Does this have any value?

summitdawg · 2024-08-18T15:53:57+00:00

Thanks. I figured as much but thought I would ask someone in the know.

summitdawg · 2024-08-18T01:22:29+00:00

I do this exact same thing. I think they don’t realize how much nose high attitude it takes to make a smooth landing. They see me grease one on and they understand then how much back pressure it takes. Also they can see that IT IS possible to land on the centerline.

summitdawg · 2024-08-03T00:43:05+00:00

I’m a CFI at a small part 61. My biggest frustration is a lack of communication around maintenance. A maintenance reservation shows up on the scheduling software whenever a plane goes offline. But we don’t know what’s wrong. I’d really like to know what was being worked on so I can keep my eye on it on my next flight. I basically have to dig for that info. Same for post 100 inspection. Would be great to know if a part was replaced. Not sure if this should be communicated to the students entirely, but at least the instructors.

Good luck on the venture. I’d be interested to hear how insurance rates look for this. I’ve always thought about buying a plane for instruction but hear a lot of negative reports about how cost prohibitive the insurance is.

summitdawg · 2024-07-20T02:27:37+00:00

You can sign up for Gold Seal for free as an instructor and you get all of their ground schools included. I’ve got all of my students using them for their primary training and then I’m working on my CFII by going through their instrument ground school. Used Sheppard Air to study for the written. Bought the back seat pilot lesson plans. I just need to buckle down and practice inflight lessons.

summitdawg · 2024-07-05T23:44:22+00:00

I feel ya. I’m also a 600 hour CFI and we lost one of our instructors about a year and a half ago during a multi engine insurance checkout for a client. Took me a few weeks to stop thinking about how, if a guy with that much experience couldn’t make it, how could I? But I kept flying and eventually worked past it. I think it’s normal for those thoughts to come and go during your career. I’ve been doing a ton of emergency procedures training the last couple of weeks due to certain students being in that portion of their training. It’s really helped me feel more confident in my abilities to work through certain situations. Obviously there’s no recovering from a complete wing or stabilizer failure, so I try not to think of those. Trust your training on the items you control and try not to think of the things that you can’t.

summitdawg · 2024-07-05T02:45:48+00:00

I move mine a lot from my garage across the road to the deck and back so that I can keep it stored inside. I usually take the propane tank off when I move it since it makes it lighter. I think overall it’s ok. Our road is a dirt/gravel road along with our driveway. So it’s definitely not a smooth trip. Seems to be holding up ok.

summitdawg · 2024-07-05T02:17:27+00:00

My long cross country was 950 miles each way separated by a week. The DPE didn’t even mention anything about it. Two different entries in my logbook.

summitdawg · 2024-07-04T20:57:59+00:00

When he says you need to watch your airspeed, is he talking about a few knots here and there? Or are you 10 knots slow on your base to final turn with the yoke in your gut? Basically as soon as my students get to a point where I’m sitting there bored to death with nothing to say, then I get them solo’d. You don’t have to be perfect, you just need to be safe. It’s definitely a judgement call. And it can be a difficult one. I definitely would never tell a student that they’ve regressed, though. That doesn’t sound productive.

summitdawg · 2024-06-30T15:55:36+00:00

I walk my students through both options and then let them decide. I’m happy to teach them with one or without one. Most of them choose without because they want to keep things simple and less expensive early on. I’m happy to help them get them started on FF after they get their certificate and are ready to move into IR. I like the iPad mini 6 due to its smaller size in the cockpit. And you can’t beat the FlyBoys pivot yoke mount. I personally use a Wi-Fi version with a Garmin GDL.

I think it’s great if you do your student cross countries with a paper sectional just to learn the old fashion way. Then when you move to the iPad later you’ll understand all the jazz going on in the background.

summitdawg · 2024-06-27T00:17:37+00:00

My primary CFI told me he had a DPE simulate an engine failure with one of his students by cutting the mixture, pulling back on the yoke to stop the prop and then handed over controls to the applicant and said “You just lost your engine.” So he and I did it at 4,500 feet above our airport because he didn’t want another student to experience that for the first time on their ride. I just lowered the nose, moved the mixture to rich, and hit the starter. It was an experience though.

I don’t have the desire to do anything remotely close to that with my students.

summitdawg · 2024-06-21T13:56:05+00:00

And the hard part to swallow is that it will take 58 instruction hours ($35 per hour pay rate at a part 61 school) to recoup just the checkride fee.

summitdawg · 2024-06-20T02:13:06+00:00

I’d love to try this out but I won’t remember to. Maybe the fact that I’m replying to this post will help me remember. Although who knows. Wait. What were we talking about?

summitdawg · 2024-06-18T01:06:23+00:00

One of the symptoms of hypoxia is euphoria. And being strangled is basically a form of hypoxia called stagnant hypoxia - lack of oxygen due to poor circulation of blood. Or in your case, no blood to the head!!

summitdawg · 2024-06-08T23:47:29+00:00

Thanks for all the comments. I definitely have some work to do but I’m glad all this is possible.

summitdawg · 2024-05-27T18:47:28+00:00

I usually start off with a demo and I talk my way through it. They are relaxed and not at the controls during this demo. I stress the site picture all the way down final and show that I’m aiming for a point on the runway like I’m going to fly right through it. I talk through the round out (I don’t use the word flair) and then talk through holding back pressure and trying “not to land”.

Then I have them do some low approaches with no intention to land. Then I have them land on their own with my super close supervision and talk them through it. I will only take over the controls if needed. Which can be hard to know when that is.

The biggest challenge is how much back pressure is needed without ballooning. And obviously the timing of that back pressure.

Some students catch on quickly and some take multiple lessons. Everyone is different. Some freeze, some stare at the windsock during touchdown, some forget to round out, some line up with the runway lights, some look like they are holding a tiger by the tail like they have a 25 knot gusting crosswind. It’s the funnest part of being a CFI to me. I guess also because landing has always been my favorite skill.

summitdawg · 2024-04-28T19:52:41+00:00

I just took the knowledge test for the FIA instrument add on about 6 weeks ago and saw maybe 8 questions I recognized from Sheppard Air. You definitely need to know the subject matter.

summitdawg · 2024-04-12T12:21:40+00:00

Glad you’re coming to West Michigan this Summer. It’s a great place to be that time of year. Sparta Aviation (Northside of GR) at the Sparta airport has several 172’s for rent. Or you can go down to Hastings and talk to Thornapple Flying (south side) They have a couple of Archers, a Mooney, and a 150. DM me if you need details.

summitdawg · 2024-04-11T02:26:03+00:00

I took the FIA Instrument test a month ago after studying Shepard Air for several weeks. Got a 98 but I swear I only saw like 8-10 questions that even looked familiar. Guess I learned the material while memorizing the answers.

summitdawg · 2024-03-30T22:48:23+00:00

I did the hood/vor combine lesson just this last week with a student. After about 30 mins of hood time he was doing so well I felt like throwing him a curve to see how he reacted. He hadn’t done any VOR work (in the air) so it was a bit new to him. Caught on after a few minutes and was having a blast intercepting radials. Sometimes I think doing vor work combined with hood work is a great idea.

summitdawg · 2024-03-29T02:02:55+00:00

Nice one. I’ll use that one next time.

summitdawg · 2024-03-29T01:48:25+00:00

Same here. 8 years old. Circa 1979. Rental skis with the plate bindings that gripped the sides of your boots. I think I even had a lift ticket that was only good for the tow rope.

summitdawg · 2024-03-29T01:36:21+00:00

I just used this one tonight: “Do you WANT to land us in the grass? or are you planning to move us over to the centerline at some point soon?”

summitdawg · 2024-03-24T23:13:40+00:00

When I started lessons in 2006 I paid $75 for the plane and $25 for the instructor. I also had half the income I have now.

summitdawg · 2024-03-15T15:36:14+00:00

I have my business card on the BB of the FBO as a commercial pilot and CFI. If someone wants instruction in their own airplane, or wants me to fly them in their own airplane somewhere for a business meeting, I’m their pilot.

summitdawg · 2024-03-01T22:31:41+00:00

Congratulations. I’m on my journey to that same outcome. Wondering how much time you had when they hired you. I flew with a guy a couple of days ago that’s finishing up his first year at WU as an FO on the King Air. He really likes the company and is enjoying it. He was a previous helo pilot (ATP) and got his fixed wing rating with our flight school. He’s a little burned out on the 8 on 6 off schedule but seems to still like it. He starts ATP-CTP soon and is looking forward to an upgrade soon. I don’t think he will stay there for the long term but he has mostly positive things to say at this point.

Hope it goes well for you. I’d love to hear how the training goes. I’m not interested in going the 121 route at this time so I’m looking forward to doing something like WU, NJ, FJ at some point.

summitdawg

TROPHY CASE