Needing help with CFI

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trainthebrain23@reddit

“I have zero check ride failures and I've never really struggled as much as I am now. “

This sub has steered you wrong in putting such an emphasis on one measly statistic. There is so much more to aviation and being an instructor than being prepared for a checkride. Checkride prep is just a series of tasked aimed at pleasing your instructor until you are allowed to please your examiner. If you’re going to be an instructor, there is no limit as to what you should know.

“what would be some good resources to learn the material and be able to reference instead of just being told here's everything and figure it out yourself”

This question emphasizes my point. You mean like one of those “cheat sheet” documents that teaches you the test? You should be reading everything. And I mean everything. There are no shortcuts or ways to have it spoon-fed to you. Don’t look at CFI as just another checkride. It’s a level of mastery that earns your the right to lecture others on aviation.

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VileInventor@reddit

You’re not being taught anymore man. You are a CFI candidate. You need to demonstrate that you KNOW and can teach the material. You should be doing your lesson plans, a lot of people recommend backseat pilot but I fully disagree with that approach. If you make your own plans and are thorough you’ll know the material better than ever. Also the FAA wings program has a TON of useful modules. You’re not a student anymore, act like an instructor because that’s what the examiner will expect.

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ChiefDaddyJ@reddit

ACS, go line by line and make a study guide

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FutureA350@reddit

I have an FIRC course on a sportys account DM me for small price.

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johnnypoopy@reddit

The sportys FIRC is free why would someone pay you?

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FutureA350@reddit

Wdym how

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johnnypoopy@reddit

It is literally on their website: https://www.sportys.com/sporty-s-efirc-flight-instructor-refresher-online-course.html?srsltid=AfmBOootOPZ75sFp0eLHRuwQIRlu2PawuDiOD8VtiJfxOUkYY7eLzo53

Stop scamming

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FutureA350@reddit

oh my bad but u can always buy the PPL CPL IFR aight thats what we care about here

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EliteEthos@reddit

What do you think you should be doing at this stage? (Serious question)

You should have sufficient knowledge at this point to teach the things required of you to the ACS standards. Your overall knowledge and presentation should be critiqued if they have issues.

CFI is mostly self study and preparation. The flying can be a bit different (from the right seat) but also not terrible.

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ltcterry@reddit

Sport PTS Private ACS Commercial ACS Instructor ACS FAR/AIM PHAK AFH POH Weather AIH

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TxAggieMike@reddit

Seth Lake has been doing a really good series on the FOI’s via his YT channel.

Not only is he covering what you need to know and understand, but he is also covering how to take that understanding and put it to use.

So in addition to Todd Shellnutt, go find Seth’s videos

u/beechdude

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ReadyplayerParzival1@reddit

The acs is your rubric here. You probably have most if not nearly all of the aeronautical knowledge needed to be a cfi, but what you’re learning to do is actually teach and exercise the responsibilities of a cfi. It felt weird too for me. It’s a very different set of skills and you might be looking of studying in the wrong place

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Cparker_11@reddit

Todd Shellnut on youtube was honestly a lifesaver when studying the FOI’s.

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Critical_Angle@reddit

Since you're giving us limited information here and it's pretty broad, I'll just give you some general advice on CFI instead of to any particulars to you. Before that, you mentioned that you aren't learning anything. The only really new stuff in CFI is FOI. For the information you "already know" just think of it as refining your knowledge. You're just converting that knowledge to what you know to being able to now teach that to someone who has no idea what you're talking about.

CFI is the point where you have to start to shift your mentality of your own training. You are no longer a commercial "student," you are a CFI "applicant." Yes, your instructor should still be there to provide guidance, but they aren't going to spoon feed you anymore. Would you rather struggle more now or when you have an actual student. Trust me, nobody feels confident as a CFI when they pass that checkride.

As u/FortifyStamina said, you have the ACS. Has your instructor taught you how to make a lesson plan? If not, ask them to. Then, you should be making a lesson plan on everything required in the ACS. Don't download them, don't use chat GPT, make them yourself. You'll learn the material doing this. You are going to have to do more self-motivated work than any other certificate you've had so far and the checkride is going to be the hardest.

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CR00KANATOR@reddit

I faced the same thing with my previous school. I was expected to know/format things a certain way without know the expectations, it doubly didnt help that I had been out of flying for a few years due to life happening.

It has and still is taking me a while to figure it out, but yes unfortunately you will mostly be on your own unless youre part 141 (and follow a syllabus).

Use the ACS as a guide for what MUST be covered, then while you're going through it try to remember things to add in that make it easier to explain or remember.

Alternatively you can get ideas from lessons posted online. Perhaps ping and independent CFI and get a second opinion.

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FortifyStamina@reddit

Use the ACS for what it is, a rubric! How will you know if your lessons are good...by checking each box off the sub tasks on the ACS.

Look at Runway Incursions, it literally spoon feeds you what you need to address, and it's a required task.

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c402c@reddit

Well, in your lessons, are you teaching to your CFI?

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

So I feel like in my CFI course that I'm not really being taught at anything. for context I have zero check ride failures and I've never really struggled as much as I am now. All the ground lessons that I do with my instructor are just me demonstrating what I know. I don't feel like I'm actually being taught anything and every single time I don't know something I'm told that I should know this by now. I guess my question is what would be some good resources to learn the material and be able to reference instead of just being told here's everything and figure it out yourself

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