Just got recommended for my CFI

[Cessnaflyer]

Argh! The stress seemed to jump up a few notches. I'm trying to study but my mind is racing from subject to subject and my stomach is in my throat.

Some helpful advice is needed on how to tackle this test, or in this matter relax!

[E6BAV8R]

Well all I have to say is good luck.

My CFI Initial is scheduled for Tues 7/24 and I can't wait to go on the ride.

[jrh]

Is your checkride tomorrow? Which examiner are you going to?

I hate to say it, but by this point, you either have it or you don't. Being a CFI isn't something you can cram for, it's something that develops over time.

The amount of skill you have 5 minutes before the checkride and 5 minutes after the checkride is identical.

Go watch a movie, play cards with some friends, go to bed early...I don't know. Stop thinking about flying because it's too late now to make or break you, so there's no point stressing over it.

March in to the examiner after a good night's sleep, show him that you're not a complete moron, and have fun teaching!

[DE727UPS]

Was that pic in your avatar just after you shot down that German sailplane?

[BuickCFI]

Originally Posted by jrh

Is your checkride tomorrow? Which examiner are you going to?

I hate to say it, but by this point, you either have it or you don't. Being a CFI isn't something you can cram for, it's something that develops over time.

The amount of skill you have 5 minutes before the checkride and 5 minutes after the checkride is identical.

Go watch a movie, play cards with some friends, go to bed early...I don't know. Stop thinking about flying because it's too late now to make or break you, so there's no point stressing over it.

March in to the examiner after a good night's sleep, show him that you're not a complete moron, and have fun teaching!

my MEI ride is on 7/24 at the closer it gets the more nervous i am getting, it only was scheduled yesterday. I am only nervous because this is my first FAA Part 61 ride (w/ a DPE). Everything else i have done was Part 141 w/ school having examining authority.

i am sitting on 1 years of experience, passed my mock checkride (end of course stage check) with flying colors, and i am beginning to stress myself out, and it is still 4 days away!!!

I know who i am doing it with, he is a nice guy, bs'd with him before, but that isn't helping my nerves either. i had nerves of steel for everything else in this course.

I know this doesn't help the original poster any. but all i can say is be on top of your A game, just try to relax, i am trying myself. i watched a movie tonight instead of studying. for my CFI-initial 2 years ago i had a mock ride, then the real one over 1 week later. i didn't study one bit between the 2 and when it came time to do the ride everything went smooth as silk, i didn't even fly most of the flight!!!

^^^^^^maybe that is what i should do here

[DE727UPS]

All you can do is get as much intel, or "gouge", on your DE, and study that as a first priority. Not that it will guarantee you anything, but it's as good of a place to start as any.

I agree with JRH, a good CFI develops over time. If I was a DE, I'd look for min standards in flying and max standards in attitude. With a good attitude, you can go forth into the world of inexperienced CFI's and work your way up.

What's good attitude? Don't look like a hotshot know-it-all. Be humble. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know but I know where to look it up".

[BuickCFI]

Don't be afraid to say "I don't know but I know where to look it up".

done, all the time.

All you can do is get as much intel, or "gouge", on your DE, and study that as a first priority. Not that it will guarantee you anything, but it's as good of a place to start as any.

been trying, but the intel is tough to come by, i dont' want to ask publically on a public forum. I have gathered a few things about the oral and 1 thing about the flight, and that is it. i guess just be prepared for anything, just like I would with a new student (one of my first students dang near put me in a power on stall 50ft off the runway on one of his first takeoffs!)

[BuickCFI]

Originally Posted by Cessnaflyer

Argh! The stress seemed to jump up a few notches. I'm trying to study but my mind is racing from subject to subject and my stomach is in my throat.

Some helpful advice is needed on how to tackle this test, or in this matter relax!

if that is you in the pic, and I were you, i would be out shooting that gun!

[Cessnaflyer]

Originally Posted by jrh

Is your checkride tomorrow? Which examiner are you going to?

We are thinking it will be either Ron Mitchell or Ricky Harbor (I think that is his name). I know Ron from being co-enrolled in the Central Washington U. flight program and I met Ricky when he was doing a CFI ride with my roommate last week. Both are really great guys and fair.

Originally Posted by DE727UPS

Was that pic in your avatar just after you shot down that German sailplane?

Haha, no but we were shooting that gun on the other side of the hill where the guy landed.

Originally Posted by BuickCFI

if that is you in the pic, and I were you, i would be out shooting that gun!

I went to my girlfriends house and she made me french toast and eggs!

[exleardriver]

Just got recommended for my CFI

congratulations! i'm happy to offer any specific advice. very few of us elect to remain 'professional flight instructors', as in 'for a career'. i instructed several years, then flew professionally working as a training captain and check airman, but after 7 years was burnt out and missed purely teaching. i returned to do just that..at the basic level. my advice is that if you want to do a good job, use a dry erase board and learn how to teach from it - not while flying. it will save time and money for the student. if you're a time-builder instructor..well.. lol. you may have other designs.. anyway, best of luck. i like doing a cfi certificate. i have a lot of respect for the profession.

