Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

What does the CFII ride involve?

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
Well, as you know, everything that's going to be on the ride will be in the applicable PTS. Nothing should be a surprise on checkride day.

I'd give you an overview of my ride, but I honestly don't remember a whole lot about it. I think I did a partial panel VOR approach, then went missed for some unusual attitudes, and taught an ILS somewhere in there. I dunno...been a couple years.
 
Well, mine was a piece of cake. YMMV though.

Presented a board lesson on holding, talked about compass turns (OSUN, northerly turning error, ANDS), very basic GPS theory, required equipment for IFR (GRABCARD), currency requirements and that was about it.

The oral probably lasted no more than 35 minutes.

In the air we did an ILS then went partial panel and did compass turns and unusual attitudes. We finished up with a partial-panel hold and partial-panel VOR approach with a circle to land.

The only tricky bit was when the DE turned off my DME and number 2 nav, which meant I had to keep switching frequencies and the OBS on number 1 to identify the holding fix (which was also the FAF when we flew the approach).

Even though the radio was turned off I stuck one of the VOR frequencies in the number 2 as a reminder so I didn't have to keep looking the damn thing up, which the DE liked.

A partial-panel hold with a single nav, no GPS or DME is a bit of a bastard and I would have killed for a flip-flop radio instead of the old KX-170B. I explained that real-world I'd tell ATC to figure something else out because I wouldn't fly the hold that way in IMC.

It was the most fun I've had on a checkride.

When he turned off the DME and number 2 nav I had to think about how I could fly the hold and approach for a bit, then looked over at him and said "Bill, why that's just cruel. I can't wait to use that on a student."

He got a kick out of that.

Just keep talking, have fun and explain every thing you're doing in the air and it'll go just fine.
 
Oral was 3 questions, flight portion was a VOR approach and some steep turns.

Easy!!!
 
From personal past experience, I'd say that you will probably experience something very similar to your instrument rating checkride. However, the emphasis of evaluation will not be on your stick and rudder skills. The DPE is going to be looking for your cognitive/judgement abilities and your decision making skills as well as your ability to take what you have in your brain and transplanting it into the other person's brain in an effective manner. This is what I've noticed in the majority of instructor checkrides. The DPE knows you already know how to fly and have already demonstrated how to fly, now you're being evaluated on your ability to teach and keep your student and yourself alive and in one piece.
 
My -II was my initial. Started with paperwork, FOI, Static system, charts, some regs, vacuum system.

Flight:
ILS, Hold, LOC Partial Panel circle to land.

Pretty straight forward.

Check the PTS...it's all in there and GOOD LUCK!

-mini
 
Oral was 3 questions, flight portion was a VOR approach and some steep turns.

Easy!!!

Now there is quality control for ya. Why did the DE even bother. You could of just mailed him the check. Was it the 141 school DE? Was there a reason the DE did not follow the PTS?
JAFI
 
Last edited:
Oral:
I was asked details on how to properly teach the inside of the instruments, difference and definitions of MSA/MEA/MOCA/OROCA/MAA/MRA/MAA, when one needs to begin climb around an MRA, MCA, or enroute change in MEA,... instrument Part 61 hour requirements and endorsements (why 60-day endorsement is required although it aint so easy to find in the 61.65E). Spin awareness + partial panel recovery, SVFR, certs&docs + when I can log actual/simulated instrument time as an instructor. My examiner also asked me what I would do if I was out in IMC flying on radar vectors in the practice area and lost communication, and I went off about 91.185...then he stopped me and told me what I really would do would be to proceed to where VFR conditions exists... and that I should reinforce to my students the importance of always knowing where VFR exists.

Flight:
Due to busy airspace and fairly busy radio communication it was and still is difficult to properly teach instrument flying while under ATC control. I did one VOR hold, which proceeded to partial panel immediately after the entry, then full VOR approach partial panel, GPS approach full panel, then DME arc without airspeed indicator, then partial panel ILS. I tried to explain my actions and demonstrate teaching as often as I had the time to talk, but was fairly occupied communicating with ATC and stuff. I think the examiner understood that it wasnt easy to teach when the radio chatter never stopped, at least he wasnt upset after the flight.
 
I think the examiner understood that it wasnt easy to teach when the radio chatter never stopped, at least he wasnt upset after the flight.

Yeah, that is pretty tough. Eventually you just get a feel I think for when to talk and when not to talk. I dunno. When I first started teaching students in the pattern at my home airport (two tower frequencies on busy days), the chatter just keeps going. Yeah, you miss a call or two every once in a while because you're yakking, but you get used to knowing when they'll call and when they probably won't, so that helps.
 
Yeah, that is pretty tough. Eventually you just get a feel I think for when to talk and when not to talk. I dunno. When I first started teaching students in the pattern at my home airport (two tower frequencies on busy days), the chatter just keeps going. Yeah, you miss a call or two every once in a while because you're yakking, but you get used to knowing when they'll call and when they probably won't, so that helps.

Now mix in the student missing calls, answering other people's calls, stepping on people, getting stepped on, forgetting what to say, saying the wrong thing... all the while him having the only push to talk in the cockpit, and the newbie controller getting bombarded with inbounds from all over stepping on each other and everyone else. What you get is a Barrel O' Fun ;)

Sometimes I just wanna rip the dang thing off and toss it out he window. (The radio, not the student ;) )
 
Last edited:

Latest resources

Back
Top