The CFI Ride (long)

Don Jones

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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855
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Las Cruces, New Mexico
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DJones
I will try to write up my CFI check ride experience as best I can. It is such a long day it makes it hard to remember and the details get fuzzy quickly. I would first like to thank the many who helped me in attaining this goal starting with my wife. She has been patient and understanding during this past couple of months and I could not have done it without her support. Several on the board have helped me as well. Ed and Chip in particular, thanks guys.

I left work at 2 PM on Thursday afternoon and headed out to the Las Cruces airport. I borrowed a friend’s Piper Arrow(thanks Mark and Michelle) for the check ride. I did a thorough pre-flight and loaded all the stuff I needed. Man there is a lot of stuff. A quick call to Flight Service and I fired it up, did the run-up, and took off on Rwy 26 with a stiff crosswind. Lots of bumps along the way and a quick look at the GS revealed why, 156 knots, that is about 30 knots of tail wind for this particular airplane and with all the mountains about it makes it pretty bumpy. After only about 1 hour and 15 minutes I landed on rwy 17 at Double Eagle II airport and taxied up to Bode Aviation. I fueled up the plane and got it tied down for the evening. Bode let me use their courtesy car (2005 Nissan Sentra) for the evening and I headed off for the motel.

The check ride was scheduled for 8 am in the conference room at Bode. I had vowed not to crack a book at all the night before the check ride. I figured I was either ready at that point or not, and a couple of hours of studying was not going to make any difference. I called up Nick and we met at a local restaurant called the Frontier. It is an old Albuquerque legend, and has been around for years. We sat and visited, while eating one of their great burrito’s. I enjoyed getting to meet another board member. Only 4 so far. Nick had to go to work, and I returned to the motel. I spent the evening watching TV.

I awoke early and headed to the airport around 7 am. I figured I would get organized and relax a while before the FSDO examiner arrived. On the drive to the airport I could feel the tension rising, “dammit Don, breathe, stay calm, relax” hmmm, it worked, instantly calm(thanks Ron). When I walked into the FBO, there was an older gentleman standing at the front counter, guess who!! We visited for a few minutes, and he seemed like a really nice guy. Wow, this might not be so bad!!

The ride started at 8 am straight up. First Ken, the examiner went through a review of all the required paperwork which had no surprises. He then launched into a question and answer session starting with the Fundamentals of Instructing. Question after question, I banged out the answers, wow, I really do know this stuff. I relaxed more and more as I realized I was well prepared. We covered the entire PTS from start to finish. I presented several things on the board, teaching him about how a wing creates lift, stalls, adverse yaw, left turning tendencies, and other aerodynamic stuff. I presented a lesson on how to do Lazy 8's. It all went smooth. We took a break about every hour until we broke for lunch about 11:30. Ken drove us into town for lunch at Applebee’s. I even had a few questions over lunch. After lunch we took up the oral again with weight and balance, cross-country planning, and some more on instructor responsibilities. Finally about 2:30 Ken said, “that is enough of this, lets go fly”. The oral had lasted about 5 hours.
We walked out to the plane, and I dug out the checklist. I went step by step through about half of it explaining everything when he said “I’ve heard enough, just finish the pre-flight and lets go”. We jumped in, I briefed him on belts, safety equipment, sterile cockpit, and positive exchange of flight controls, and fired it up. We taxied out to rwy 22, he had me explaining markings, signs, lights, etc on the way. He asked me what take off I wanted to do first, and I chose the short field. The wind was blowing 16 knots from 190 so there was a little cross-wind, no problem, was the best short I have ever done in this particular aircraft. We headed off to the practice area NW of the field. Next I chose to get the steep turns out of the way, I nailed one to the left and kept the altitude within 20 feet. Ken commented that I held altitude better in a steep turn than I do straight and level. I got a good laugh out of that. I then chose to do Lazy 8's, I like these, they are really fun. Next a couple of Chandelles to gain altitude, not great but passable, did a dirty stall, then onto a departure stall, followed by a trim stall and a cross-controlled stall. Piece of cake, all that practice was worth it. I then did a steep spiral down to a simulated emergency landing. Just as I rolled out on the road I had selected Ken waived me off. “That’s enough he said, lets go do some 8's on Pylons”. I hate 8's on, and they were my usual crappy ones at that, I could however teach them and tell him what I was doing wrong, just couldn’t fix it very well. We then headed back to the airport for a couple of more landings, I did a short field landing, Ken took over and played the student while I played instructor through a couple of times around the pattern. Then the words I had waited to hear, “we’re done, you passed, good job” Lets land this thing and do the paper work. Must have lost my focus instantly, cause my last landing was BAD.
I got the stupid thing sideways, and planted it down “pretty firmly” embarrassed the crap out of me.
All in all I have to say the ride was not bad at all. I was way more exhausted after my instrument ride despite it being some 3 hours shorter. 5 hours oral and about 1.5 in the airplane was still a long day. I was going to fly back to LRU afterwards. I bailed out on my first go-no go decision as a CFI. Wind was blowing 22017 g30 at home. I was tired, it would be a night landing, in an airplane I had never flown at night, and rwy 22 is closed(thanks prez Bush). I came home on Saturday morning. I am sure glad this one is done.