[jrh]

Originally Posted by Cessnaflyer

We are thinking it will be either Ron Mitchell or Ricky Harbor (I think that is his name). I know Ron from being co-enrolled in the Central Washington U. flight program and I met Ricky when he was doing a CFI ride with my roommate last week. Both are really great guys and fair.

No kidding! I don't know anything about Ron Mitchell, but Ricky Harbor is one of the most rad examiners I know. I did my CFII ride with him a couple years ago and sent a student to him for a PPL checkride later. I also have a few friends who took their private pilot checkrides from him. I highly recommend him. Very thorough, practical, and fair. He throws out a lot of great real-world scenarios.

Just wait for him to start eating sandwiches and wandering around the room during your oral. He snacks and paces in almost every oral I've heard about. The guy can be pretty eccentric, but I love him. He bought me dinner and insisted I borrow a jacket from him the night I did my CFII. I felt like I was hanging out with my dad or something. Kind of creepy, but pretty cool too.

If you go with him and are feeling especially friendly, tell him James Hilliard from Walla Walla says hello. I think he'd remember me, although I haven't talked to him since last summer. We used to cross paths every few months and would always chat for a while.

[Cessnaflyer]

Originally Posted by jrh

No kidding! I don't know anything about Ron Mitchell, but Ricky Harbor is one of the most rad examiners I know. I did my CFII ride with him a couple years ago and sent a student to him for a PPL checkride later. I also have a few friends who took their private pilot checkrides from him. I highly recommend him. Very thorough, practical, and fair. He throws out a lot of great real-world scenarios.

Just wait for him to start eating sandwiches and wandering around the room during your oral. He snacks and paces in almost every oral I've heard about. The guy can be pretty eccentric, but I love him. He bought me dinner and insisted I borrow a jacket from him the night I did my CFII. I felt like I was hanging out with my dad or something. Kind of creepy, but pretty cool too.

If you go with him and are feeling especially friendly, tell him James Hilliard from Walla Walla says hello. I think he'd remember me, although I haven't talked to him since last summer. We used to cross paths every few months and would always chat for a while.

Yeah he borrowed a quarter from me to get a soda and then paid me back with a dollar at the end of the test! Then another instructor got subway for the applicant and Ricky while they were in the middle of the oral.

I'll update this in a few hours with who I have.

[Cessnaflyer]

Sounds like I won't know now until Monday because someone at the FSDO went home early or something like that.

[PanJet]

When I did my CFI ride a year ago Rickey wasn't able to CFI rides I was told. He's an awesome guy though. Did my PPL and Comm with him a couple years ago. Like jrh said, he loves to eat and pace a lot. He even took a nap during my commercial oral!

You probably already know this, but I have a friend who did a CFI ride with Ron, and he's big on FOI and Part 23 I've heard.

At any rate, good luck with whoever you get!

[DE727UPS]

"He even took a nap during my commercial oral!"

Wow, that is eccentric.

All I know is he failed the only guy I ever sent to him buy turning off the NDB audio on a missed approach. Said guy is a B99 checkairman at Amflight these days. Rickie isn't my favorite DE, but I can hardly claim to really have much experience with him, overall.

As far as Spokane FSDO goes, you just about need an advance appointment to call them, much less, talk to a live person at KSFF. They seem to be nice folks, but I wouldn't want to really cross paths with any of them in any official sort of capacity...

[Cessnaflyer]

The chief instructor of the school called over and I think the guy went home early or was having a 3-day weekend. Not too sure about that.

Yeah I've heard that Mitchell is strong on the FOI and of course that is what I'm the weakest on. Guess I'll have to wait until Monday to hear anything. Maybe I could do my CFI ride with Richard Pierce since he will already be here doing one in the morning

[surreal1221]

Good luck!

[Cessnaflyer]

Well the test is tomorrow at 8!

The stomach is already doing snap rolls!

[E6BAV8R]

Wow that is fast. The scheduling here in OK City is about 3-4 weeks from the time you call to schedule and when the actual ride is.

Good luck man. Just passed my Initial today!

[Cessnaflyer]

Congrats I hope to be in the same place tomorrow!

[BuickCFI]

Originally Posted by Cessnaflyer

Well the test is tomorrow at 8!

The stomach is already doing snap rolls!

i hear ya mine was this AM!!!

i just sat down, did some deep breathing.
What i recommend is go and do something to work off all the extra adrenaline you have pumping thru your system now. For me i ran up the stairs and did a lot of walking this morning before my ride.

[Cessnaflyer]

Originally Posted by BuickCFI

i hear ya mine was this AM!!!

i just sat down, did some deep breathing.
What i recommend is go and do something to work off all the extra adrenaline you have pumping thru your system now. For me i ran up the stairs and did a lot of walking this morning before my ride.

