate aviation program, but I don't think it's worth the extra $50 over a paperback test prep book for what you're wanting to do.
 
U could try the Jeppesen Flight Instructor Manual. I'm a CFI already, so I got it for brushing up...IMHO, it's a very well written textbook. Also, you could try the oral guide from ASA, The Flight Instructors Oral Guide written by Michael D. Hayes. It has a Q and A format with AC 61-65D in the back. That little book is VERY good for when you have a few minutes or so to kill and you want to keep yourself refreshed. Hope this helps:) .
 
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