Will be ready for my initial CFI checkride after tomorrow's Part 141 End of Course check. This will be my first FAA examiner checkride.

What is the process like, as far as what to say to the local FSDO, and how long it usually takes to get the checkride scheduled. Also if any of you would like to share your experience and some sample oral questions that you got asked on your CFI Checkride, I'd appreciate it.

 

On my CFI ride the examiner put the c152 in to a spin in the landing configuration (full flaps). I remember thinking, "Hey, you can't do that! it's placarded not to do spins with flaps!" He was pretending to be a student who gets in to a spin turning base to final. I immediately said, "I got it" and simultaneously raised the flaps, pulled off the power and recovered from the spin. I then started "teaching" him what just happened.

He must have thought I did the right thing because I passed. My point is, be ready for the unexpected.

 

Try to get a few gouges from people at your school (and/or surrounds schools), surely they can enlighten you of their experiences. That is what I did and the information previous applicants provided proved to be a real asset.

 

Initial CFI can be challenging. It has the greatest disqualify rate due to the fact tht this checkride is the last barrier to a great degree of freedom.
ASA has the Oral exam CFI which you should have, also the PTS gives you the standard. Safety is the primary criteria, together with judgement.
I think it interesting that Mike was put into a spin in the landing configuration, as that is not a standard of examinors, however, they have the freedom to do it if they so desire.
I think that if you know the PTS and have it in hand you will be fine. My initial was the CFII and that was interesting...
Have the PTS in hand, that is the guideline your examinor will use. Have the FARAIM also, tabbed with all the corresponding regs of 91, 61 and the appropriate AIM items tabbed as well.That will show the examinor that you are teaching from the Bible.
They want to see this.
In this way there will be no surprises. Keep it standardized, and be well organized.
This will see you through.
Another thing, if you dont know something, dont try to BS. Be honest and look it up.The examinor will be looking for this also.
Good Luck

 

I just got my CFI on Saturday. Everything he asked was right out of the PTS. He asked a lot about FARs, endorsements, and FOI. They were mostly in scenario based questions. I am not sure about who you are going with, but with this guy I flew with, he just wanted to see that you are an effective teacher. He let me use any notes or books that I brought for reference, and even if I didn't have to look something up, he often asked to see it anyways.

I went with a DE because our FSDO is really busy, and the oral was a fairly short 2.5 hours and the flight was around 1.1 and was very fast paced.

Good luck on your test!

 

When I did mine back in 2000 it was with the Orlando FSDO. It was an all day event. Be prepared for EVERYTHING. The examiner even called me the day before and said "bring a lunch, we'll be continuing the oral through lunch".

 

From what I understand, the airplane gets put through the ringer by the FAA maintenance guy. If the oral is not complete by 11am, you are screwed, because it is lunch time. If you don't finish the flight before 4pm, you are screwed, because happy hour is right around the corner.

Try to schedule it early, and make sure the aircraft and logbooks are in tip-top shape.

 

I'm sure you have had people tell you to keep talking the whole flight. That's not really true. My examiner told me before my flight that it's ok to have some silence to allow the "student" to think about things and concentrate. My examiner told me after the flight that many students make the mistake of talking about nonsense just to fill the silence on the checkride and it is not necessary. If your talking, make sure it's relevant to what is going on.

 

The generally accepted practice is to talk until the examiner tells you to shut up. It is all too common for the examiner to say "you flew just fine, but you didn't really teach me" as he pushes your pink slip across the table. Once he tells you to shut up, you have already proven that you can fly and teach at the same time.

 

I'm pretty sure the person who started this post has already taken their checkride...but just in case another CFI applicant reads this, I'll write it anyways because this is what I look for when I conduct a CFI checkride:
First...if your intial CFI is with the Orlando FSDO, pray. Second, make sure you are familiar with and have ALL the references in the PTS (FAR/AIM, PHAK, AFM, AIH, plus all those little Advisory Circulars). You should have lesson plans for all ground and flight maneuvers listed in the PTS. Don't forget the aircraft logbooks either. The Orlando FSDO has a nice checklist on their website of all the things needed to make a plane "airworthy". Third...teach to the level they want...I've seen several students fail because they tried to teach a student pilot CFI material (a student pilot could not care less about equation for the coefficient of lift and it just opens you up to more questioning). Fourth...stay calm, cool, collected, and MAKE SENSE. If you get nervous or caught up on something, take a minute for a deep breath, say "Let me get the reference for that" and move on. I've seen a lot of people go on about non-sense for 20 minutes then say the wrong thing. RELAX. It helps if you keep in mind the fact that you already are a CFI...your instructor said so in the back of your logbook. Finally...dress and act professional. Show up in board shorts and flip flops and you're screwed. "Yes sir and No sir" go a long way...after all "Professionalism" is a required topic on the checkride.