Howdy
12-23-2008, 10:41 AM
#1
On Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Dec 2008
Position: C-172 Instructor
Posts: 12
Howdy
I've been a long time troller of this forum.
I started working on my CFI back in May, and Passed my Checkride in October. Just wanted to thank every body for their ideas and thoughts on various topics. Currently I'm a freelance insturctor operating out of KAPA.
It was interesting going through my CFI. My instructor is a Regional Pilot so we could only meet up 1-2 times a week at most. What I thought was funny was funny throughout my entire training is that I spent ALOT of time in the plane (71hrs) and very little time on the ground (only 16hrs for ground stuff) Kind of the inverse from what I have heard everyone talk about.
(Now I do admit ALOT of the flight time I spent on my own just practicing manuvers)
Looking back on it, this was not a great summer, alot of heavy stuff was going on in my life, and even at times I felt like I was having to learn how to fly all over again from the right seat! Yet through it all flying helped keep me sain.
The sticking point where I had the most trouble in my CFI training, and really all of my flight training were presision landings. My instructor taught me a different way then my other instructors. My Other instructors had taught me that when I was at my aiming point that I was to reduce power, basicaly doa near-or-power off 180 for a short field. My CFI instructor taught me, and wanted me to do a short field, aiming for 1000ft markers, and on glide path and 1.5 stripes before the markers to pull power and flare. So another word coming in slow and dirty with power.
Turns out that one my first CFI ride I did everything great. I took my checkride with then FSDO, and afew people were surprised to learn I was able to get a FSDO examiner. The Oral went well, about 4 hrs, and my examiner really could tell that I had teaching experiance. Over all the flight portion went well too, except I landed 5 ft short of my mark, and royaly bounced and allowed the airplane to drift left of center line for the shoft field landing. ( for a slip second I was nervous and 'forgot' what I needed to do, most of my practice had been for the short field. I took my check ride two weeks later and passed after making two trips around the pattern.
So now I'm just looking for students. So far I've helped a pilot get his commercial rating, done afew clubs checks, and a discovery flight. Man it's awesome to get paid to fly, and even better to teach!
If any one is reading this and wondering if they should get their CFI, just do it. As some one else said on here it is one of the most vauble ratings you can have.
Next up, CFII!
I started working on my CFI back in May, and Passed my Checkride in October. Just wanted to thank every body for their ideas and thoughts on various topics. Currently I'm a freelance insturctor operating out of KAPA.
It was interesting going through my CFI. My instructor is a Regional Pilot so we could only meet up 1-2 times a week at most. What I thought was funny was funny throughout my entire training is that I spent ALOT of time in the plane (71hrs) and very little time on the ground (only 16hrs for ground stuff) Kind of the inverse from what I have heard everyone talk about.
(Now I do admit ALOT of the flight time I spent on my own just practicing manuvers)
Looking back on it, this was not a great summer, alot of heavy stuff was going on in my life, and even at times I felt like I was having to learn how to fly all over again from the right seat! Yet through it all flying helped keep me sain.
The sticking point where I had the most trouble in my CFI training, and really all of my flight training were presision landings. My instructor taught me a different way then my other instructors. My Other instructors had taught me that when I was at my aiming point that I was to reduce power, basicaly doa near-or-power off 180 for a short field. My CFI instructor taught me, and wanted me to do a short field, aiming for 1000ft markers, and on glide path and 1.5 stripes before the markers to pull power and flare. So another word coming in slow and dirty with power.
Turns out that one my first CFI ride I did everything great. I took my checkride with then FSDO, and afew people were surprised to learn I was able to get a FSDO examiner. The Oral went well, about 4 hrs, and my examiner really could tell that I had teaching experiance. Over all the flight portion went well too, except I landed 5 ft short of my mark, and royaly bounced and allowed the airplane to drift left of center line for the shoft field landing. ( for a slip second I was nervous and 'forgot' what I needed to do, most of my practice had been for the short field. I took my check ride two weeks later and passed after making two trips around the pattern.
So now I'm just looking for students. So far I've helped a pilot get his commercial rating, done afew clubs checks, and a discovery flight. Man it's awesome to get paid to fly, and even better to teach!
