CFI materials?

[brianjohn]

Does anybody have any advice on great CFI books or any materials essential to help budding CFI's???
I will hopefully be flight instructing starting next summer, and as I'm sure a lot of you were, I am in fear of doing a poor job of teaching certain things and potentially ruining somebody's dreams or career.
Any much advised books for a future CFI on how to teach or even on how to perfect his/ her skills or better understand difficult subjects or aspects of flying? Even simple things like maintaining rudder coordination or even trimming an airplane still plague me and I feel like I'm way behind if I don't have a firm grasp on those things yet. I'm just about done with commercial and to be honest things like slow flight still make me sweat-- I entered an inadvertant spin once while turning in slow flight and to this day I'm reluctant to practice slow flight by myself because of that incedent.
Any thoughts or comments from anybody on their CFI days? Any subjects/ techniques that were difficult for anyone to teach for fear of teaching them wrong?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[bobbysamd]

CFI materials

I appreciate your conscientious attitude about flight instructing.

First off, get a copy of the current Certificated Flight Instructor Practical Test Standards. It's available online for free and in booklet form by ASA, etc., at your friendly FBO. Then, look in the section that describes the FAA pubs upon which the PTS is based. Those are the publications that you absolutely, positively, must have and upon which the practical will be based. You will be responsible for the material contained in those books. Despite any opinions to the contrary, the FAA pubs are the FAA's final word on what to know, how to do it, and why it's done.

One book for sure that you will require is the Aviation Instructor's Handbook, also known as the FOI. You will be required to take a written on the FOI. Now, most people just memorize the FOI enough to pass the written and the practical and then dismiss it as so much gobbledegook. I was one - until I started instructing CFI students and paid attention to their FOI presentations. Then, I read the FOI, absorbed what it had to say, and found that its teaching philosophies and methods actually work! I feel that to be an effective flight instructor the FOI must become a way of life. So, the FOI is your manual on how to teach.

One good book that would be an excellent adjunct is The Flight Instructor's Manual by William Kershner. A good instrument book is the manual put out by Professional Instrument Courses. A good little book about instrument flying that explains things in simple terms is IFR Principles and Practice: A Guide to Safe Instrument Flying by Avram Goldstein and Newton Miller, ISBN: 0934754047. A great book about landings is Make Better Landings by Alan Bramson, 0711019525. Mr. Bramson's book may be out of print, but I'd bet you can find it used on www.amazon.com.

Hope all this helps. Good luck with getting your CFI.

 

[Rvrrat]

If you hit verbiage overwhelm...

You might consider picking up Gleim's written & practical test prep books. The FAA as a government agency can induce nausea with seeming ease in information that appears to conflict with itself.

Regards,

 

[BoDEAN]

Great comments.
Just want to add, this website, and www.thecfi.com is another great resource.

The FOI book will hurt you when reading, but try to stay awake (I am currently going through it now).

Good luck

 

[SelectZoneFive]

When I was teaching my CFI students, I would have them present a lesson plan to one of my regular students. In addition, I would set up a camcorder and record the session. Sounds dorky I know, but at the de-brief later it was a helpful aid to use with them and then they could take it home for further study.

I remember my old examiner telling me "if you can't talk about it in plain English you don't understand the material well enough."

I also knew a CFI who was a high school teacher and then became a full timer. I used to sit in and listen to his stuff or else hitch a ride in the back to observe. He was really good! I picked up all kinds of neat stuff from him, especially in designing lesson plans. Which I promptly stole.

Believe it or not, educational theory has progressed beyond, what the Fed book (Aviation Instructor's Handbook) tells us. Not knocking it, it is still a great book. However, you can get some really cool learning and teaching theory books from teachers college bookstores.

I would also say if you get a chance, teach ground school. That is a great experience. Moreover, you get lots and lots of really good questions! Wait until you have a couple of engineers sitting in front or you. I have never met a ground school instructor who would not let you present a section. Remember a three-hour ground school class is along time to talk! Have talking notes.

Last, keep it fresh! It will make it interesting for you and the students will notice it. I see people who get into the grove of just reciting stuff and there is just a blank look in their and the students face.

Hope that helps. A little at least.

SZF

PS- I think because you have such a good attitude you will be fine.

 

[brianjohn]

Thanks for the help guys. All the advice is greatly appreciated and very useful. Thinking about being a CFI makes me incredibly nervous right now, and I have a ways to go yet before I step into the realm of the CFI, but many a pilot has told me that the best learning one can aquire comes from sitting in the right seat and trying to teach.
Thanks!
P.S. One thing I need to do less of is getting down on myself because I don't know "everything" yet-- I'm not even a commercial pilot yet.

 

[JediNein]

I put together a website when I was working on my CFI and CFII. It's at http://pages.prodigy.net/jedinein/cfi.html

Hope it helps.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein