Keep a troubleshooting mentality, but don't chase every rabbit hole. When things are understood and you've demonstrated, the student will sort it out on their own. Don't spend hours of their time covering up instruments to get them to look outside and doing goofy stuff like that. They aren't going to be doing everything perfect by the time they get to a checkride, so don't worry about perfect steep turns pre-solo.

Talk less! Arm the student with knowledge of what to study, then let them make all their own decisions.

Doing everything for them on the first handful of flights will delay soloing and student progress. I know you have to do a lot, but there is a delicate balance here.

Build confidence and study habits, and stay out of the way! There is no way an instructor can explain everything they need to know. You're a safety pilot, you're an observer and a facilitator. They need you in the plane to stay legal, not to talk on the radio and pick up all the slack.

 

The hardest thing for a new/young CFI is to literally "Let Go." You will find yourself riding the controls, helping more than you should, but as you gain experience and self awareness of your teaching and skills as a CFI, you will gain that confidence to just let the student mess up(within obvious reason).

People gain experience from their mistakes, not yours, so let them make them. So I thought I'd share my all time favorite mistake, which is base-to-final turn where they overshoot, add in rudder and opposing aileron.

I tell them to go around, then head out to the practice area. Set up the same scenario, and tell them you want to see them go to slow flight and cross-control in the turn. Every single one clam's up on me and says they can't do that because of a spin. Amazingly the light goes off!!! I taught in C152's and C172's, and I wasn't afraid of spins, so we would then demonstrate a full spin(or entry for the 172's) and recovery. I would always point out the altitude loss and the fact they wouldn't have a chance at a recovery before they would hit the dirt. Practical demonstrations are key to learning!!!!!

Best of luck to you

 

I've been instructing for 2.5 years and have a little bit of dual given (1500+) and the best thing I could say is don't forget who's PIC. You're students will make mistakes as is required in learning but don't let it jeopardize your certs.

 

Congratulations!!! Hope it goes well for you..

 

I have had a few people in management tell me not to explain the structure, as you said. They seem to have said it scares the pilot when you talk about checkride. My experience tells me quite the opposite. Students benefit from knowing as much as possible about this from the beginning. It never scared them.

 

Here's what we don't want to happen, we don't want someone to get to the checkride and forget to do something that seems small, but is absolutely required by the standards. We don't want them to wonder why we are asking a certain question, we want them to know the PTS so well that they know what would and would not be a legitimate question even. Many checkrides have ended in failure due to a very basic/simple PTS violation, because one just did the same things they did on every flight, rather than follow the PTS on every flight. It sounds simple and so basic, but so many people don't really look over the PTS, read the PTS, conduct lessons in accordance with it, etc.

 

LOL- best advice ever!

 

Make flying fun, stress safety, have them chair fly a lot! Tell them to make note cards, and realize you are also a finacial advisor it's the worst when they run out of money. Make sure they realize it cost more to keep stopping there training midway through.

 

I've been flight instructing for over a year now and this is the thing that freaks me out the most about it. (my fellow coworkers always joked that the students try to kill you--some days, it feels like that..) I've seen the results when a student did something durastic on landing that put a blemish on his CFI's record. Vigilance is absolutely necessary, no matter how much experience your student has because you're still PIC.

Fun CFI story: on my very first day instructing, my very first student ever put me into a steep spiral (not quite into a spin) on a power-on stall. There's nothing like that experience to say, "welcome to flight instructing!"

 

P-ower idle
R-udder opposite
A-ilerons neutralized
Y-oke push forward

You'll know what I mean soon enough.