drgwentzel
Pre-takeoff checklist
Well, after a 4 ½ hour oral and 1.4 on the Hobbs, I’m a know-just-enough-to-be-dangerous-yet-legal CFI.
I thought I would share some of the specifics with the group.
I had a DE for the checkride. I very nice and pleasant gentleman. We met a 11 am and exchanged some pleasantries bought a couple cokes and went right to work.
First assignment was to show and teach him about all the paperwork required for the checkride both on the applicant and the airplane. This included all the endorsements required to qualify for the checkride.
Next, some questions on the FOI material, Types of learning, forgetting, CFI responsibilities, professionalism, minimizing student frustrations.
Then we did endorsements and I had to walk him through all the steps from a “Gee I’d really like to learn to fly someday” person to a certificated private pilot. We talked about aviation security and what needs to be done prior to getting a student pilot’s license.
After that he wanted a detailed explanation of what makes an airplane fly. I started with “Lots of money, a ton of paperwork and one really broke pilot. Since that didn’t pass muster, I went into the long winded story using the white board and my brand new Dry-Erase markers of Bernoulli’s Principle, airfoil anatomy, airflow, Newton’s Laws and blah blah blah. I had to do lessons on every stall in the PTS.
We did regulations on airspace, transponders, ELT, annuals, hundred hour inspections and who can perform them. We did regulations on CFI’s i.e. when can I begin training other CFI’s.
We did a little on aeromedical factors and aeronautical decision making. We talked about weight and balance, stalls and stability. We talked about spins.
I had to teach Lazy-8’s and Chandelles.
He got up and stated that he was satisfied with my knowledge and teaching ability and stated, “…so how ‘bout we go flying?”
This was my most feared part really. I was very secure in my knowledge and ability to teach. It was my demonstrations of commercial maneuvers that scared me.
We got a bite to eat first and had a change to talk about ourselves and life in general.
At the airplane he wanted me to teach him about preflight and taxi. After the run-up he wanted me to teach and demonstrate a crosswind takeoff. That was no problem the wind was 070@13G20 and we have runway 1-19 at my airport. Next he said, “Teach me about a normal climb and then Straight and Level flight while we’re going out to the practice area.” In the practice area he wanted to see slow flight, a power-off stall, then a power-on stall and then a secondary stall. Clearing turns first before all of them of course. While I was performing a power-off stall he gave me a distraction of insisting to see the Panel Page on the GPS. He wanted to do Lazy-8’s, then a few Chandelles, then simulated engine failure with a steep spiral to a landing field (my best yet). Then we went back to the airport and did a 180 degree accuracy landing (it was perfect!), a short field takeoff and landing, a soft field takeoff and lastly a soft field landing which was one of the worst landings I did that day. In my defense it was really gusting while on the approach with lots of turbulence and I ended up bouncing the landing. The DE was not happy and stated, “…that’s all my bravery for one day, let’s take it back to the hangar…”
I was sure I failed on that last landing until he added, “…so I can write you up your new CFI ticket.” YES!!!! Thank you!!!!
Now I just need to sign some logbooks.
Gene
I thought I would share some of the specifics with the group.
I had a DE for the checkride. I very nice and pleasant gentleman. We met a 11 am and exchanged some pleasantries bought a couple cokes and went right to work.
First assignment was to show and teach him about all the paperwork required for the checkride both on the applicant and the airplane. This included all the endorsements required to qualify for the checkride.
Next, some questions on the FOI material, Types of learning, forgetting, CFI responsibilities, professionalism, minimizing student frustrations.
Then we did endorsements and I had to walk him through all the steps from a “Gee I’d really like to learn to fly someday” person to a certificated private pilot. We talked about aviation security and what needs to be done prior to getting a student pilot’s license.
After that he wanted a detailed explanation of what makes an airplane fly. I started with “Lots of money, a ton of paperwork and one really broke pilot. Since that didn’t pass muster, I went into the long winded story using the white board and my brand new Dry-Erase markers of Bernoulli’s Principle, airfoil anatomy, airflow, Newton’s Laws and blah blah blah. I had to do lessons on every stall in the PTS.
We did regulations on airspace, transponders, ELT, annuals, hundred hour inspections and who can perform them. We did regulations on CFI’s i.e. when can I begin training other CFI’s.
We did a little on aeromedical factors and aeronautical decision making. We talked about weight and balance, stalls and stability. We talked about spins.
I had to teach Lazy-8’s and Chandelles.
He got up and stated that he was satisfied with my knowledge and teaching ability and stated, “…so how ‘bout we go flying?”
This was my most feared part really. I was very secure in my knowledge and ability to teach. It was my demonstrations of commercial maneuvers that scared me.
We got a bite to eat first and had a change to talk about ourselves and life in general.
At the airplane he wanted me to teach him about preflight and taxi. After the run-up he wanted me to teach and demonstrate a crosswind takeoff. That was no problem the wind was 070@13G20 and we have runway 1-19 at my airport. Next he said, “Teach me about a normal climb and then Straight and Level flight while we’re going out to the practice area.” In the practice area he wanted to see slow flight, a power-off stall, then a power-on stall and then a secondary stall. Clearing turns first before all of them of course. While I was performing a power-off stall he gave me a distraction of insisting to see the Panel Page on the GPS. He wanted to do Lazy-8’s, then a few Chandelles, then simulated engine failure with a steep spiral to a landing field (my best yet). Then we went back to the airport and did a 180 degree accuracy landing (it was perfect!), a short field takeoff and landing, a soft field takeoff and lastly a soft field landing which was one of the worst landings I did that day. In my defense it was really gusting while on the approach with lots of turbulence and I ended up bouncing the landing. The DE was not happy and stated, “…that’s all my bravery for one day, let’s take it back to the hangar…”
I was sure I failed on that last landing until he added, “…so I can write you up your new CFI ticket.” YES!!!! Thank you!!!!
Now I just need to sign some logbooks.
Gene
Good on ya!
