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EdFred

EdFred

Taxi to Parking
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Feb 25, 2005
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White Chocolate
CFI ride has been rescheduled for 8:30 am on Saturday the 30th.
 
Will be thinking good thoughts for good weather and a good checkride! Now, in the mess of unpacking I still have to do, where did I put the white sage and sacrificial weather chickens preferred by the wx gods?
 
Ed,

I'll send some good karma your way... I'll be waxing the planes that morning. :yes:
 
The most important thing to remember about the CFI ticket is that it’s all about teaching, not flying. You will be judged more on your ability to impart learning to your student than on any demonstration of your own pilot skills. The Aviation Instructor's Handbook book is rather dry, and (considering that it’s supposed to be prepared by professionals who really know about teaching) not all that easy to learn from. However, the important data are there, and you’d best learn not only to parrot them, but to understand what they mean and apply them when you teach (and if you don’t recognize these “levels of learning” you’re not ready yet). You will have to be able to read the student’s mind to find out whether he’s really learned the material or not, and if not, WHY not. Then you must be able to figure out how to get past whatever barrier to understanding exists in that student’s mind. You’ll find that there are as many successful techniques as there are students, but there may only be one of those many that works for any one particular student. Being able to hit on one that will work quickly, before the student becomes discouraged, is the toughest part of flight instructing.

How to work through this? Get with some successful teachers, not necessarily pilots. I’m talking about someone you know who’s an experienced high school teacher, one that the kids remember long after graduation as the highlight of their experience. Talk about teaching and learning with this person. You might also consider some basic education courses at the local college.

Finally, here are a few points I put together to get your mind right for the initial CFI checkride:

1. You are a teacher, not a pilot. How you teach is far more important than how you fly the plane. It doesn't matter if you slightly screw up a maneuver, as long as you identify the screw-up as it happens, talk about why it happened, and then how to do it right.

2. Don't rush into any answers. When asked questions, show the examiner where the answer is written -- you're showing how to teach a student, not demonstrating your own superior knowledge. That means you should know COLD where to find the answers -- if asked about the red/green/white tower light gun signals, it shouldn't take you more than a few seconds to get to the right page in the AIM. And you should know instantly whether an answer to an FAR question is in Part 61 or Part 91 (HINT: If the rule applies no matter who's flying the plane, it's in 91. If not, it's in 61.)

3. Be relaxed and organized. When asked a to teach an item, take a moment to gather your thoughts and draw out any blackboard diagrams or itemized lists for the lesson. You're not on "Jeopardy" -- there's no one gonna beat you to the buzzer and steal your $200 prize.

4. Inventory your stuff before you go to the meet -- the checklist in the PTS is a good tool. Make sure you have all the source materials to teach as well as answer all the questions in the PTS.

5. Typically, during the oral, the examiner will jump on one topic and continue asking questions until you run out of answers. In the Air Force, we called this game "Stump the Dummy." As the questioner knows more than the questionee about the topic he selected (which is why the questioner selected it), the final outcome (the dummy is stumped) is never in doubt. The critical elements are how far the dummy can get before being stumped, and how he handles the situation -- straight knowledge, clear explanations, use of the book when appropriate or necessary, and no BS or tap-dancing when finally stumped.

6. Expect a long, grueling session. You're being given the authority to release others into the sky without anyone else's oversight. They want to make damn sure you can make good decisions in that respect. For that reason, I think the initial CFI is the most significant ride you'll ever take.

Good luck,
Ron Levy
CFI since 1973
 
Good luck, Ed ! After you recover from the day, write up what you went through.
 
Ron Levy said:
The Aviation Instructor's Handbook book is rather dry, and (considering that it’s supposed to be prepared by professionals who really know about teaching) not all that easy to learn from.
Click to expand...

Is that why the old saw goes:

"Those who can, do.
Those who can't, teach.
Those who can't teach, teach teachers." :D

Oh, and my wife is a teacher, so you know I'm just kidding about teachers. :yes:
 
Ghery said:
Is that why the old saw goes:

"Those who can, do.
Those who can't, teach.
Those who can't teach, teach teachers." :D

Oh, and my wife is a teacher, so you know I'm just kidding about teachers. :yes:
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Those that can't teach teachers are superintendents :yes::D:rofl:
 
So... Ed, Should we duck and cover?????

