Is it still a challenge to find a CFI job? I’m in DFW and considering to study at US Aviation Academy in Denton for CFI and II, as they have in-house examiners. I’m just wondering if it’s worth investing 15-20k for that, especially if I don’t land a job afterward.
I’ll be meeting with my first student in the next few days and have been going back and forth on this thought since I started my CFI training.
Did you tell your first that they were? If so, how do I build their confidence in me without tooting my own horn? I was thinking about just mentioning flight hours, 100% first time CR passes, etc.
I want them to trust me, so I’d hate to not tell them and then then figure it out some other way. But I also want them to not feel discouraged that their instructor has never done this before.
Just finished my instructor rating yesterday. Looking for a small headset bag/case that has enough room for an iPad mini/spare pair of glasses. Love the size of the standard Bose one but has zero space to put anything.
Have a nice larger bag for longer XC flights, but just wanting something very small for jumping in and out of aircraft doing local flights. Any reccomendations?
Hi! I'm a CFI with roughly 370 hours and I'm wondering if there're any independent CFIs / CFIs in Southwest Florida that have their High Performance endorsement and are willing to help me get mine, preferably in a Cessna 182.
Or, If you know any schools in SW Florida with a 182 and offer the High Performance Endorsement, please drop the name in the comments. Thanks everyone
Hi guys,
Considering how many maneuvers there are to (potentially) fly on the CFI checkride flight portion, I am wondering if you guys made a sheet or some sort of memory jogger to remind you of certain things you’d like to say when introducing a maneuver (the purpose, why we do it, special considerations/techniques, etc.) or if you just did it based on memory on your actual test. It’s easy to forget to say something important before actually flying the maneuver when trying to teach, set the maneuver up, etc.
In practice, I can prep before my lessons and quickly review my physical lesson plan on the ground, but since this test could include so many maneuvers, I’m wondering if you guys tried this or did this and/or if it would be too much of a distraction to try and look at a few bulletpoints before each maneuver.
Thank you in advance!
I might start some instruction in a fleet of C150’s but I’m 230lbs and my student is 160lbs. The fleet useful load is reported to be between 475lbs and 520 lbs. That leaves us with room for about 14-21 gal of fuel depending on the plane. I haven’t seen the POH’s yet for true W&B, I’m just evaluating this as a potential.
In my training I grew used to a HP aircraft where we’d land with 20-30 gals left every flight. Legally, with VFR day reserves, on paper we could go do 1.5-2.0 hour flights most days but would need to plan our XC’s to use the plane with the most useful load.
Do more experienced CFI’s feel that operating on slim margins like this will hinder the lesson’s potential and pigeon hole my student and I? I have no 150 time and fully intend to go up with another CFI and get proficient in the aircraft first.
Anyone got a hard CFII oral document with bunch of questions? I’d love to be challenged. I’m almost done with my flying portion of the training, hoping to get in touch with a DPE soon. I’m near Melbourne, FL if anyone has a DPE suggestion as well
Hey Instructors. Last month I picked up a student that had his own plane and I’ve been working with him for about few weeks now and he said I just need to get my landings done. He was proficient in 61.87D so we just rep the pattern. He solod today which was my first student to sign off so that was cool. I haven’t made a syllabus or looked one up since it was clear we just needed to rep that pattern but now that he’s solo I’d like to ask for some structure. He has his own plane like I said so sometimes he just wants to do leisure flying and I’m cool with that. Here is my plan to get him ready for CR.
He will solo in the pattern again maybe 1.0. Then we’ll go out and make sure he can get to and from practice area ok. Then he’ll solo out there and do maneuvers then come back. He’ll be around 3 hours of solo at this point. Then we’ll start working on XC work and get him to do 1 50m xc then his 150m xc and make sure he gets 5.0 there. Then once that is covered. Well do all the night stuff then practice performance landings and takeoffs until he is prepped to take the test and he can get the rest of his hours practicing maneuvers or pattern work.
Thoughts on this? TIA
Has anyone heard of CFII.com? I’ve seen ads for them on Facebook and instagram, in the ads they say they are out of John Wayne airport but on their website it says they are nation wide. Has anyone else heard of them or is affiliated with them?
