CFI training prep

[SoCal.pilot]

Hey all!

I'm currently working on my CFI. My instructor has been great in prepping me with my lesson plans and covering the "what if" questions the examiner could ask.

I don't want to leave no stone unturned and wanted to ask you guys how you prepped and made/organized your lesson plans. If you have CFI gouges or stories, feel free to share. Any helpful tips would be appreciated.

Can't wait to flight instruct!

 

[IK04]

Show up for the oral with a binder with lesson plans for several PP and Commercial maneuvers/knowledge areas. Also have a ledger for every endorsement on a ruled sheet. A copy of each part of part 61 applicable in a tabbed section is a great quick reference. Printed quizzes, sectional excerpts and oral questions are a bonus...
Of course, have all the reference material with you and all the planning tools you usually use (do people still use charts, plotters and circular computers anymore?).
Keep the lesson plans concise and know your stuff. Take the lead in the conversation (roll reversal) and be confident. Don't let mistakes or knowledge gaps trip you up. drive on through the rest of the oral and hands-on test.
There's much more, but I'll let you set up your own way. Enjoy the experience!

 

[James331]

Hey all!

I'm currently working on my CFI. My instructor has been great in prepping me with my lesson plans and covering the "what if" questions the examiner could ask.

I don't want to leave no stone unturned and wanted to ask you guys how you prepped and made/organized your lesson plans. If you have CFI gouges or stories, feel free to share. Any helpful tips would be appreciated.

Can't wait to flight instruct!

My #1 recommendation would be to tutor PPL students. I really spend the bare legal min time with a instructor for my CFI

All self study (everything from Wikipedia to YouTube to king etc) and tutoring folks. First time pass at the FSDO.

My least expensive cert/rating too

 

[kath]

I put together a "Maneuver Book" with one page per maneuver. Each page has a description of the maneuver, a quick "talking point" for each at the top (for instance, under "Short Field Takeoff", the talking point is "Waste no runway, waste no speed!"), and a list of common errors. (The FAA seems to be big on you knowing what the common errors are.) I used a Gleim prep book to help put this together, although in retrospect pretty much everything you need (including graphics) is in the Airplane Flying Handbook too.

For the rest, I put together quick & dirty lesson plans, for topics like: Aerodynamics, Airspaces, Weather, ADM, Weight & Balance, etc. These were more of an "outline format", so that I could just glance at it mid-lecture to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything, as I chatter away. I didn't spend a lot of time on these, because I'm already a college professor who is used to lecturing... I imagine that different CFI candidates could find very different levels of detail useful here, depending on their teaching background and teaching style. Mine was pretty minimalist, but others may prefer something else. Find something that fits your groove!

I wrote up a long post about my CFI checkride here:
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/tales-of-my-cfi-checkride-long.113102/
The was back in August. And my first student soloed a couple weeks ago! Soooooo proud, big day for both of us!

I'm absolutely loving flight instruction. My advice is to practice "taking over the controls aggressively when close to the ground" with your CFI. Students can do inexplicable things right next to the runway, and it's a moment when you can TELL them something (like "more power!" or "my airplane!") but their brain won't quite process the words right away, and they can freeze.

 

[IK04]

Also, read everything written by Bill Kershner. I based my entire syllabus and teaching methods on his guidance. Get a copy of "The Flight Instructor's Manual." It's been reprinted by ASA. The old Ohio State Press versions should be the same. Everyone should have a copy of Wolfgang Langewiesche's "Stick And Rudder!"