A good time has arrived for those interested in becoming flight instructors. A career as a flight instructor is currently very popular, and experts predict this path will continue to be popular for several years to come.
The purpose of becoming a flight instructor varies from pilot to pilot. For many, it’s a dream job and their main source of income. For some, it’s a hobby that they enjoy as a side job or as a hobby while for others, it’s a step on the way to becoming a commercial pilot or airline pilot. There are many flight instructors out there who will tell you that they have learned more from becoming a certified flight instructor (CFI) than they knew going into it.
As part of the initial flight instructor certificate process, you will be accompanied by an FAA examiner to complete a check ride. The FAA issues the Certified Flight Instructor Certificate (CFI) and the Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument (CFI-I) add-on certificate. You can obtain an add-on instrument certificate from any authorized examiner.
Here are the steps to obtain an FAA-certified flight instructor certificate :
1. Understanding Eligibility Requirements
Candidates for flight instructor positions must hold either a commercial pilot certificate or an airline transport pilot certificate (ATP), be at least 18 years of age, be proficient in reading, speaking, writing, and understanding English, and be able to demonstrate their ability to communicate.
2. Ensure your medical certificate is up – to – date
As you will be required to hold a commercial pilot certificate to begin flight instructor training, you will most likely already have a valid aviation medical certificate.
In order to act as a pilot-in-command of an aircraft while instructing, you must hold a third-class medical certificate; however, having a current medical certificate isn’t a requirement for flight instructors unless they are in the role of a pilot in command or performing duties of a required crew member. It will also save you from having to turn away students who are not yet ready to be Pilots in Command.
Most instructors are eager to log PIC flight hours, however, and so choose to keep a valid medical certificate. Even if it’s your first time, you’ll serve as a pilot in command during your certified flight instructor check ride, so there’s no reason to delay if you do not already possess one.
3. Prepare for the FAA Written Exam and FOI
A CFI certificate is granted after passing two initial exams: the FOI (Fundamentals of Instruction) Exam and the FAA Certified Flight Instructor Knowledge Exam. There are several topics covered in the FOI, including the learning process, effective teaching elements, and training techniques. It may be helpful to get a study guide for this, such as one from Gleim, just like for the knowledge exam. In this knowledge exam, you are tested on all the knowledge you have gained until now, including recreation, private, and commercial topics as well as instrument, multi-engine, and high-performance topics. You are tested on almost anything you can think of.
4. Creating Your Lesson Plans
You will be forever grateful if you take the time to prepare by using the same lesson plans that you will use as an instructor. Print off drawings, charts, diagrams, and anything else that will enhance your discussion. For each lesson, print off relevant FAA safety briefings and advisory circulars (ACs) if you think they will help improve your future students’ understanding of a topic. If you think the miniature airplane or holding computer will help you better explain a topic, then buy it.
For each lesson, you should ensure that your lesson plans include everything in the FAA Practical Test Standards (PTS). If the PTS talks about decision making, make sure you plan on evaluating the student’s decision making during each flight or each lesson.
5. Instructing Practice
During your CFI training, you will most likely work with more experienced instructors. If you haven’t flown for a while, the beginning of your training might be a review. In addition to practising all manoeuvres according to PTS standards, you will also remain aware of local area operations and FARs.
During CFI training, however, most of your time will be focused on the right seat where you will practice instructing a pupil, demonstrating manoeuvres, watching the pupil perform those manoeuvres, and then coaching the pupil. You will, essentially, role-play until you are comfortable teaching anything and everything in multiple scenarios on the ground as you would for a student. You will brief and de-brief your instructor before and after each flight. Make sure to use your lesson plans.
6. Get a checkride
You are ready to go for the check ride once you have mastered your new role as a flight instructor. You are familiar with what to expect – mainly because you have been on check rides before. It should be noted though, that the CFI check ride is renowned for being the most strenuous of them all, and many instructors have passed after enduring 16+ hours of check rides.
You need to be prepared for a lot of things that will be covered on the ground, and some examiners prefer to go through each detail. Others will cover a few items, and if they are satisfied, they will move on to the flight. But don’t skimp on anything. Be prepared as much as possible. Assume that the examiner is a student and overexplain everything since he or she is testing you to see what kind of instructor you are. Act professionally at all times and dress appropriately. Keep an eye on the examiner/student closely and don’t skimp on the safety briefing. Don’t let anything go wrong.
Getting your FAA-certified instructor certificate is as easy as following these 6 steps. Check out AeroNefs today for more information and jobs as a Flight Instructor. Good luck!
