Well, I guess that's true, since I did revisit the CFI written this morning after a long stretch away from studying. I have gotten preoccupied with other things on my to do list and usually by the time I thought about studying I was too tired. I do not want to make a habit of this and draw out my training for my flight instructor ratings.
The good news is that the learning I had accomplished previously did not entirely leave me and I scored a 97. One of the questions I got wrong was:
To communicate effectively, an instructor must:
maintain a positive attitude while delivering their message.
recognize the level of comprehension
provide an atmosphere which encourages questioning.
I thought it would be to recognize the level of comprehension. Which is wrong; hence the big red X.
"As a long time CFI/II I have been asked to do many things but this current request from Lynda is quite unique. As many of us know she has been furloughed and finds herself in the same position as too many folks these days. The positive of being unemployed is that one has lots of time to train for a new position. Lynda has chosen to become a flight instructor way down here at the lowly level of the General Aviation Pilot. I think that this challenge for her would be like asking me to train someone as a Long Haul driver in a Mack truck. I know nothing about “over-the-road” driving and less about how to shift into 20 different gears in a 60’ semi.
Lynda finds herself going all the way back to the kindergarten of flight school. She will essentially be a “student pilot” in a training airplane. I remember my early days in a Cessna 150 in the right seat for the first time in the traffic pattern facing Santa Ana winds that required landings in the opposite direction from the normal traffic pattern. This was bad enough but combined with the turbulence and my less than patient older male instructor the lesson was abysmal. As I walked away from the debrief, I overheard Mr. Impatient tell the flight school owner, “she will never make it”. Well, this just fired me up and to make a long story short, I not only made it, I did it on my first try – which is rare – for the CFI rating. Well, I digress. This is not about me, but about how Lynda is going to accomplish her goal of becoming a CFI/II.
She has an excellent start by studying the Fundamentals Of Instruction, which can be challenging, but will make since once she starts “teaching” and applying the principles of the Fundamentals. My advice at this point, books, lots of books. A typical CFI library consists of but is not limited to: A Pilot Training Standard (PTS) for each rating, a current Airport Facility Directory (A/FD), current charts – both VFR and IFR. (I find the Government issue to be the most popular with students), current issue of an FAR/AIM, Flight Training Handbook, Instrument Training Handbook, and various Advisory Circulars as a start. Additionally, a syllabus for each rating is a must.
There are a few ways Lynda can enhance and shorten her training time. One example is to buddy-up with another CFI candidate and take the opportunity to join training flights. Once proficient with the Private and Commercial maneuvers Lynda can “borrow” a student or even a non-student-pilot friend who is willing to be a “guinea pig” and let her practice “teaching”.
Good luck Lynda, you are facing a very rewarding challenge."
Thanks, everyone, for your comments and your support. I WILL get this done. You watch me. (And keep reminding me.)
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