Missa

Edit: - oops... I had the wrong Saturday we have one more week. Good luck Ed!
 
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Ed, I await your checkride report with bated breath! (Still planning to start the CFI training this winter sometime...)

--Kath
 
kath said:
Ed, I await your checkride report with bated breath! (Still planning to start the CFI training this winter sometime...)

--Kath
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Hey Kath, is that bated or baited?:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
kevin47881 said:
Hey Kath, is that bated or baited?:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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"The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48"
Bated Bat"ed, a.
Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated breath.
--Macaulay.
1913 Webster

I didn't know, so i had to look it up.
 
Now, if she had been eating earthworms for breakfast, it would be baited breath.
 
90% chance of rain saturday with ceilings 500-1000ft.
 
smigaldi said:
Still you should plan on knocking out the oral, it is the longest and hardest part from what I have been told.
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I have to fly 100 miles to take the ride - and be there at Oh-Dark-Thirty. And they are calling for storms. Warm front being over taken by a cold front with the intersection right on top of CAD.
 
N2212R said:
I have to fly 100 miles to take the ride - and be there at Oh-Dark-Thirty. And they are calling for storms. Warm front being over taken by a cold front with the intersection right on top of CAD.
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Taking the ride at CAD? Not a FSDO?

If it's a DPE, let me know how (s)he is, I'll eventually take my Comm-ASES ride up there.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Taking the ride at CAD? Not a FSDO?

If it's a DPE, let me know how (s)he is, I'll eventually take my Comm-ASES ride up there.
Click to expand...

I got deferred, and I will.
 
Barring some bizarre weather change (it is the great lakes after all) it begins at 11am tomorrow. Hopefully it lasts past 1130.
 
N2212R said:
Barring some bizarre weather change (it is the great lakes after all) it begins at 11am tomorrow. Hopefully it lasts past 1130.
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:frog: Good luck Ed! Chicken for dinner tonigt!:frog:

Missa
 
Shortest ride in history. Short field take off.
My procedure:

Lift-off, maintain Vx until 100' above the runway.
Pitch to Vy.
While pitching to Vy:
If still usable runway left retract flaps first
If no usable runway retract gear first

We had usable runway left, so the flaps were retracted.
Weren't even up to TPA, and he says lets turn around and go back.

"Why?"
"The book says gear retracted first."
"And what happens if we lose the engine right then, and have usable runway left?"
"Doesn't matter, that's what the book says. Just wait until you have no runway left to do anything then."

Yeah, keep all that drag out until 400' AGL.
So much for the FAA emphasising safety. :rolleyes:

Procedure over safety, regardless of the stupidity I suppose.
 
Remember Ed, play to pass the test. Then once passed, do what is right.

At first tried to prove to my flight instructor centrifugal force dose not exist and if it did you couldn't turn the airplane. After some thought I said screw it, give the canned answer to get the licence and just know I know more then they do.

Missa
 
Sorry Ed, that stinks. I sometimes wonder if it wasn't better to do the ride with the FSDO than a DE. My ride with the FSDO was a pretty pleasant day, long day, but no sweat. I honestly think some of the DE's are real cowboys.
Better luck next time
Don
 
That STINKS Ed! Not like you did anything reckless! You would kind of think that we want our CFIs to be able to think outside the box. I guess next time the man tells you to say that grass is orange you tell him grass is orange.
 
Ugh. Well anyway here's the theme.....
 

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Max performance versus max safety -- tough balance. Raising the gear improves performance but it removes a bit of safety margin in event of an engine failure. On the balance, thought, I think I see why they feel the book procedure has the greater merit, given the greater number of planes hitting the departure trees with the engine running than without (check the stats). However, for the future, it's best to brief the maneuver before you fly it, and explain why you're teaching it differently from the book -- that gives the examiner a chance to debate it with you and for you to get the hint before you go past the point of no return.

BTW, I don't agree with the examiner's suggestion to leave everything down -- that's even worse for performance! Was this a DPE or an FAA Inspector?
 
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