Couple more questions about Com/CFI

[cookmg]

Thanks everyone for the help and advice given on the last thread I started.

I have a couple questions regarding my plan to get both commercial and cfi at 250 hours.

Part 61 requires 20 hours of training ( 10 complex, plus 10 more) for the commercial . . . even if I have an instrument rating right? I read on another thread that you can do the cfi part 61 with about 10 hours of flying. Can I combine that 10 into the 20 required for the commercial, or will I probably need all 30 hours of instruction?

Second, would it be insane to take the comm and cfi rides within a couple weeks of each other?

Thanks!

 

[bobbysamd]

Commercial and CFI

I am sure that you can combine some of it. You can work on the commercial maneuvers, etc. in the complex airplane.

Nothing wrong with taking the CFI within a couple of weeks of taking your Commercial. It's done that way all the time at many large schools. In fact, much of the material in both practicals will be similar, e.g, systems. Just bear in mind that you have to go from the left seat to the right seat. That transition could take some time. Also, the CFI oral is quite extensive compared to the typical Commercial oral.

If you can handle the workload and maintain your sanity you can do it.

 

[tarp]

The "20" in the commercial includes 10 hours of instrument training (somewhere in your life) and 10 hours of training in a complex (sic) airplane.

The first ten is already covered by your instrument training. The reason for this requirement is because in the old days it was quite common to get your VFR commercial before you got your instrument ticket. They wanted the VFR comm guys to be able to get out of an IMC emergency better than a PPL trained pilot.

Then you added ten for the CFI ride - don't know where you got this number although it's about right for the spin training/endorsement and right seat familiarization. The only "time" requirement on a CFI rating is that you have at least 15 hours category and class - this sometimes is a burden on new MEI candidates.

You should be able to do the commercial ride prep in about 10 hours (with maybe a couple extra hours to get lazy eights and eights on pylons just perfect). I averaged about 8 hours getting my CFI candidates ready - spent far more ground school with CFI candidates than flying - the FOI stuff is very important to our local FSDO guys and they want people who "teach".

Finally, and I just put it in another thread - the initial CFI ride is with a FSDO inspector or an examiner of the FSDO's choosing (within a geographical range). Your CFI ride may or may not be with the DE that just gave you your commercial ticket (unless you are out in some part of the world where there is only one DE for miles.) If you research this site you will read stories of 6 hour CFI orals with really strange DE's and inspectors as well as cake walk rubber stamp rides. Still feel ready to do your commercial and CFI in 2 weeks?

Every CFI candidate that I had walk in had a "all you gotta do is fly from the right side" attitude when they came to me for the CFI rating. Every CFI candidate that I endorsed and called FSDO for realized they were taking a checkride where they were most likely under prepared.

The job in the right seat requires you to not run out of words, ideas, patience, tolerance and kindness as you fly an airplane with precision with all the important switches and dials on the wrong side of the plane. We try to teach that in less than 10 hours. When you get your first student you will realize that you know nothing that is useful to you as an independant businessman trying to attract customers. You also will be woefully inadequate in finding the correct words to convey ideas and you will find the need to add multiple ways of teaching the same idea to different folks.

Good luck. The journey is really fun from here on out!

 

[Tex-Ex]

just an idea... take the comm single from the right seat. If you can fly to comm standards from the right the CFI will be cake.

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

The job in the right seat requires you to not run out of words, ideas, patience, tolerance and kindness as you fly an airplane with precision with all the important switches and dials on the wrong side of the plane. We try to teach that in less than 10 hours. When you get your first student you will realize that you know nothing that is useful to you as an independant businessman trying to attract customers. You also will be woefully inadequate in finding the correct words to convey ideas and you will find the need to add multiple ways of teaching the same idea to different folks.

Ahhhh, Tarp says it all right there. Couldn't be any truer!