Don
CFI
 
Don, Good Job, great write up. CFI was my second toughest flight portion of a checkride, with Comm. Glider being the worst. But it is definitely a tough rating. Welcome to the Club!
 
Don--Great job on both the checkride and the writeup!
tonycondon said:
CFI was my second toughest flight portion of a checkride, with Comm. Glider being the worst.
Not to hijack the thread, Tony, but what made your comm. glider so tough? I thought that one was pretty easy. Also, was Bob Nady the examiner, by chance? (I see you're in IA)

Fly safe!

David
 
David,
I do fly with the Silent Knights in Ames. Sadly Bob doesn't fly with us anymore, he developed eye problems (myopia maybe) and just cant do it anymore. Unfortunately I have never met him but heard lots. I did my Commercial Glider with Burt Compton in Marfa, TX last spring break. The flight portion was tough because I had done all the training in the 4 days prior, was worn out, and by the end of the first flight was pretty sure I was going to fail. I had a lot of pressure to get it done right the first time, I was driving back to Iowa the next day, and Burt is a hell of a good examiner, knows how to put the pressure on and see how good you are. On top of that, he knew I would be going for my CFI-G that summer and I think he was seeing how well I would do in that regard. At any rate, it was very intense. On my CFI flight portion, I never had the feeling I would fail, and I was on top of my game better i guess.
 
Don Jones said:
I was way more exhausted after my instrument ride despite it being some 3 hours shorter. 5 hours oral and about 1.5 in the airplane was still a long day.
Told 'ya. Glad you got it done in one trip. Thanks for the write up.

Chip
 
Thanks for the info, Tony...that makes sense :)
tonycondon said:
I do fly with the Silent Knights in Ames. Sadly Bob doesn't fly with us anymore, he developed eye problems (myopia maybe) and just cant do it anymore.
Yeah, Bob has macular degeneration...not good. He did my Private glider add-on back in '85...great guy...I am also lucky enough to have been able to call Carl Z a good friend...learned more from him standing alongside the runway than I ever did in any aircraft with any instructor.

Fly safe!

David
 
yea i hear carl was like that, also a character i never got to meet. oh well. Although his memory remains in current club members who im told do spot on impersonations, but anyway, enough thread hijacking.
CONGRATULATIONS DON!
 
Congratulations, and excellent write-up!
 
Congrats on the passing your checkride. What drove you to get your CFI ? Are you going to teach as a part of a FBO ? When do you start your CFI-I ? :)
 
jdwatson said:
Congrats on the passing your checkride. What drove you to get your CFI ? Are you going to teach as a part of a FBO ? When do you start your CFI-I ? :)

Thanks on the congrats. I started on this journey several months ago. My CFI was taking over the local flight school and approached me about getting the CFI and working for him. Right now he is running it by his self and is really busy. He is anxious for me to start, however my business is taking a lot of attention right now so I can only work part time here and there. I have always enjoyed sharing my love for flying with others, and enjoy teaching. I have no desire to go to the airlines or anything like that and I am more interested to just be the best instructor I can be. I am definately doing the II, just don't know when. I have 2 primary students lined up to start and possibly a third as soon as I can get loose. We are currently working on the insurance issues and such so I can start working.
It is kinda funny when you get the CFI, suddenly here are all these people wanting to learn to fly, flight reviews, etc. Too bad I still gotta make a living, I might could do it full time.
Don
 
Don
I am so impressed. Thanks for writing the experience up.
Was that an FAA examiner? Sounded like the ultimate ride in terms of stress. You cfi's have all my respect and awe, I wouldn't have it in me.
PS I will be at 5T6, 8:30am Sun in the Conquest if you can get by; I will congratulate you in person!
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Don
I am so impressed. Thanks for writing the experience up.
Was that an FAA examiner? Sounded like the ultimate ride in terms of stress. You cfi's have all my respect and awe, I wouldn't have it in me.
PS I will be at 5T6, 8:30am Sun in the Conquest if you can get by; I will congratulate you in person!


Dave, I have absolutely no doubt you could do it and I bet you would make a
fine instructor. Yes it was with an FAA examiner. The checkride itself was not nearly as stressfull as my instrument ride. It was actually a pleasant experience, just long. Probably won't make Sunday, my honey do list is backing up on me what with the studying and all. Maybe next time.
Don
 
Congrats, Don...

I was just through KLRU yesterday (quick fuel stop).
 
Outstanding job DON! I still remember that LOOOONG day, you are beat when you get done. Well at least I was.


Woot Woot Congrats again!
 
Good job, D J. Always a shortage of competent instructors [which is why I'll never be one].
 
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