CFI Training.... OVERWHELMING
Posted by squirrelpilot13@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 12 comments
I am starting my CFI training. I felt like I have been a really good student throughout my flight training, but now that I'm staring at the CFI ACS and watching video after video on CFI training, "You need to know EVERYTHING to the level of correlation", I can't help but feel like this is something that I will never achieve. Trying to start on these lesson plans is another thing that makes me feel like I know nothing already. We are supposed to make our own, but when I see what others have made, I have no idea how to get there, or how to even talk about all these subjects with just referencing bullet points.
I hope I get it figured out. I know I'm just starting, but I never expected to be this overwhelmed. I am all ears if you have any tips or tricks for successfully getting through CFI training.
TheNameIsFrags@reddit
I know exactly how you feel. There were at least three times working on CFI training I really considered quitting. It all felt so overwhelming I questioned if it was even possible for me.
Fortunately, if you have a really great 2-year CFI yourself and peers to study with it makes things a whole lot easier. My best advice to you is to take it one day at a time, find where the holes in your knowledge areas are, then work on studying.
Working_Football1586@reddit
Just buy Backseat Pilot lesson plans and move on with your life
Hellkarium@reddit
Man I can't tell you how hard it was my first week in a CFI crash course trying to learn and dig deep into topics I chose to skip over in my training previously. I thought it wasn't possible. Took me an extra 4 months following a two week crash course to be fully prepared.
Direct-Knowledge-260@reddit
It really is a lot of information especially at this point in time… you studied hard to pass your private, instrument, commercial. Depending how fast your course is, they now expect you to turn right back around and “teach” a subject you barely passed yourself yesterday lol.
Lesson plans are great and all and help give you a template to follow. I and my colleagues were all in the same CFI ground school; we had a white board and you all took turns teaching a subject that could be asked to teach according to the PTS/ACS. After each lesson, we would critique each other and offer tips on how to streamline this information.
Give yourself the advantage and set yourself up for success. Have your endorsements pre-written and know how to explain your endorsements from the FAR. I.e. solo, XC solo, recommendation for checkride, etc.
YOU WILL NOT KNOW EVERYTHING and the examiners know this. The best way to get through this oral is start strong and confident.
After you pass, you’ll experience information dumping and you’ll feel amazing! And amazingly exhausted but you’ll be done with the hardest task any pilot has gone through. It will all be down hill from this checkride!
Don’t give up and finish what you have started 💪🏼
FlyinAndSkiin@reddit
I just did it with a full time job, and a 2 year old at home. I was completely overwhelmed at first as well. Take it one step at a time and find a good mentor. You got this.
squawkingdirty@reddit
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time
It’ll come
austinstrider@reddit
Right there with you - it's ridiculous. I did buy backseat pilot, and I'm not ashamed to say so. I think it's crazy that anyone would be able to put together lesson plans of that detail on their own without taking 2-3 years to do it properly - and you'd still miss a ton of the stuff that's listed there. I did start my CFI training and found that the backseat pilot stuff is often too deep and intense, so you have to edit out a ton of it that isn't required for passing the CFI, but at least it's there for when you're actually teaching someone and want to brush up on it before talking to your student.
I do fully agree with you though, it's absolutely overwhelming and I had to take a step back to start learning it all over again.
MarketingLimp8419@reddit
Just to add. I had to discontinue CFI checkride today for wx. The oral was 4 hours, probably the hardest oral I’ve done so far and my DPE was just grilling me in each FOI Task and when we got the Technical Subject Areas, he made me teach Human Factors, Runway Incursions, Performance and Limitations, Logbook endorsements and . At the end of my final presentation he stares at me for what felt like hours but probably 30ish seconds and then says your knowledge is superb but I have serious doubts on whether you can break each subject down to an elementary level. The assumptions I made were using a basic algebra formula to describe how to do weight and balance. He said I can’t assume my student knows basic level algebra just because they have a college degree. I found that a little excessive but that was is major concerns through the oral.
Td;lr: when you CFI says to teach them like they know nothing, they mean it literally. DO NOT make ANY assumptions. That’s what I did and almost had got a NOD.
freedomflyer12@reddit
Also recommend Ryan Binns flight service lesson plans for a more minimalist approach but they are free!
TxAggieMike@reddit
bhalter80@reddit
I bought BSP for my CFII and wish I'd used it for my CFI and MEI as well. You need to know the material to the level of correlation but you don't need to know it unprompted. Its a cross between grad school final exam which are openbook but god help you if you need to learn something during the exam and public speaking where you stick to the script. Actually no that's not how the best speakers do it.
What really successful speakers do is talk about an area they're passionate about and have notes with bullet points to keep them on track. That's exactly what BSP is, the reason I failed initially is I thought I needed to know it all and I wasn't confident pulling out my notes and using them. I'm happy to do a couple of zoom sessions on how to integrate the lesson plans into your talking so you know you've covered everything
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I am starting my CFI training. I felt like I have been a really good student throughout my flight training, but now that I'm staring at the CFI ACS and watching video after video on CFI training, "You need to know EVERYTHING to the level of correlation", I can't help but feel like this is something that I will never achieve. Trying to start on these lesson plans is another thing that makes me feel like I know nothing already. We are supposed to make our own, but when I see what others have made, I have no idea how to get there, or how to even talk about all these subjects with just referencing bullet points.
I hope I get it figured out. I know I'm just starting, but I never expected to be this overwhelmed. I am all ears if you have any tips or tricks for successfully getting through CFI training.
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