BY PILOTS, FOR PILOTS
At‑a‑Glance
Overview
Former chief flight instructor who truly cares about developing quality instructors. Started with fundamentals of instruction, then moved to aerodynamics teaching scenarios. Asked me to explain complex concepts as if teaching a student pilot. Long oral because she wants to see your teaching methodology, not just knowledge. Flight portion focused on demonstrating maneuvers while explaining what a student should look for.
Oral — Topics & Prompts
- Fundamentals of Instruction: Learning theory and domains; how people learn; elements of effective teaching; instructor responsibilities and professionalism.
- Teaching Aerodynamics: "Explain to me how an airplane flies" — use teaching techniques; four forces and their relationships; why airplanes stall and how to teach stall recognition.
- Lesson Planning: How to structure a lesson; pre‑flight briefing elements; setting objectives; how to evaluate student progress; post‑flight debrief techniques.
- Student Evaluation: How do you know if a student is learning; what to do when progress plateaus; identifying and correcting common errors; when to solo a student.
- Instructor Responsibilities: Legal liability; duty of care; when to refuse instruction; maintaining instructor currency; continuing education requirements.
- Teaching Weather: How to teach weather decision‑making; scenario‑based training; helping students understand weather patterns; when weather becomes a teaching opportunity.
- Airspace Instruction: How to teach complex airspace; visual aids and teaching tools; common student misconceptions; building from simple to complex concepts.
- Emergency Procedures Training: How to safely simulate emergencies; building student confidence; when to intervene; teaching decision‑making under pressure.
- Solo Prerequisites: How do you determine student readiness; required endorsements; pre‑solo written exam requirements; what makes a student safe to solo.
- Teaching Regulations: How to make regulations relevant; helping students understand the "why" behind rules; keeping current with regulatory changes.
- Problem Students: How to handle overconfident students; helping fearful students; dealing with older students; cultural sensitivity in instruction.
- Risk Management: Teaching aeronautical decision‑making; how to develop pilot judgment; helping students understand personal minimums; scenario‑based training techniques.
Flight — Sequence & Standards
- Pre‑Flight Instruction: Demonstrate teaching preflight inspection; explain what to look for and why; student involvement and questioning techniques.
- Slow Flight Demonstration: Teach slow flight as if instructing student pilot; common errors to watch for; recovery techniques; building student confidence.
- Stall Series: Demonstrate and teach power‑off and power‑on stalls; explain aerodynamics throughout; emphasize stall recognition over recovery.
- Steep Turns: Teach proper technique; explain load factor effects; common student errors; how to correct overbanking tendency.
- Ground Reference Maneuvers: Teach rectangular course; explain wind correction principles; visual references; altitude and speed control while teaching.
- Emergency Procedures: Simulate engine failure and teach emergency response; when to take controls; building muscle memory; decision‑making instruction.
- Pattern Work: Demonstrate teaching landing technique; common landing errors; when to intervene; building student confidence in pattern.
- Spin Demonstration: (if aircraft approved) Demonstrate spin entry, developed spin, and recovery; explain aerodynamics; safety considerations.
- Unusual Attitude Recovery: Demonstrate teaching recovery techniques; explain instrument indications; building scan patterns; safety margins.
- Cross‑Control Stall: Demonstrate hazards of uncoordinated flight; base‑to‑final turn dangers; teaching coordinated flight throughout training.
- Teaching Communication: Demonstrate radio instruction techniques; building student confidence with ATC; proper phraseology instruction.
- Flight Review Scenario: Act as if conducting flight review; evaluate pilot proficiency; identify areas needing improvement; legal requirements.
Surprises / Curveballs
- Student role‑play: She acted like different types of problem students during instruction — overconfident, fearful, argumentative.
- Teaching on the spot: "Explain to me why the airplane turns" — had to teach coordinate flight and adverse yaw concept clearly.
- Emergency decision: "Your student just froze during simulated engine failure" — when do you take controls and how do you debrief.
- Regulatory scenario: "Student asks if they can log this time" — explain logging rules and student pilot limitations clearly.
- Weather teaching: Current conditions deteriorating; how do you use this as teaching opportunity while maintaining safety.
- Solo endorsement scenario: "Is this student ready to solo?" — had to evaluate fictional student's readiness and explain reasoning.
Tips for the Next Pilot
- Focus on teaching methodology, not just demonstrating — explain the "why" behind everything.
- Practice explaining complex concepts in simple terms — use analogies and visual aids.
- Know the Fundamentals of Instruction thoroughly — this sets the foundation for everything else.
- Be ready to teach anything on the spot — she will ask you to explain concepts throughout the checkride.
- Understand different learning styles and how to adapt your instruction accordingly.
- Know instructor responsibilities and liability — what are your legal obligations as a CFI.
- Practice flying while talking — you need to maintain aircraft control while instructing.
- Study common student errors for every maneuver — know how to identify and correct them.
- Be prepared to role‑play teaching scenarios — treat her like a real student at times.