If any one is reading this and wondering if they should get their CFI, just do it. As some one else said on here it is one of the most vauble ratings you can have.
Next up, CFII!
12-23-2008, 11:15 AM
#2
Moderator
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: ATP, CFI etc.
Posts: 6,056
Welcome DA, I hope to hear more from you and thanks for sharing your experience.
I got my CFI earlier this year and have been teaching part time since then. It is an adventure and I really love it. I think I am fairly good at it but there is so much to know you have to keep trying to learn more while keeping your skills up to par.
There is latitude for changing the way you do almost any of the private and commercial maneuvers. Call it pilot discretion, if you will. Short field is one such maneuver and some of the differences in how it is taught are due to the fact that there is almost never a real obstacle present, nor is the field actually short where the checkride is happening. It is at best a simulation and examiners look instead for "short field technique" rather than see if an applicant can actually hit some arbitrary mark.
My examiner told me he did not care where we set down, as long as he saw decent short-field technique being demonstrated. On the CFI ride he said to use the glideslope (PAPI) to show that I was actually clearing 50 feet at the end. Kind of silly when you think that at a genuine short field runway you will have neither PAPI nor a thousand-foot mark to help you.
In contrast, when I went for my commercial checkride a few years ago the examiner said, all I need to see today is that you set down where you say you are going to set down. Funny. I managed to put the airplane on the thousand foot mark each time so all was well.
Another maneuver that has big room for interpretation is the steep spiral maneuver from the commercial set. This one varies so much I have taken to asking the examiners what they expect to see so I can "interpret" it their way each time. You can do them at Va, at best glide, gear up, gear down, heavy banking, shallow banking, to a landing, not to a landing, entering from downwind, enter from the upwind, etc. etc.- lots of variation there.
You will love teaching, every flight is an adventure.
I got my CFI earlier this year and have been teaching part time since then. It is an adventure and I really love it. I think I am fairly good at it but there is so much to know you have to keep trying to learn more while keeping your skills up to par.
There is latitude for changing the way you do almost any of the private and commercial maneuvers. Call it pilot discretion, if you will. Short field is one such maneuver and some of the differences in how it is taught are due to the fact that there is almost never a real obstacle present, nor is the field actually short where the checkride is happening. It is at best a simulation and examiners look instead for "short field technique" rather than see if an applicant can actually hit some arbitrary mark.
My examiner told me he did not care where we set down, as long as he saw decent short-field technique being demonstrated. On the CFI ride he said to use the glideslope (PAPI) to show that I was actually clearing 50 feet at the end. Kind of silly when you think that at a genuine short field runway you will have neither PAPI nor a thousand-foot mark to help you.
In contrast, when I went for my commercial checkride a few years ago the examiner said, all I need to see today is that you set down where you say you are going to set down. Funny. I managed to put the airplane on the thousand foot mark each time so all was well.
Another maneuver that has big room for interpretation is the steep spiral maneuver from the commercial set. This one varies so much I have taken to asking the examiners what they expect to see so I can "interpret" it their way each time. You can do them at Va, at best glide, gear up, gear down, heavy banking, shallow banking, to a landing, not to a landing, entering from downwind, enter from the upwind, etc. etc.- lots of variation there.
You will love teaching, every flight is an adventure.
12-23-2008, 12:53 PM
#3
On Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Dec 2008
Position: C-172 Instructor
Posts: 12
When it comes in interpretations, I ran in to that as well with the steep spiral.
During my commercial training it was 80kts in turn, and hold your position over the round. For the Check is was 120kts "engine" on fire" get 'er down now! When I was working with the commercial student when I talked with his main CFI it was 80kts, keep 55 degrees of bank, and who cares about the position because it won't change much.
Tons and tons o-fun.
During my commercial training it was 80kts in turn, and hold your position over the round. For the Check is was 120kts "engine" on fire" get 'er down now! When I was working with the commercial student when I talked with his main CFI it was 80kts, keep 55 degrees of bank, and who cares about the position because it won't change much.
Tons and tons o-fun.
12-23-2008, 02:06 PM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2008
Position: 737
Posts: 268
Howdy to you,
I got my initial last March and ended up with both in June. The first flight with my first student (well, first REAL student, not counting my roommate who I gave an IPC to) was great. I was finally able to start sharing my aviation bug to a future pilot. Then that same student passed his private checkride about two weeks ago. When that happened, it felt great. I actually ended up calling him before he had a chance to call his parents, whoops.
The beauty of flying an airplane is that for every maneuver, there is always a different way of doing things. Good thing that you were able to experience many different ways as a CFI since whatever way worked for you, you're going to teach it that way. If it so happens that your student is struggling with something, you know of another way for them to try, and then hopefully they'll get it. I've experienced many different ways of doing a short-field, and luckily I managed to pass it during my checkride (sure can't demonstrate it to my students very well anymore...haha!)
Fortuneately, most examiners that I've seen have that mindset of show me a good technique and I'll show you a temporary. I remember my multi-commercial ride I ended up being about 200ft long on my point and as I taxied off the runway, thought for sure I'll be doing the ride again. During the de-brief, however, the examiner explained that the approach I had made was very consistent and maintained the proper glide path at the proper airspeed and although I landed long, the follow-through procedure was correct. He said all it was that had probably caused the long landing a a slight delay in power reduction. His interpretation of the PTS is that just because one of the items in a particular task wasn't within standards it shouldn't result in an unsat of the entire task.
Not too long ago, I had another student go up for his private ride. On the flight, the examiner explained that during the demonstration of the emergency approach to landing (and in this case, the examiner had the student actually land at an airport), the student would have overshot the runway and it was grounds for an unsat. He then said that because the student did so well with the oral knowledge during the oral portion of the practical, he allowed the student to pass the flight. That was relieving, considering I tend to really hammer in the oral knowledge stuff into my students, since I've seen in some cases the oral knowledge tends to be under-estimated and more emphasis goes into the airplane.
Anyway, here I go blabber-mouthing. Point being, you'll enjoy being a CFI (as you have already) since you're going to set yourself into your own little groove and things will just coast smoothly along.
Happy Flying, and Happy Holidays.
I got my initial last March and ended up with both in June. The first flight with my first student (well, first REAL student, not counting my roommate who I gave an IPC to) was great. I was finally able to start sharing my aviation bug to a future pilot. Then that same student passed his private checkride about two weeks ago. When that happened, it felt great. I actually ended up calling him before he had a chance to call his parents, whoops.
The beauty of flying an airplane is that for every maneuver, there is always a different way of doing things. Good thing that you were able to experience many different ways as a CFI since whatever way worked for you, you're going to teach it that way. If it so happens that your student is struggling with something, you know of another way for them to try, and then hopefully they'll get it. I've experienced many different ways of doing a short-field, and luckily I managed to pass it during my checkride (sure can't demonstrate it to my students very well anymore...haha!)
Fortuneately, most examiners that I've seen have that mindset of show me a good technique and I'll show you a temporary. I remember my multi-commercial ride I ended up being about 200ft long on my point and as I taxied off the runway, thought for sure I'll be doing the ride again. During the de-brief, however, the examiner explained that the approach I had made was very consistent and maintained the proper glide path at the proper airspeed and although I landed long, the follow-through procedure was correct. He said all it was that had probably caused the long landing a a slight delay in power reduction. His interpretation of the PTS is that just because one of the items in a particular task wasn't within standards it shouldn't result in an unsat of the entire task.
Not too long ago, I had another student go up for his private ride. On the flight, the examiner explained that during the demonstration of the emergency approach to landing (and in this case, the examiner had the student actually land at an airport), the student would have overshot the runway and it was grounds for an unsat. He then said that because the student did so well with the oral knowledge during the oral portion of the practical, he allowed the student to pass the flight. That was relieving, considering I tend to really hammer in the oral knowledge stuff into my students, since I've seen in some cases the oral knowledge tends to be under-estimated and more emphasis goes into the airplane.
Anyway, here I go blabber-mouthing. Point being, you'll enjoy being a CFI (as you have already) since you're going to set yourself into your own little groove and things will just coast smoothly along.
Happy Flying, and Happy Holidays.
