CFI oral prep, need gouge
 

I'm taking my initial CFI SEL check ride within the next three weeks. I know it's going to depend on the individual but what kind of questions have you been asked on your oral ? Could someone post somewhat of a generic gouge ?

I don't think that's possible. You can be asked literally anything. My oral was 7.5 hours long.

That being said, I would make sure that I:

-knew AC 61-65E inside and out
-knew the aeronautical experience requirements for private, commercial and recreational pilots
-was very familiar with the airplane flying handbook and the pilots handbook of aeronautical knowledge
-had "tabbed" my FAR-AIM to help quickly find various subjects
-knew the POH of your aircraft inside and out


.....that's for starters. I walked into that checkride with, oh, somewhere around 15 different books that had various diagrams tabbed that would help me explain various concepts....that helped. The DPE (the FSDO has to be used now) told me that I could "teach ground to PhDs."

She didn't like my eight's on pylons, however. :cool:

One more thing.....don't ignore the various other advisory circulars....they're full of good info.

It would consist of the Private, Commercial, and CFI Practical Test Standards. Just go to the source. You can download them from FAA website, better yet buy the printed copies that ASA puts out. Honestly, this is the only realistic gouge there is for this checkride. It is a thorough checkride and the PTS is the reference on what you need to know.

For books I like this guy's list Darren CFI. These items would be a starting point only, to be supplemented with textbooks you used for your ratings and certs. I also keep a video collection that helps to recall certain topics. My favorite vidoes are by Richard Collins, AOPA, and Sportys although I have something from most of the major instructional academies.

As previously mentioned, the initial CFI is one of the most thorough checkrides you'll ever take. Remember though that you're not only being evaluated on your knowledge, the examiner is also looking to see that you can TEACH. Presentation is just as important as correct information, so make sure you're getting lots of practice presenting the topics. Yes, you need to know everything. Now, having said that, some common weak areas with initial CFIs from my experience:

• Principles of flight - Explaining the 4 forces correctly, proper definitions and relationship, opposing forces are only equal in "unaccelerated flight," etc. Forces in a climb. Induced drag - and not the "by-product of lift" nonsense explanation, most people are not taught it correctly in the first place, then really struggle with it working on their CFI for some reason. Adverse yaw. Make sure you really understand these and can TEACH them.
• Weather - How often TAF's, FA's, etc. are issued and how long they're valid. What condidtions advisories (sigmet, airmet, etc.) are issued for and how long they're valid.
• Airspace - Generally speaking, I never had a CFI student whose airspace knowledge was deficient; but everyone it seemed had a REALLY hard time teaching it. There's alot of information to convey to cover the topic fully and it's easy to get bogged down or to skip items. Make sure you have a usable, easy to follow presentation for this. Draw BIG pictures on the board. Equipment requirements, visibility/cloud clearances, typical dimensions, how it's depicted on a sectional, etc. should all be incorporated at a minimum.
• Airworthiness requirements - Inspections, AD's, service bulletins, maintenance records, definition of airworthy, and so forth. Ensure you know how to use the maintenance records to show that the aircraft is actually airworthy.
• Certificates and documents - In the real world, yes, you'll probably have to look up some of the requirements to earn a certificate from time to time, but for the check ride, you should KNOW them. For priviledges and limitations private vs common carriage and flying in furtherance of a business are typical stumbling blocks.
• Aeromedical - Different types of hypoxia. Chronic vs acute fatigue.

Once again, this is not EVERYTHING, just some common errors. The CFI PTS by itself is somewhat incomplete, to properly prepare you should reference the CFI, Private, and Commercial PTS together. Practice practice practice practice! Then practice some more. The more you run through your presentations the more confident and effective you will be as a teacher, and thus will be successful on your oral. Best of luck!

Go through the MX logs, take sticky notes and lable all of the inspections/AD's/etc. That way, when you are showing the FAA Examiner that your aircraft is airworthy, you won't take forever. (You may catch him/her on a bad day - and they may get impatient)

And label your logbook with your endorsements and know what you should give and keep records of.

Also, I tabbed my FAR/AIM so I could reference it faster if I needed something.

CFI Oral Prep
 

No amount of book work, lesson plans, and mad studying will prepare you enough for the oral. Just when I thought I knew what I was doing, I'd meet with a very experienced CFI/DPE and do a mock oral. It was during these mock orals that I would realize that I didn't know enough.

My advice, just as everyone else recommended, study the materials AND do ground school oral prep with a qualified individual. That person can reflect to you the areas you need to strengthen, and it is good practice for presenting your lessons and fine tuning the "teacher" side of you.

Good luck!