Studying for the CFI

at1024 said:
I take responsibility for the busts but the school did not exactly do a good job in setting me up for success. Nothing is more frustrating than feeling prepared and ready for the test and then waiting around for six months because of an airworthiness issue.
Click to expand...


Important point for anyone else reading this - do no depend on a particular flight school to set up a CFI checkride. If they have equipment problems, have a backup complex single at another school, even if it is out of town.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Important point for anyone else reading this - do no depend on a particular flight school to set up a CFI checkride. If they have equipment problems, have a backup complex single at another school, even if it is out of town.
Click to expand...
I sent a PM to the OP outlining my experience since I didn't want to air out all of the details on a public forum. Long story short due to the mess I described earlier and some other life events it took nearly 15 months from the time I sent the FAA the request for the ride until I was holding the certificate in hand.
 
I had a decent relationship with the FSDO, the owner not so much but it was never an issue for my students. We did MEI as initial when I was teaching, and there were a couple occasions when equipment had problems. I do not recall it ever taking longer than 2 weeks to get a checkride though, and when Wichita was over booked I used Lincoln. They never once allowed an initial to be done by an examiner but some places do.

I agree that a school with a good relationship with the local FSDO and who has experience with the process is going to be to your advantage. It doesn't need to be accelerated if you feel like you need to take your time. I call also tell you that almost none of my students felt like they were ready for the checkride, all but one passed on the first attempt. The other got through on the second attempt a week or so later. One other had to split a ride because of a mechanical issue. Again finishing in about a week.

Some schools will be happy to keep charging you and letting you wait as long as you want until you feel comfortable. I preferred to push things up a little faster but that was just my style. One of my best students had nearly 40 hours and had never soloed when he came to me. 10 minutes in the plane and I knew he had been getting jerked around by vampires. He had even been taught these huge teardrop pattern entries when crossing midfield that were just a waste of time. It's a shame what goes on at some places.

Sorry to deviate like that, but you get the point.
Sounds like you are taking things seriously and you will do fine and be a fine instructor sooner than you think.
 
I am doing the same. There are 2 required writtens, the FOI, AFI(Airplane Flight instructor) and the AGI is optional but it is 99% exactly the same as the AFI and it's worth taking so that you can put it on resumes that you have the AGI, mine as well get it since you're prepared for it from taking the AFI.

I as well am finding all the knowledge very overwhelming, especially for the fact that most of us have forgotten a lot of the stuff from PPL, from aerodynamics to how instruments work and whatnot, we know it's there, we know it affects us, we just don't really think about it anymore but now for the CFI it's overstressed that we HAVE to know it forwards-backwards. Now, knowing this information is one thing, but getting up and teaching it on a dry-erase board is something completely different that I am really struggling with. I am great at flying, I am great at understanding concepts and information but I absolutely suck at teaching and explaining it. A CFI that I am working with on the ground time is telling me that you pretend that the student is a 5 year old and has no background knowledge of flying... well crap, it's like teaching an idiot and I just can't stand teaching stuff at that level, I just want to get to the complexity parts where a REAL student would have struggles after getting the basic info. from reading a book on their own. I'd suggest having a lesson plan for everything in the PTS for both the PPL and Commercial.
 
LMAO, "REAL" student?? Let me tell you about real students. Real students are all different, some can read a book and understand, some you have to explain things to them like a 5 year old, some are book smart and can parrot answers but can't find their ass with both hands in the plane. Some are good natural sticks, and think they can survive on talent alone, some can't wipe their butt without a checklist. They are all different, they all have moods, they have good days and bad days. They all will challenge you in one way or another and it's YOUR JOB to teach them properly. Suck it up and get your CFI and start making some money, you aren't 1/10th as good now as you will be after 500 hours instructing.
 
desertdog71 said:
LMAO, "REAL" student?? Let me tell you about real students. Real students are all different, some can read a book and understand, some you have to explain things to them like a 5 year old, some are book smart and can parrot answers but can't find their ass with both hands in the plane. Some are good natural sticks, and think they can survive on talent alone, some can't wipe their butt without a checklist. They are all different, they all have moods, they have good days and bad days. They all will challenge you in one way or another and it's YOUR JOB to teach them properly. Suck it up and get your CFI and start making some money, you aren't 1/10th as good now as you will be after 500 hours instructing.
Click to expand...

