ready2fly
Well-Known Member
R2F\'s CFI Checkride
Got up around 4:30 a.m. and to TPF around 6:30 a.m. for my 8:00 a.m. checkride.
Winds were 01010G22 and expected to get worse with Hurricane Frances on the east coast. The cigs were few at 1500 and those were moving FAST!
I called the DE at 7:30 a.m. and said the wx wasn't looking too pretty. Not 10 minutes later, he walked through the door (he lives on the island about three blocks from the airport).
He said: "So whaddya think about this weather, Stan?"
Me: "Trying not to."
Him: "Well, I'd like to see you get this all done today, whaddya think? Go fly first and worry about the rest after that? We'll head out to the practice area and if it's too bad or we see it's getting too bad, we won't dally."
Me: Cool.
Off we went.
Started off with a normal takeoff, headed to the southeast. It was choppy as hell under the thin layer on the way to the practice area where we climbed to 2000' for steep turns. Once we cleared the thin clouds (never coming near them), it was smooth as a baby's butt. Did my GUMPS, clearing turns before every maneuver. Explained EVERYTHING I was doing and why.... and how. He sat silent.
Steep turns were damn near perfect. Lost just a tad on the turn to the right, but corrected it, told him I had lost altitude and was correcting it and rolled out dead on my starting point both times.
Then, we did slow flight. Recoverd. Did Lazy 8's that went VERY well. Again.. no comments as I demostrated and taught them.
Set up for power off stalls and didn't do them just the way he likes them, obviously, so he showed me what he wanted to see, then I did two more.... and we moved on.
This is where I started sweating like a preacher in a tent revival!
We then did Chandelles which all went well with the exception that he didn't particularly dig the way I recovered (thought I was losing altitude on the recovery.... I didn't think I was, but why argue...), so I did them "his" way and we moved on to Steep Spiral.
These.... well.... I did them the way I'd been taught and the way I practiced them, which is to pick a point either on or just off the airport of intended landing and use a steep spiral of between 40 to 60 degrees.
The ONLY thing I apparently missed was to enter the spiral on the downwind.
He pointed out that the entry was the key to the maneuver and he had me teach him while he flew most of the maneuver to about 1500' then he gave me back the plane and told me to continue until he said otherwise.
We were on a right base for Waimama which is a grass strip, so I knew we wouldn't be landing, but we took it down to right around 500' and he said "okay, let's go find us some pylons and do 8's on."
Got to say that these were my very BESTS 8's on that I've done so far. I taught the maneuver and after we did two circuits around the course, he said "okay, let's head back to Peter O. and do our landings."
WHEW!!
We chatted on the way back and then entered the pattern for RWY 03 for a normal approach to landing.
I told him that since we knew the winds were from 010, we could expect a nice crosswind from the left..... and we had a nice crosswind from the left.
My first approach to landing was beautiful... RIGHT up until the flare where we got blown a tad to the right of center... I corrected, landed on center and he laughed and said "NICELY done!"
Taxied back - making SURE I used my checklist after clearing the runway each time, and did a soft-field takeoff (one of my best), staying in the pattern for a soft-field landing.
Again, got a little squirrely with the crosswind, but otherwise okay. Didn't land AS soft as I thought we should, but he didn't seem concerned.
Taxied back, did a short-field takeoff (again, went well).. and stayed in the pattern for a short-field landing. Approach was good up until about 300 feet and I overcorrected to the left and we were WAY left of center, so I said "going around!" and did so.
Came around again, did a fairly good short-field landing - hit about 50' beyond my aiming point - and was all set to go back up for the power-off 180 accuracy landing when he said "okay.. we're done."
WHEW X 2!!!
Went back in and the oral began in earnest. It lasted about 3 hours and covered the following subjects:
Preparation;
Image;
Learning Process ("Learning is Purposeful. Learning is based on experience...." explaining each of those);
Laws of Learning;
Qualifications;
Stress and Anxiety;
Preparation for a lesson;
Use of time;
Ensoresments = Responsibility & Solo endoresements;
Lesson Plans (he REALLY liked my book!);
Syllabi;
Elements of Lesson Plans;
Stall/Spin Awareness;
FAR 61.63 = Endorsements for Additional Ratings;
Authority of endorsements.
I'll admit that during the stall/spin awareness portion, I just could NOT verbalize what I wanted to say at first... and was thinking "GREAT.... I'll have to demostrate spins now!!!"
But, I finally got it out.
He tried "Stump the Chump" with the FAR 61.63 thing, but I nailed it.
In the end, he gave his normal "responsibilities of being a CFI" speech that the others had told me he would give. It was actually very interesting and I paid close attention.
Finally, he said:
"Stan, you were VERY well prepared today and you'll make a fantastic Flight Instructor and a fine addition to this already stellar group of instructors here at Peter O. Knight.....you pass! now..... go work on those crosswind landings."
All in all, it was five long hours and I have never felt a load come off my shoulders like I did when he left that room and I had my CFI Cert in my hand.
Got up around 4:30 a.m. and to TPF around 6:30 a.m. for my 8:00 a.m. checkride.
Winds were 01010G22 and expected to get worse with Hurricane Frances on the east coast. The cigs were few at 1500 and those were moving FAST!
I called the DE at 7:30 a.m. and said the wx wasn't looking too pretty. Not 10 minutes later, he walked through the door (he lives on the island about three blocks from the airport).
He said: "So whaddya think about this weather, Stan?"
Me: "Trying not to."
Him: "Well, I'd like to see you get this all done today, whaddya think? Go fly first and worry about the rest after that? We'll head out to the practice area and if it's too bad or we see it's getting too bad, we won't dally."
Me: Cool.
Off we went.
Started off with a normal takeoff, headed to the southeast. It was choppy as hell under the thin layer on the way to the practice area where we climbed to 2000' for steep turns. Once we cleared the thin clouds (never coming near them), it was smooth as a baby's butt. Did my GUMPS, clearing turns before every maneuver. Explained EVERYTHING I was doing and why.... and how. He sat silent.
Steep turns were damn near perfect. Lost just a tad on the turn to the right, but corrected it, told him I had lost altitude and was correcting it and rolled out dead on my starting point both times.
Then, we did slow flight. Recoverd. Did Lazy 8's that went VERY well. Again.. no comments as I demostrated and taught them.
Set up for power off stalls and didn't do them just the way he likes them, obviously, so he showed me what he wanted to see, then I did two more.... and we moved on.
This is where I started sweating like a preacher in a tent revival!
We then did Chandelles which all went well with the exception that he didn't particularly dig the way I recovered (thought I was losing altitude on the recovery.... I didn't think I was, but why argue...), so I did them "his" way and we moved on to Steep Spiral.
These.... well.... I did them the way I'd been taught and the way I practiced them, which is to pick a point either on or just off the airport of intended landing and use a steep spiral of between 40 to 60 degrees.
The ONLY thing I apparently missed was to enter the spiral on the downwind.
He pointed out that the entry was the key to the maneuver and he had me teach him while he flew most of the maneuver to about 1500' then he gave me back the plane and told me to continue until he said otherwise.
We were on a right base for Waimama which is a grass strip, so I knew we wouldn't be landing, but we took it down to right around 500' and he said "okay, let's go find us some pylons and do 8's on."
Got to say that these were my very BESTS 8's on that I've done so far. I taught the maneuver and after we did two circuits around the course, he said "okay, let's head back to Peter O. and do our landings."
WHEW!!
We chatted on the way back and then entered the pattern for RWY 03 for a normal approach to landing.
I told him that since we knew the winds were from 010, we could expect a nice crosswind from the left..... and we had a nice crosswind from the left.
My first approach to landing was beautiful... RIGHT up until the flare where we got blown a tad to the right of center... I corrected, landed on center and he laughed and said "NICELY done!"
Taxied back - making SURE I used my checklist after clearing the runway each time, and did a soft-field takeoff (one of my best), staying in the pattern for a soft-field landing.
Again, got a little squirrely with the crosswind, but otherwise okay. Didn't land AS soft as I thought we should, but he didn't seem concerned.
Taxied back, did a short-field takeoff (again, went well).. and stayed in the pattern for a short-field landing. Approach was good up until about 300 feet and I overcorrected to the left and we were WAY left of center, so I said "going around!" and did so.
Came around again, did a fairly good short-field landing - hit about 50' beyond my aiming point - and was all set to go back up for the power-off 180 accuracy landing when he said "okay.. we're done."
WHEW X 2!!!
Went back in and the oral began in earnest. It lasted about 3 hours and covered the following subjects:
Preparation;
Image;
Learning Process ("Learning is Purposeful. Learning is based on experience...." explaining each of those);
Laws of Learning;
Qualifications;
Stress and Anxiety;
Preparation for a lesson;
Use of time;
Ensoresments = Responsibility & Solo endoresements;
Lesson Plans (he REALLY liked my book!);
Syllabi;
Elements of Lesson Plans;
Stall/Spin Awareness;
FAR 61.63 = Endorsements for Additional Ratings;
Authority of endorsements.
I'll admit that during the stall/spin awareness portion, I just could NOT verbalize what I wanted to say at first... and was thinking "GREAT.... I'll have to demostrate spins now!!!"
But, I finally got it out.
He tried "Stump the Chump" with the FAR 61.63 thing, but I nailed it.
In the end, he gave his normal "responsibilities of being a CFI" speech that the others had told me he would give. It was actually very interesting and I paid close attention.
Finally, he said:
"Stan, you were VERY well prepared today and you'll make a fantastic Flight Instructor and a fine addition to this already stellar group of instructors here at Peter O. Knight.....you pass! now..... go work on those crosswind landings."
All in all, it was five long hours and I have never felt a load come off my shoulders like I did when he left that room and I had my CFI Cert in my hand.
