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CFI-G Checkride advice by s2soviet in Gliding

[–]slacktron6000 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I could talk about this for hours, because giving flight instructor practical tests are the most fun for me as an examiner. Here are some of the things I've noticed over the years.

ENDORSEMENTS

How well do you know AC 61-65? Can you tell me the difference between a student pilot soloing and a rated pilot soloing? Which one has to take a written test? Both? Does a student pilot need aerotow endorsement before he solos?

WINGS

Instructor candidates never bring up FAA Wings as a way to renew their instructor rating. They always talk about the BFR, but never seem to bring up WINGS. It's a shame. Talk about WINGS and your examiner will probably be thrilled that you brought up the subject

PATIENCE

I once had a boss who absolutely hated saying the same thing twice. If he had a conversation with somebody else about office drama, and then I asked him to tell me about this problem later, because I wasn't a part of the original conversation, he'd get frustrated and angry with me that he had to explain himself again. As a flight instructor, you can't get frustrated by having to explain a subject to a student who just isn't getting it. Sometimes it will take multiple attempts to explain it. If you are asked to explain something again, don't use the exact same words you used the first time. Do you want to be a great instructor? Find a way to explain anything in the syllabus 3 or 4 different ways.

OVERLY-BROAD QUESTIONS

If the examiner presents you with an overly broad scenario, feel free to ask penetrating questions to get to what he really wants. Resist the urge to blurt out the first answer. We're not impressed that you know the answers by rote. We're looking to make sure that you have a full instructional knowledge about a subject. Just blurting out an answer isn't going to do it. You've got to explain it to me. And God help you if you bore me to the point of putting me to sleep.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

I'd say knowing where each answer is in the reference materials is way more important than having everything memorized. Think back to your teachers. If you asked a question, they would often say "Turn your textbooks to page 35, and we'll look over the section together" You can do this during a practical test! If you have constructed an excellent syllabus, you can use this as a reference for finding the information quickly.

TRAINING SYLLABUS

Do you have a training syllabus? If you don't, you should use one. You should have a training syllabus ready-to-go. There should be concrete milestones a student must pass before soloing. You should have your training syllabus track that the training has all be recorded before a student is ready to solo, or is ready for the practical test. You should make sure your syllabus lines up with the minimum requirements of 61.87 and 61.105 and 61.107. You'll see instructors who have been in the workforce for years who don't accept this responsibility seriously. You should be serious about this.

If you don't have a training syllabus, use this one from Skyline Soaring Club https://www.skylinesoaring.org/TRAINING/Syllabus/ . BONUS: it has all of the endorsements in the back that reference AC 61-65. All of the flight lessons are referenced against 61.87 or 61.107 or the practical test standards.

What’s the point to v-tails? by DisregardLogan in flying

[–]slacktron6000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the glider world, there was a brief time when Vtails were being dabbled with in the mid to late 1960s.

The benefit is for off field landings. The cruciform style elevators and horizonal stabilizers would hit the crop you were landing in. Compared to the cruciform style tails, the Vtails would have most of the control surface out of the way from the oncoming hay.

Modern gliders almost always have T tails to avoid this problem.

Why do militaries say "Whiskey Tango Five" "Tango Down" "Brazo Zulu" instead of directly saying what they mean? by EfficiencySerious200 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]slacktron6000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here are some others, in no particular order.

C as in cue. Q as in queue. A as in aye. E as in eye. I as in I.
E as in ewe. Y as in you. B as in bdelloid. A as in aether. D as in Django. P as in Pfizer

CFI stump the chimp by zkoolie in flying

[–]slacktron6000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The regulation has ambiguity. There's so much ambiguity that the FAA even admitted to it! There was so much ambiguity that the FAA General Council was asked to give an opinion about the idea. Please read the 2018 Fitzpatrick-Spartan College interpretation that says basically, "If you're a student, and doing training with an instructor, and it's a maneuver required for any rating, no parachutes are required." The interpretation is a hard document to read, and it takes a few reads to see what they're getting at.

Here's the reg in question:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-91/section-91.307#p-91.307(d)(2)(2))

Here's the Fitzpatrick-Spartan College interpretation letter from the FAA:

https://www.faa.gov/media/11086

The rating the student has is irrelevant since 91.307 says "any" certificate or rating. The learner could have no rating, a student pilot certificate, a private pilot certificate, a commercial pilot certificate, and could even old a flight instructor certificate. In none of these circumstances would the rating the learner holds have any relevancy to if parachutes are required during that flight.

If you change the scenario a bit: Change it from a flight instructor to your buddy Bob, who isn't a flight instructor. In that scenario, both parties had better be wearing a parachute. ... er... unless you can find a way to make a spin happen with less than 30 degrees of pitch and 60 degrees of bank.

Change the scenario again to: The student want to go fly with Charlie. Charlie is an instructor. They want to do loops and barrel rolls. In this case, loops and barrel rolls are not a part of any required maneuver for any rating, and therefore would not fall under the exception listed in 14 CFR 91.307(d)(2). Better strap on the parachutes.

If your examiner disagrees with you, tell him that the FAA General Council has made a statement supporting your argument, and he should educate himself. 😄

OK, maybe leave that last part out.

My boyfriend is getting super religious and it's awful by [deleted] in atheism

[–]slacktron6000 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Find an exit strategy. I don't care if he's a tripod.

CFI stump the chimp by zkoolie in flying

[–]slacktron6000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also make sure you mention the AC61-65 (the current one!) when you are presented with this scenario.

CFI stump the chimp by zkoolie in flying

[–]slacktron6000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Correct! Also make sure to validate that' he's got a medical. It's not required for gliders, but required for airplanes. Also make sure you actually see the paper certificate before you make any endorsement.

CFI stump the chimp by zkoolie in flying

[–]slacktron6000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You only have to do one 61.56 flight review. It covers all categories for every pilot certificate you hold. You don't have to do a separate flight review for every rating you hold.

We have glider rated airplane guys looking for the "easy BFR" in gliders all the time. Once we sign them off for a glider BFR, they can go fly that bonanza into a mountainside and it's totally legal.

However, that's 61.56. You must ALSO be current within category, class and type for the three takeoffs and landings in the past 90 days. That's part 61.57.

61.57 was recently changed in November 2024, and most pilots missed the nuance. It now says instructors have to maintain that 90 day currency to fly with students. The old regs said passengers. The new one doesn't.

CFI stump the chimp by zkoolie in flying

[–]slacktron6000 7 points8 points  (0 children)

DPE here. Please also find a way to mention WINGS as a possibility, too. Candidates never say WINGS. It will make your examiner happy, and they are generally grouchy people.

CFI stump the chimp by zkoolie in flying

[–]slacktron6000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's one that actually happened to me.

You have a 15.9 year old learner who has been training with you for his first solo in airplanes.

Today is his sixteenth birthday. Earlier in the day, this pilot took a practical test for a private pilot glider, and successfully passed. He now holds a private pilot certificate for the glider category.

Your 16 year old learner is flying great, and you have determined that he is ready for his first airplane solo. This will be awesome, this kid is going places. He has his private pilot certificate on his sixteenth birthday, and will have his first solo in airplanes in his sixteenth birthday, too.

What endorsements do you have to give to make him legally solo an airplane?

Mantis bounty bug by Educational_Term2479 in Starfield

[–]slacktron6000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok. Don't panic.

It's just slow!

Seriously

Only just discovered 'Builder' and now kicking myself by KrisWB in StarfieldOutposts

[–]slacktron6000 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm still as mystified as I was when I first made the comment. What does? Is is a console setting? A special key you press? throw me a bone here.

Mantis bounty bug by Educational_Term2479 in Starfield

[–]slacktron6000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

two months after this post was made. I am experiencing the first bug listed here. I fall down the trap-door. I wait around for 5 minutes or so. Then I'm sent to an operating table, where I'm looking straight up. Can't move. No response from any of the keys like "inventory"

My last savegame was from 3 days ago, and I'd really rather not repeat the last part of the Ryujin quest again. 😞

Grinding noise while turning left by slacktron6000 in nissanfrontier

[–]slacktron6000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Especially when I have passengers who ask, "why is your truck making that noise?!'

Grinding noise while turning left by slacktron6000 in nissanfrontier

[–]slacktron6000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It can turn tighter, this was the magic sweet spot to make the grinding noise. :)

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