I just passed my CFI initial two days ago. It was a long process and so hard to get here, but I’m making my dream my reality. That said, I pose this question to all of you that either have been CFIs or maybe still are in the instructor world. As a new instructor, what can I do to keep my skills and knowledge sharp so my students get the absolute most out of training they can? I don’t want anyone to be short changed so to speak, and would like some advice from pilots who have been there and done that. As always, I appreciate your time and input!
The fact you’re even concerned about delivering a high level of instruction to your students vs simply wondering how fast you can get your hours and get out speaks volumes about your character. Just having that mindset I know you’ll be fine.
But to answer your question that to me was the single greatest benefit to instructing. Teaching keeps you sharp! I don’t care how much you study or plan your students will inevitably ask you questions you don’t have answers for or put you in situations you’ve never thought of. When they do they force you to expand your knowledge, tap into your skills and add another tool to your box. Everyday you instruct reinforces your skills and knowledge and will make you not only a better instructor, but a better pilot.
Teaching will keep you incredibly sharp, especially if you are instructing instrument students. Beyond that, I would join AOPA and read their magazine, along with potentially attending some WINGs events in your area. Always keep those oral exam guides handy, they are great references and good to review from time to time.
I built my ground lessons off of ATP’s self study lessons in conjunction with the PTS/ACS. This ensured nothing was missed. I would keep detailed notes on the student’s extranet and refer back to them periodically to fix any areas of deficiency and track retention.
Confidence teaching the flying portion will come with time. The best advice I received is to be specific when giving instructions. For example, instead of saying, “add power” you could say, “increase power 200 RPM,” or “advance power to “2200 RPM.” Or instead of saying, “Recover from the stall by lowering the nose and add full power,” you could say, “Gently release back pressure. Lower the nose slightly below the horizon. Smoothly advance full power simultaneously. Allow the airspeed increase to __ kias (refer to SOP). Gently increase back pressure to maintain a coordinated climb at __ kias…” Words matter. Assume the student will add full control inputs unless you specify exactly how much input.
The last thing that comes to mind is don’t accept a students answer at face value. Students are good at memorizing answers and repeating something you’ve told them. Ask follow up questions like, “How do you know that?” “Can you tell me where you read that?” These questions challenge the student to back up what they know with their resources. You won’t be able to take the check ride with them. So, they need to be able to support their answers in front of an examiner on their own.
Awesome, great to hear that. I heard a quote the other day that really stuck with me. It is as follows, “ be cautious of a CFI with one eye on the Hobbs meter and the other on the flight deck of a regional jet.” I thought that was a good point. Don’t get me wrong… I am very excited to get to the regionals someday but signing people off to fly airplanes is a huge responsibility. Thanks for the feedback, Adam!!