On 2008-01-03 10:29:24 -0800, "gatt" said:


Well, I scored 96% on the Fundamentals of Instruction exam and it took me
about ten minutes, so I kinda wish I'd not have stressed on all the
psychobabble so much. I told the CATS proctor I was shooting for 100% and
he joked "Well, it's a solid fifteen-minute exam."

The Flight Instructor written looks like a thorough refresher rather than a
tough exam, then he told me what to expect on the oral exam which guarantees
I'll have my nose in the books for awhile. Is the oral the toughest part of
the CFI rating?

-c

Oh, yeah. The oral is the heart of the CFI rating and it takes a long
time. The examiner wants to see "instructor level" of knowledge in just
about every area, and he is going to cover every area to be sure that
you are there. Of course, that does not preclude the occasional
mistake, but you should in general appear to be absolutely on top of
things.

You will be asked to teach. Some examiners have you prepare a lesson in
advance; others ask you to do it on the spot. That lesson better
demonstrate a well thought-out written lesson plan. There will probably
be a few loops thrown at you, too.

Examiners are especially interested in your knowledge of endorsements
and ratings, privileges of a flight instructor, and requirements for
all of the different ratings. You can guarantee that they will hit
heavily on the requirements for a student solo endorsement and when and
what kind of medical certificate you need. They will cover everything
from LAHSO for solo students to the emotional state of your students.
If you have written a book of lesson plans over the course of your
instruction as a CFI, bring it. You should, of course, be extremely
sharp on everything from flight planning to aircraft systems and charts
and weather, etc. My favorite question the examiner asked me on systems
was "How many wires run from the battery to the magnetos?" It is a
trick question, of course, but for some reason it struck me as
uproariously funny. Oh, well. I guess you had to be there. I was
running a temperature of 104 and completely unfit to fly, so I had to
fly the next day.

The flight will again demand instructional level of ability in every
maneuver, the ability to teach each maneuver effectively, the ability
to spot common student errors, emergency procedures, etc. However, most
guys have a fair amount of flying time by the time they become
instructors, so the flying part feels a lot easier than the oral,
although it really isn't. You just have more experience flying than
instructing, which makes all the difference in the world.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor