CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 1 - 40

CHIEF'S CORNER
RECENTLY I HAD TWO COLLEAGUES AT AOPA
ASK ME TO TRAIN THEM TO BE CFIS. Wow, what
an honor! Really, Collins, come on, man, it's not
that big of a deal! Or is it?
Seriously, hear me out. I've been a CFI for a
long time-one of the reasons they asked me-
but the last time I had a CFI student was 25plus
years ago, right before I came to work at
AOPA. Candidly, I left the flight school before
we got too far down that course of instruction.
And honestly, I had just become eligible to
train CFI students having passed the two-year
mark as a CFI that March. So, I haven't even
had a CFI applicant go for the checkride. I
made sure both new CFI students knew that.
MY INITIAL CONCERNS REVOLVED AROUND FINDING
A GOOD SYLLABUS TO GUIDE US, AND THEN MAKING
SURE I'M GIVING THEM THE TRAINING THEY NEED TO
BE A SUCCESSFUL AND COMPETENT INSTRUCTOR.
Now, I'm confident I can get them ready for
the checkride, although one has a tighter
timeframe than the other. But I expect both
of them will be training pilots by the fall. My
initial concerns revolved around finding a
good syllabus to guide us, and then making
sure I'm giving them the training they need
to be a successful and competent instructor.
That got me thinking about the legacy I'm
passing along to them. And it's not just me. I'm
doing this with a couple of other instructors
so both CFI students can benefit from a team
approach to teaching and the various styles,
techniques, and experience each of us brings.
In my own CFI training, it was somewhat
haphazard; I started and stopped, did some
CAP flying to get back in the groove after a
four-year absence, moved, and then started
again in earnest. It wasn't until I was several
months and several thousands of dollars into
the training that I figured out I was being
somewhat strung along to prop up a rapidly
declining business.
A change of instructors and a renewed focus
on my progress got me ready for my checkride.
It took three tries to finally get the weather,
the FAA (this was 1996 and my initial CFI
ride after all), and myself together. But we
succeeded, and it was a pretty good if somewhat
initially stressful event. I was slightly amused
by how much the inspector wanted to fly the
airplane, but he did say that one of the things he
liked about CFI checkrides was that he got to fly
the plane more than the applicant.
I'M DOING THIS WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER INSTRUCTORS
SO BOTH CFI STUDENTS CAN BENEFIT FROM A TEAM
APPROACH TO TEACHING AND THE VARIOUS STYLES,
TECHNIQUES, AND EXPERIENCE EACH OF US BRINGS.
One thing that I am keenly aware of is that when
I sign the final endorsement for their checkrides,
I am certifying that both CFI applicants are
ready to instruct, to teach everybody from brand
new student pilots to commercial applicants, and
everything in between. Not only that, they'll give
flight reviews, check out pilots in new aircraft
and all the other things that flight instructors
do. Whatever my team and I taught them will be
passed along to others, and the ripple effect will
continue long after we've flown west.
I think back through my instructors: Brad
who signed me off to solo; Mike who thought I
finally mastered a Cherokee 140 after starting
training in a Cessna 152 and was ready to be a
private pilot; Luther Jay who guided me through
instrument and commercial training with all of
his wit and wisdom; Mike who taught me how to
fly airplanes with more than one engine; Bill who
was brave enough to let me fly from the right seat
a couple of times until I figured out that a couple
of solo flights after a long absence wasn't enough
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 1
