I'm a little depressed as of today. I've been working on my CFI for about 5 months and have been studying my butt off but still don't have a checkride scheduled. I have about 370tt and over 100 complex. I have spent about $22k on my CFI alone. All my maneuvers are within PTS and all the other instructors I fly with keep asking me when will my main instructor sign me off. I feel like Im close to getting a sign off but I'm running out of money. I have spoken with my instructor about this before and the date just keeps getting pushed back on when I would finish. How long did it take you to complete your CFI?
Sadly, too many signing CFIs don't really know how to teach, and therefore don't know how to teach a new CFI to teach. I don't know the specifics of your situation, but in general, it should not be taking you so long. If you know your stuff, and have a signing CFI who knows how to assess teaching ability, you should be able to get done in a few weeks
The CFI Ride
should have little to do with flying maneuvers. Those should be nailed cold before ever starting CFI training. What needs to be demonstrated in the CFI ride are: 1. An understanding of the elements and aerodynamics of the maneuvers and ability to convey same, 2. How to teach/demonstrate the elements of the maneuvers, and 3. How to demonstrate/explain to a student how to fix maneuvers that are broken by focusing on the individual elements of the maneuvers, 4. All the other aviation knowledge requirements and ability to teach same.
In a well run CFI ride, you actually should do very little flying yourself. The candidate should have the examiner flying, while the candidate observes, instructs and points out errors (sparingly while in the air), and occasionally demonstrates. (Hint: especially if you use an FFA examiner, it's going make him very happy to get some stick time, and it might also prove a true test of your ability to monitor and ensure the safety of the flight. Hint 2: if you keep the examiner busy flying, he'll have less bandwidth with which to distract you arcane questions, which will make for a much more enjoyable and less stressful checkride.)
In short, the CFI ride
should be about your
teaching ability, not your
flying ability. CFI training should assume and be predicated on prexisting knowledge and skills. Sadly, it is there at which the rub so often lies.
The often seen challenge of the CFI candidate is getting to CFI training and only then realizing his/her lacunae and/or weak spots. Teaching forces the issue of the underlying knowledge and skills; It quickly and clearly illuminates any lack thereof.
If you get to CFI training and then find yourself with large deficits in knowledge or skills, you
will take longer than necessary and spend more than needed.
That said, again, I know little about your specific situation, but I sense something is very wrong with it. Shouldn't be taking so long if you've been dedicated to it. Go find the oldest, most experienced CFI instructor at your shop and do a reality check ground session and flight with him. See where you're really at.
I have. There's another CFI at my school that said he would have signed me off 3 months ago lol. I've had over 150 hours of ground instruction for CFI alone (they said it was needed because there is a lot of material). I know the PTS like it's my name, got 100% on both FOI and FIA writtens, and study over 4 hours EVERYDAY (practice teaching, reading PHAK, AIM, etc.)
OK, Yeah, you gotta find someone else to work with. Is this a dairy or a flight school? 'Cause it appears you're getting milked.
