There is something both exciting and a little intimidating when the DPE hands you the temporary certificate for your CFI rating.
You are now an instructor, the person responsible for training new pilots. And although you passed the check ride, there will still be a learning curve as you apply the knowledge and experience you have acquired.
Getting the Job
You may be able to get an instructor job as a plain-vanilla CFI, but when airline hiring slows, the preference of the flight school may be to hire instructors who also hold Instructor Instrument (CFII) tickets.
If you're not already a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to get the issue as soon as it is released in either Print or Digital formats.
Subscribe Now
Pro tip: While training for your initial instructor rating, learn how to teach instrument approaches. There is no extra experience requirement for the CFII, you just need to know the material and be able to pass the check ride.
If you really want to stack the deck in your favor, acquire a multiengine instructor rating. Keep in mind that you will need at least five hours in the make and model the flight school uses for multiengine training, and you will likely have to pay out of pocket for that, so plan carefully.
Your interview will likely consist of a ground session and a demonstration of your teaching ability. The person or persons doing the interview will be looking at your résumé to determine your qualifications and likely will ask about your career goals. As most people become flight instructors to build time for other flying jobs, many schools are wary of hiring someone who is close to the “magic number” such as 1,500 total time, as they don’t want to hire someone who will be disappearing in a month or so.
Although you are eager to get a flying job, if it doesn’t feel like a good fit for you, don’t think you can adapt to it. You will be miserable. Watch for red flags such as frequent turnover of staff or reports of DPEs reluctant to do check rides at the school.
Manage Expectations
Your first flight at the new job will likely be an aircraft checkout with the chief instructor or a designated check airman. This will be much more than proving you can fly the airplane. If you are new to the area, expect to head out to the practice area to learn where the landmarks are, how to use the practice area frequency (if available) and the gotchas of the airspace such as the location and altitude of instrument approach fixes. Your airmanship will be evaluated as well as your teaching ability. You need to be able to teach (notice I did not write “talk”) and fly at the same time.
- READ MORE: Shaking the Rust Off a CFI Ticket
For many CFIs, this is their first full-time flying job. Treat it with the respect it deserves. You are being hired to teach someone else how to fly. You are the first gatekeeper when it comes to creating safe and competent pilots. Please remember this—and that you asked for the job—because there will be days when it wears on you.
When hired, expect a fatigue factor as you get used to flying several hours a day and providing ground instruction as well. While the FARs limit CFIs to eight hours of flight instruction, there is no restriction on ground instruction, so don’t be surprised if you are putting in 10 hours a day. Make sure to stay fed and hydrated during the day, and if the “IMSAFE” is in question, don’t fly.
Learning to Use a Syllabus
Even if you were trained with the “folklore” method of flight instruction—you showed up at the airport and your CFI told you what you were going to do—use a syllabus. If the school doesn’t require one, utilize a commercially prepared one like Sporty’s Pilot Shop or Jeppesen.
It will improve the quality of instruction as both the CFI and learner (who should also have a copy of the syllabus) will be on the same page so to speak. If the school requires the use of a syllabus (the best ones usually do), embrace it.
- READ MORE: FAA Drops Expiration Date on CFI Certificate
Don’t skimp on ground instruction. It is often said “teach it on the ground; practice it in the air” is how flight training is done. The teach it on the ground part is the preflight briefing. The briefing should consist of what we’re going to do, how we are going to do it, these are the skills you will be learning and demonstrating, these are the completion standards and common mistakes pilots make, and this is how we will guard against them.
Let the learners know if they read up on the maneuvers in the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge or Airplane Flying Manual, they will likely get more out of their flight lesson.
Accept the Learners
To be an effective instructor you must be ready to accept the learners as they are, meaning recognizing both their strengths and weaknesses.
When conducting a postflight briefing, even if the learner did terribly, you must recognize that you were part of that equation. Stress that learning to fly is a partnership, and recognize that perhaps the preflight briefing was lacking. You are learning too. When you criticize a learner’s performance, follow it up with a means to improve it.