So I've been told. Well this is the only time I'll have to know 99% of everything better than I ever did.
 
no intentions of hijacking this thread, but since we're on the subject, if the FSDO for your area has scheduling delays or other issues, do you simply apply for a checkride with another city or is there some sort of procedure to go through?

Thanks in advance.
 
aa747 said:
no intentions of hijacking this thread, but since we're on the subject, if the FSDO for your area has scheduling delays or other issues, do you simply apply for a checkride with another city or is there some sort of procedure to go through?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=A6018EF51590B0008525734F0076665F

Section 5-499 paragraph B titled "Public Complaint" cites that if an appointment for the test cannot be scheduled within 2 weeks then the FSDO "may" direct the applicant to a qualified DPE of their choosing. I wish I would have known this when I was going through as I literally was told to wait several weeks.
 
JFlighttt said:
I as well am finding all the knowledge very overwhelming.
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth! I find myself fixating on say the FOI one week the Aviation Weather or the Airplane Flying handbook the next. But I fail to read say part 91 of the FAR/AIM. Is there any semi-sane and semi-logical way to organize my study sessions?

And please don't say go to an accelerated program. I'm in no position to go to one.
 
I am going through the KING CFI ground school course I'd be interested if anyone wanted to form a "study" group to bounce ideas off of each other.
 
ORAL
PTS - go through each and every thing in the pts and have instructional knowledge of said items.
almost all of the FOI can be broken down into acronyms and lists of things (REEPIR etc.) You can boil that book down to five pages of notes over a weekend that will help you simplify all of the information.

Practice teaching, don't just read from the book to study. The key here is to boil everything down to a step by step explanation.

The only secret to the CFI ground is there is no secret, you just have to practice it one piece at a time and take your time to get it right. It's slow and tedious, but you'll notice that there really isn't that much new information to absorb. It's mostly consolidating information you already know into a presentable form for a student.
 
scooter2525 said:
Is that with the DVDs and such?
Click to expand...
I bought the online course. Right now I am going through the knowledge portion, it seems to me a review more in depth of the same knowledge I crammed in my head at ATP. It would be nice to have someone to correspond with who is going through about the same process as I am. My idea is finish the ground school, take the written tests. Get with a CFI for any ground touch up I may need and then start studying for the check ride, using the Hayes oral guide, flying from the right seat, studying maneuvers, lesson plans etc.
 
I'm going about the same way you are. I'm coming up with lesson plans of the FOI to teach my wife, and then will start up some lesson plans for other material. Then I'll get with my CFI, cover everything, learn to fly from the right seat and hopefully get this sucker knocked out.
 
desertdog71 said:
LMAO, "REAL" student?? Let me tell you about real students. Real students are all different, some can read a book and understand, some you have to explain things to them like a 5 year old, some are book smart and can parrot answers but can't find their ass with both hands in the plane. Some are good natural sticks, and think they can survive on talent alone, some can't wipe their butt without a checklist. They are all different, they all have moods, they have good days and bad days. They all will challenge you in one way or another and it's YOUR JOB to teach them properly. Suck it up and get your CFI and start making some money, you aren't 1/10th as good now as you will be after 500 hours instructing.
Click to expand...
Well put. And even after beating the FOI into your brain some students will still make you want to smash your head into the side window repeatedly while you try to figure out how to get through to them.
 
Hawks said:
I am going through the KING CFI ground school course I'd be interested if anyone wanted to form a "study" group to bounce ideas off of each other.
Click to expand...

I might be interested. After all what is the motto of this place? Oh yeah pay it forward!
 
Whatusername said:
I might be interested. After all what is the motto of this place? Oh yeah pay it forward!
Click to expand...

It would be most appreciated. Right now it is a balancing act between home, work and studying for advancement at work. For some reason my interpolation skills are .
 
Acechris89 said:
this will be the CFI initial, most likely conducted at the Boston FSDO at KBED.
Click to expand...
I got mine from Boston FSDO, passed on the first attempt. I know three other CFIs who passed, one who failed the oral and one who failed the flight (don't remember details but both said the bust was fair and the retest went fine)
My ride was not easy but it was not tough either. The oral started at 8am and we were done by 2pm, that included paperwork, bathroom breaks and lunch. The inspector was a nice and friendly person (actually I can say that about everyone I met on that day, including mechanic and even the receptionist.) Very by the book, he didn't miss a single item from the PTS. At the same time when he had to pick a task he'd go with the easy one (e.g. Chandelles vs Lazy-8.) I wish I could do all my checkrides with that FAA inspector.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top