I am watching tv for once and remembering that one of the oxygen requirements are at 14,000 not to be confused with 14,500' for the highest base of class E. My mind is racing but I think it will settle down when I go out with friends for a little bit.

[BuickCFI]

Originally Posted by Cessnaflyer

I am watching tv for once and remembering that one of the oxygen requirements are at 14,000 not to be confused with 14,500' for the highest base of class E. My mind is racing but I think it will settle down when I go out with friends for a little bit.

yeah it will, mine peaked about 1 hour before my checkride, then i just put all my stuff away and told myself i know this, packed up and got dressed. Just do something to try and burn off the excess adrenaline you have now and you will be fine

[exleardriver]

many newly-minted cfi's aren't always sure how to begin exactly with that first student who walks in the door. let me share some advice on how to begin after you've passed your ride. i always begin on the first real lesson by showing them a copy of the pts and explaining that this is the practical test for which we'll be preparing them. i point out that many students tend to get tunnel vision, focusing on all the required maneuvers, etc. and the 'tolerances'..+/1 100' altitude, +/1 10 degrees in heading, +10 kts/-5 kts...those things. then i show them and encourage them to take the time to read the first 10 pages, which explain the examiner, instructor and applicant responsibility. examiners aren't looking for the applicant to 'impress' them with their flying skills, often a student's big worry, but rather more importantly his aeronautical knowledge and conservative, safe flying habits. they want to see them using their checklists, handling distractions, using good crm habits and flying stabilized approaches to land. a student pilot may bounce a landing or have a hard one, but so long as the approach is stabilized to the extent where the examiner isn't sitting there on short final wondering if he's going to have to take the plane, you're generally okay. emphasize safe flying habits right off the bat. teach the 'intangibles'..when using the checklist for example, make the student call out the name of the checklist, each item as they do them, and state that the particular checklist is complete before moving to the next. make sure that they always clear the area before any maneuver the examiner might ask them to make. there are many intangibles, and i could elaborate more if requested.

where to start? 61.87(d). become familiar with this reg. you must demonstrate and have the student show some degree of competency in all 15 of these maneuvers, etc. the sequence given is not necessarily the order in which you want to to proceed, however. you'll want to start with the basic aircraft maneuvering..straight and level, turns, climbs and descents, using the wing primarily for reference. i often start by covering up instruments i don't want them to focus on. ground reference maneuvers are important: a main purpose is to teach the student how to make the airplane track where they want it to go - not where the wind wants them going. when they understand the principles of crabbing and how bank angle in turns is directly-related to groundspeed, which is a function of the wind speed and direction..then they'll have a decent idea of how to fly a proper traffic pattern - even high-time pilots when it comes time for a flight review, more often than not often have become lax in basic flying and fly a 'parallelogram' or 'racetrack' pattern - when the time comes to teach take-offs and landings, which i don't ever start with. go arounds: hugely important. oddly enough, they're listed last on the list. i teach these before any landings. why? first thing learned are often best remembered. i want a student to not hesitate when soloing if they aren't comfortable with an approach to make a good decision to go around and not perform it like an emergency, but rather a methodical, deliberate procedure. i save slow flight and stalls for a little later when a student has become more comfortable in the airplane, same with emergency procedures. once all 15 things have been covered, now my job is to keep them in the pattern and drill them on take-off;s and landings until they're ready for solo. it's that simple. completing their solo means they've completed their first of three phases towards getting their ppl.

second phase? cross country. this includes teaching the max. performance take-offs and landings (short and soft field), 3 hours of instrument simulated, 10 t/o's and landings at night, 3 solo t/o's and landings at a tower-controlled field and the dual and solo cross countries. by this time, you want them to ave their written exam complete so you don't have to stop their training and wait for them to get caught up on the aeronautical knowledge. if i see that a student has quit 'studying'..i quit scheduling flights.

third phase? prepping for the checkride..basically going back and reviewing all the pre-solo and x-country phase maneuvers listed in the pts and preparing for the oral exam. once i see good competency - not perfection - but also great cockpit habits, division of attention, indistractibility, use of checklists, etc. then i feel comfortable in general to sign-off. in over 60 signoffs, ranging from private to cfi to mei to atp, etc., i've only had two initial busts. in both cases, the student 'asked' or maybe i should say 'pushed' me for my signoff. i signed them both off because i knew they weren't ready and if my opinion wasn't sufficient, i let them get pinked. a great teaching tool. so, odds are if they're pushing for it, they aren't quite ready. hope this helps..just trying to throw a quick thumbnail sketch. at any rate, an initial cfi is possibly my favorite certificate to work on..you learn a lot over a period of years, in my case around 15. you also reallly learn everything sitting and watching student errors time after time. it makes you a better pilot as well. again, good luck!