Going through the ACS and I am on area three task C, weather information. Of course weather is a very lengthy subject and would need multiple ground lessons to cover everything. I am curious and looking for advice on how to approach this for the CFI initial checkride. The knowledge is mostly there for me, but figuring out what to teach/include and the right order is where I am struggling. I understand the ACS covers what needs to be taught but even then, I feel like it could last hours. And yes, I understand the examiner can select either K2 or K3 but has anyone had experience with this and how they taught it or were asked on their ride? TIA.
As a new CFI, I wanted to ask if there’s any helpful discounts anyone uses that might be helpful? I saw ForeFlight has or had a free subscription with every student who enrolls, and then Sporty’s mentioned free access to courses, but is there anything else that is worth checking out?
I've been shopping around for ground schools and syllabi to use in my independent instruction to be as structured/organized as possible. It seems like there are so many so I wanted to ask if anyone has a really good standout syllabus for Part 61 instruction?
Besides that, I've been thinking about being a student and I feel like it would be difficult to just do an online ground school to get ready for any check ride. I feel like teaching/learning in person is much better but it would be more expensive for the student. What structure have you guys seen work best?
Kinda a shitpost but I didn’t do my training at the 141 University I attended. Instead, I flew outside and just did my academics there. I have all the same certs as my friends who flew there, yet me (and a few of my friends who flew outside too) all have no jobs rn while all my 141 Flight friends are immediately getting picked up either by our school, or other 141 University’s across the country.
It’s just frustrating because when I transferred out of our flight program to fly outside (granted for cheaper costs) I was told there would be basically no affect on my future opportunities for work. I know the industry is cyclical, and it is great some days and awful others, but i’m posting this as a fair warning to others who may be at 141 Universities and are considering dropping the program.
Obviously, weigh the pros and the cons, but to me (while anecdotal at best) it seems like the students who actually trained in the 141 flight departments are getting jobs MUCH easier than just off the street 61 cfis.
What is your take on each of these sites and do you have any other recommendations?
Sporty's free practice test 60 question test
King's free practice test 60 questions with timer
Dauntless practice test $65
PSI-terrible. Not at all reflective of the actual exam.
Looking forward to input and recommendations for Private Pilot Practice tests!
Thanks in advance
I’m quitting CFI-ing for the time being and our school will need to fill my role. DM me. I know market is tough right now so trying to help the community out with this lead. Again, only for those living in Portland metro area.
A PPL student of mine is asking for a ground dedicated to regulations. Fine. Straightforward enough. Here’s how I’d usually structure it:
Obviously I’m not gonna build an aviation lawyer in a day. I understand as well as anybody that repetition and application of the regs is the best way to learn and retain the info.
My question is how do you personally go about making the topics fun and engaging? We all know this is a dry topic with very little inherent entertainment value. What are your strategies for tackling these subjects over a 2+ hour period without slowly putting your student to sleep or overwhelming them to the point where no learning is actually occurring?
Has anybody had a commercial checkride with or sent a student to JD Jeffers in Perry, Georgia?
Alright y'all, Im starting my Instrument rating and Im wondering what reading/study materials I should get into. I know KING ground school has a course, and my instructor said that it may be good to invest into. However I was also told, and shown that PilotsCafe and Foreflight have alot of good study material too. What should I go for? Do I need to buy some big instrument study guide book? Or can I get my information from free online sources like FlightInsight on Youtube?
Any guidance is Greatly appreciated!!
Hey instructors,
I'm coming up on finally being finished. Hopefully will land an instructing gig at my school, if they so happen to be hiring.
I don't see a reason why they wouldn't want me, I've made good connections at the school and gotten through training smoothly. My nightmare scenario is that I've just invested all of this time, effort, and money for nothing to pan out and my school to tell me thanks but not right now.
From what I've read on this sub, and heard through the grapevine, CFI hiring is clogged up beyond belief. What was that Seth Lake video, something like 13,000 new CFI certs last year for around 4,000 jobs? And bear in mind, I only got my cert THIS year so I'm already behind all those folks.
I love flying, but the thought of not even being able to get my first instructing job has me worried. Should I go back to school and pivot careers? I can't sit around forever on hopes and dreams, I've got to make a life for myself somehow.
I'd appreciate any advice from those going through this right now or those more seasoned than me. I'm in a bit of a debbie downer mood reading about how tough it is out there.
Thanks everyone.
Does anyone know how to apply to Keylime Airlines? My friend has tried and tried to find a link and continues to kit a dead end.