First month as a CFI...

[LAXSaabdude]

You will also see your confidence level increase as you gain experience instructing expanding your own personal limits of how far along you will let a student get before you take over......

Reminds me of a student I had many years ago. We were doing endless touch and goes, and I was repeatedly trying to teach him how to fly a proper approach angle. We would sink below the glide path, he would apply slight back pressure on the yoke, but never add power. Airspeed would bleed off, the airplane would continue to sink, I would say "Add POWER", he would correct it, and we would just barely make the runway.

Finally, on one approach, I looked down at the ground just short of the runway. I could see that it was hard-packed gravel, and there was a slight lip (maybe an inch) where the runway started. There were no threshold lights.

On the next approach, I decided to let him fly it without any assistance. Again, we dipped below glidepath, he applied slight back pressure, no power added, we continued to sink, and I just watched to see what he would do.

We touched down in the gravel, followed immediately by a "BAM!", as the mains hopped up on the lip at the edge of the runway. He looked at me with eyes as big as saucers and said "Why didn't you DO anything?!?!?" I explained to him that he would have to learn how to handle the airplane by himself at some point.

After that, every approach was perfect!

LAXSaabdude.

 

[seattle]

Good thread.

I'm working my a$$ off trying to get my initial CFI done. The stories and experiences you guys/gals share are just what I need to hear.

Congrats Gizbug.

Seattle

 

[fLYbUDDY]

Re: HEY GIZBUG

I couldn't agree with ABENAKI any more. You're students are, number one, trying to kill you. And, number two, trying to get your certificate revoked.

Students will; leave the dipstick off, leave fuel caps off, dump the flaps on a go around, violently pich the nose down on approach(reverse airpseed control), pull to idle when you call full power, tail slide an airplane and spin it while trying stalls(in less than one second), misread fuel levels, violate solo endorsements, viloate FAR's(they don't know them, no matter how many times they tell you they do, and the ones you test them on they forget in the a/c). just to name a few.

DO NOT LET A STUDENT KILL YOU. REMEMBER. THEY ARE TRYING.

LOL!!!!

 

[bobbysamd]

Homicidal students

Yeah, they are out to kill you - just as you tried to kill your instructor.

I remember during my first month at ERAU that I took a Private student in a 172 out for stalls and slowflight. We had an student-observer in the back, per Riddle policy. My student is setting up MCAS and has all the flaps out. As the airplane is buffeting, guess what? He is still pulling back and releases right rudder!! The airplane pitches down with full power and rolls left, with full flaps out. And, with the observer in the back, non-forward CG! The ground is rapidly approaching, but I take the controls, reduce power, raise the flaps, and save our souls. This happened nearly fifteen years ago, but I remember it as clearly as if it happened this morning.

The student was a little slow and wasn't doing well with his first instructor. It might have been a personality clash with that instructor. He eventually made it through the program and earned his CFI.

At MAPD we were required to give students stalls at night in our A36 Bonanzas. The notion of stalls at night never thrilled me, but definitely not in that airplane. We did it, though, and I lived to tell about it.

Finally, I had a real gung-ho student at MAPD. Getting "the interview" notwithstanding, I swear that this individual was obsessed with making his prescribed quota of flights. I told him that he should concentrate more on learning and that making his quota would take care of itself. I had signed him off for his first cross-country and he came back late. I signed him off for his second cross-country. I told him that if the wx was bad that he should just do a 180 and come back. I had signed him off to land at specific airports. Well, the wx turned out to be bad, but instead of just coming back, as I, as his instructor had directed him, he had landed at an airport that (1) I had not signed him off to land at and (2) was off-limits for MAPD students per school policy. I was extremely annoyed by his first cross-country; I never had a student come back late in the previous five years that I had instructed primary students. The second event infuriated me beyond belief! I filed a NASA report for that event, considering that I had signed him off only for certain airports, that my signoffs were in his logbook, and he had landed at a forbidden airport.

I believe that this gentleman is currently or has been a Mesa captain.

Fly safe. Set a good example for your students. Supervise them closely. Spend whatever it costs to purchase the best professional liability insurance policy available.

