What training do I need to finish my CFI?
02-20-2013, 11:57 PM
#1
On Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Dec 2012
Posts: 17
What training do I need to finish my CFI?
What do I need to get back on track and finish my CFI? I would like to get back on track as soon as possible within the shortest amount of time and money to start back at building time instructing, then once i'm making a little money start work on my CFII.
I have been out of aviation for over 5 years. I have not even touched an airplane in those 5 years. Prior to that I got all the way up to the CFI check ride, failed, and have not flown since. So what must I do to gain currency again and get back to where I can take my CFI checkride and start Instructing new pilots? Will I need to be current with my instrument rating to instruct private pilots?
I have been out of aviation for over 5 years. I have not even touched an airplane in those 5 years. Prior to that I got all the way up to the CFI check ride, failed, and have not flown since. So what must I do to gain currency again and get back to where I can take my CFI checkride and start Instructing new pilots? Will I need to be current with my instrument rating to instruct private pilots?
02-21-2013, 05:39 AM
#2
Disinterested Third Party
Joined APC: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,003
Without knowing anything about you, it's very hard to say what you need to do with any degree of specificity. I know what I'd do, if you came to me with the request.
Step one would be to sit down for an interview, of sorts, over lunch or dinner. Find out exactly where you left off. Review your logs. Get a feeling for where you are, why you quit, and your approach, attitude, and goals. I'd have you take a sample test, see where your needs lie, and schedule an evaluation flight. I'd start you on some ground training, with the books and materials necessary to start refreshing, and I'd have you take an online CFI refresher course...good way to get introduced to the material quickly, even though you're not actually refreshing an existing CFI.
Once we had a good handle on what you needed specifically to advance, we'd tackle the weak areas, polish the strong areas, and tailor your training to your needs (which chance as you go along, meaning the training should be flexible enough to change with you).
The first step in that training is to get you current and comfortable in the aircraft in the left seat. Then move you to the right seat, and get you talking and flying. Progress from there is entirely up to you, at your pace, as your time, preparedness, aptitude, and finances will allow.
Step one would be to sit down for an interview, of sorts, over lunch or dinner. Find out exactly where you left off. Review your logs. Get a feeling for where you are, why you quit, and your approach, attitude, and goals. I'd have you take a sample test, see where your needs lie, and schedule an evaluation flight. I'd start you on some ground training, with the books and materials necessary to start refreshing, and I'd have you take an online CFI refresher course...good way to get introduced to the material quickly, even though you're not actually refreshing an existing CFI.
Once we had a good handle on what you needed specifically to advance, we'd tackle the weak areas, polish the strong areas, and tailor your training to your needs (which chance as you go along, meaning the training should be flexible enough to change with you).
The first step in that training is to get you current and comfortable in the aircraft in the left seat. Then move you to the right seat, and get you talking and flying. Progress from there is entirely up to you, at your pace, as your time, preparedness, aptitude, and finances will allow.
02-21-2013, 05:44 AM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2011
Position: Volleyball Player
Posts: 3,978
For the CFI, it's more important to be a self-starter and know your own weakness compared to the PTS. You should definitely get instruction, but also be able to read the PTS and know exactly what you can and can not do, and how to fix it. Each item that says "instructional knowledge" means you have to be able to teach it, although you usually only formally teach a few things on the checkride. Understanding the PTS is a huge key to being a successful instructor. For each element of each task, can you write a paragraph or two and fulfill the requirement? If not, research and study.
02-21-2013, 07:24 AM
#4
Moderator
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: ATP, CFI etc.
Posts: 6,056
Some points.
* You'll need to take the written again, it expires after 2 years.
* Based on that, you can start writing lesson plans. You do not need to write one for every thing, just do about a dozen and download the rest from AOPA.
* Start a CFI notebook to contain everything you'll need to go to work each day. Lesson plans, various relevant ACs, etc. I have a large 3 ring binder full of stuff for this purpose. Too bad I do not actively teach any more.
* I would start from day one flying from the right seat, you already know you can fly from the left seat.
* Select a flying club or FBO and get checked out in a complex and a basic trainer to use for practice, and make sure they can be used for a checkride as well. Get a BFR- an IPC is not required for VFR teaching.
* Start teaching guinea pig pilots how to do the maneuvers in an airplane. You should know all of them well enough to meet the PTS standards, it may take a while. You should also know all the PTS standards in detail, I used to quiz myself making worksheets where I filled in each task. You need to be able to nail them in theory and in practice. This takes time.
* Get a library collection going. I could probably dig up my book list for you at some point, I do not have it handy but I have posted it here before. You are going to need to order a lot of books from Amazon, you should have a reference source for any question a student can reasonably throw at you.
*Get your pilot kit ready, stuff like E6B, plotter, maps, pens, calculator, etc.
Becoming a quality instructor is a huge endeavor and should not be an entry-level job. You can spend a lifetime improving at it. On the other hand, a solid introduction can be had for a couple hundred hours of instructing work. They say the first hundred hours you should be paying the student, true. I can really tell who among my colleagues was an instructor before and who wasn't- it is an academically enriched approach to flying, makes you a scholar of the skies. Take your time and take it to heart.
* You'll need to take the written again, it expires after 2 years.
* Based on that, you can start writing lesson plans. You do not need to write one for every thing, just do about a dozen and download the rest from AOPA.
* Start a CFI notebook to contain everything you'll need to go to work each day. Lesson plans, various relevant ACs, etc. I have a large 3 ring binder full of stuff for this purpose. Too bad I do not actively teach any more.
* I would start from day one flying from the right seat, you already know you can fly from the left seat.
* Select a flying club or FBO and get checked out in a complex and a basic trainer to use for practice, and make sure they can be used for a checkride as well. Get a BFR- an IPC is not required for VFR teaching.
* Start teaching guinea pig pilots how to do the maneuvers in an airplane. You should know all of them well enough to meet the PTS standards, it may take a while. You should also know all the PTS standards in detail, I used to quiz myself making worksheets where I filled in each task. You need to be able to nail them in theory and in practice. This takes time.
* Get a library collection going. I could probably dig up my book list for you at some point, I do not have it handy but I have posted it here before. You are going to need to order a lot of books from Amazon, you should have a reference source for any question a student can reasonably throw at you.
*Get your pilot kit ready, stuff like E6B, plotter, maps, pens, calculator, etc.
Becoming a quality instructor is a huge endeavor and should not be an entry-level job. You can spend a lifetime improving at it. On the other hand, a solid introduction can be had for a couple hundred hours of instructing work. They say the first hundred hours you should be paying the student, true. I can really tell who among my colleagues was an instructor before and who wasn't- it is an academically enriched approach to flying, makes you a scholar of the skies. Take your time and take it to heart.
02-21-2013, 02:10 PM
#6
Moderator
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: ATP, CFI etc.
Posts: 6,056
You do not need to be IFR current to take the CFI exam. However, there is a portion of the private pilot experience requirements where you do some hood work with the student, and I always shoot an ILS with my student pilots in case they ever get in trouble so they can attempt to do one to save their butt. This does not require IFR currency for you, although you should be current in a relative sense so you can teach it.
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