For example, if the learner drops the airplane to fly the radio in the pattern, on the next flight announce you will do all the radio calls while the learner flies. Then later, when the pattern tasks become habitual, add the radio back in.
Recognize a Bad Fit
If by the third lesson you determine there is a communication challenge or personality conflict, or the learner simply doesn’t listen to you, terminate the learner/instructor relationship. If they are not listening, you are not teaching. It could be that you don’t have the experience necessary to reach this person.
“I am not the right instructor for you” is the phrase to use. They may be able to learn from another instructor, or in some cases they may simply not be suited to aviation. Ask a more senior instructor to fly with the client for an evaluation if there is any doubt.
Learn the Procedure for Intro Flights
New instructors are often tasked with conducting introductory flights as this is often where new clients come from. The intro flight usually has a fixed cost like $155, which may barely cover aircraft rental and the CFI’s pay.
Most schools use the least expensive airplane to operate and limit the flight to .5 or 30 minutes total in the air to avoid losing money on the flight. Usually you fly out to the practice area or over a local landmark then return for landing. You don’t want to be the CFI who, despite the fixed cost, takes the customer out for more than an hour of pattern work in violation of company policy.
Learn the Procedure for Flight Reviews and IPCs
FAA Advisory Circular 61-68D has guidance on performance of both the flight review and the Instrument Proficiency Check. Make sure to reference this when talking to the client so you both understand what to expect during the instructional activity.
Pro tip: Flying someplace for lunch is not necessarily a flight review or IPC unless the tasks outlined in the AC are accomplished success
Focus on Modeling Good Habits
Treat every flight like it is your CFI check ride. Don’t let yourself get sloppy even when you are in a rush. This includes demonstrating and requiring checklist use, briefing the procedures for uncommanded loss of engine power on takeoff, and positive exchange of controls.
Beware of new-to-you learners who may have picked up bad habits from previous training, such as rushing through the preflight inspection without a checklist, not getting a weather briefing or calculating aircraft weight and balance and performance before each flight, failing to do clearing turns or use trim, and performing takeoffs and landings with both hands on the yoke or stick when one hand on the throttle would be more appropriate.
Know the Pre-Solo Requirements
One of the most frequently asked questions by new CFIs is what training they need to provide to clients before endorsing them for their first solo. There are 15 things listed under cFAR 61.87.
Your job is to make sure the learner has both the skills and knowledge. The latter is tested using a pre-solo knowledge test that includes questions about airspace and procedures at the airport where the solo will take place. Include emergency procedures and go over the test with the learner line by line to make sure they know where to look up information if they don’t know something. Remember it is often making a mistake on a knowledge test that imprints the correct information in our brains.
Commit to Professionalism and Proficiency
Both the National Association of Flight Instructors and the Society of Aviation Flight Educators have excellent resources for CFIs, including mentorship. This will be particularly important if the flight school instructor cadre is limited to experience builders and time builders. Find someone with years if not decades of instructional experience whom you respect to model yourself after.
Although your goal may be to fly for an airline or as a corporate pilot, understand that your learner’s needs come first and you should always be trying to improve your skills as a teacher. Take online seminars. Read educational development articles. Volunteer at FAASTeam events. Surround yourself with aviation education.
Make time for currency and proficiency. This can be difficult when you are flying five-plus days a week for eight hours a day, and you will likely have to pay out of pocket to do this. You are expected to fly to at least a commercial level of proficiency, and it’s easy to get rusty in the right seat. Also practice instrument skills. Many CFIs let their instrument skills lapse as they are flying in VFR conditions with learners 90 percent of the time.
Advice From Successful CFIs
In March I attended Redbird Migration, a two-day conference made up of aviation educators facilitated by Redbird Flight Simulators. The conference features keynote speakers and breakout sessions designed to improve the state of aviation education.
I asked every flight instructor I met what advice they would give to a newly certified instructor. The reply was unanimous: “Always keep learning.”
If the instructor models this behavior, it is likely their clients will adopt it as well.
This column first appeared in the May Issue 958 of the FLYING print edition.