 

[UnstableAviator]

bobbysamd, I had a pretty wild experience today teaching an approach to landing stall in an F33A Bonanza. I am quite familiar with the plane however I was not expecting the student to do what they did. A hard break to the left followed by full power nose down can make things interesting quick. I can't even imagine doing stalls at night in any Bonanza...or any plane for that matter. When the proverbial shyte hits the fan, I'd personally rather not have to struggle to tell blue sky from dirt.


Funny how what I read last night here (student trys to kill) occurs in real life today. Even more funny, I thought of this thread as soon as I recovered from the dive.

 

[bobbysamd]

Really . . . .

I had a pretty wild experience today teaching an approach to landing stall in an F33A Bonanza. I am quite familiar with the plane however I was not expecting the student to do what they did. A hard break to the left followed by full power nose down can make things interesting quick. I can't even imagine doing stalls at night in any Bonanza...or any plane for that matter.

I agree. And, it gets really dark at night around Farmington.

Mooneys also have, shall I say, unexpected stall characteristics, as compared to Cessna and Piper. We used MO20s (M20J) at FSI for Commercial Single and CFI training. You really have to keep the controls coordinated and the ball centered or else it'll pitch down and drop left wing real fast. The gracious folks at this Fortune 500 company gave me one familiarization flight before turning me loose in it with students. I realize that if one is trained properly one can fly any airplane, but Mooneys are a rocket with a critical wing compared to Cessna, and Piper, with their Hershey wings.

PS-In no way am I denigrating Mooneys. They are slick airplanes and probably fly more like what you'll encounter on the line than Cessna or Piper. You really have to plan descents and manage power, especially in the pattern. With Cessna and Piper you can kind of fake it if you get too fast in the pattern or on final. If the airspeed gets too fast on final in a Mooney, you will never get it slowed down. The old axiom that a good landing is preceded by a good final which is preceded by a good base which is preceded by a good downwind is especially so with Mooneys.

 

[Northern Lights]

Yeah, what they all said!

I know we focus on landings cuz that's where they really try ti kill you, but be careful on the takeoffs too. Students often take out the crosswind correction on take off and send you for a wild ride.

One of my most memorable was a soft-field takeoff from a paved runway with a cross wind.

Student gets the nose up, but holds in full back pressure and basically stalls us off the ground. As I mentioned, he has now forgotten about the crosswind, and so here we are drifting off the left side of the runway about 5 feet off the ground buffeting and about to drop a wing in to the grass off the left.

I grabbed the controls, left wing over the grass, right wing over the runway, and tried to get the nose low enough to accelerate and get the wing fully flying, without losing any altitude. A few seconds later we were flying away safely above the runway, grass and lights that were way too close just a moment before!

I can only imagine what could have happened if he were solo, or I hadn't gotten control of the plane at that moment....

anhyhoo. have fun and be careful!!

 

[ShinerBocknabtl]

To the original post, you've got lotsa good advise and horror stories here to look upon, all of which is true. One thing in your post caught my attention and that was the fact that you are excited about your job and have a GREAT attitude.

If you keep that same attitude (and it'll be hard sometimes) then you will excel beyond your greatest expectations in your aviation career. Also, I don't know your age or background but your current job will help you grow in many areas other than simply manipulating the controls or navigating, communicating, etc. You'll notice a lot of personal development in people skills, problem solving, closer attention to detail, and the list goes on and on.

And one more thing, I liked it when you refered to the job as "joining the family" that sounds cool.

CYA

 

[falcondriver]

Congratulations, have fun instructing. I remember being in a spin at 2000 ft with full flaps and full power. The large student is screaming and holding on to me as we spiral to our death.
I stopped the spin and recovered. You can never tell what a student will do next.
Be careful
FD

 

[BoDEAN]

Question

What do you guys teach for the rudder when doing a power on stall. Our 172, we have to dance on the pedals to get in thestall, and when we stall, say the nose drops to the left....what do you teach your students with regard to rudder on the initial drop / recovery?