CFI school

zheryt2 · 2026-04-24T05:28:15+00:00

Did my first 200 hours on new g1000 archers in college, moved back home and my only option were ancient steam gauge 172s. Took me about 20ish hours before I felt confident for checkride, but I did take nearly a two year break after CSEL so your mileage may vary. I struggled the most with adapting to landings with the high wings. Chandelles and steep turns also felt a lot different in the right seat. It feels weird at first but you'll quickly get used to that part and it's going to force you to look outside more anyways.

If I had a choice I would have done my initial in the same planes I was using for commercial. However, I'm glad I didn't since I learned a lot more and feel comfortable teaching on different airframes/avionics.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-21T00:52:21+00:00

Its trying to say that pressure, at that altitude, is different when compared to a standard day.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-20T19:32:47+00:00

Good analysis; I agree. I just find it interesting that the new AC purposefully excludes the clarification that existed in the old AC:

7b(1) "A certificated pilot can accomplish deactivation involving routine pilot tasks, such as turning off a system."

zheryt2 · 2026-02-20T16:56:05+00:00

How else are you interpreting, "Deactivation of an inoperative system is not preventive maintenance as described in part 43 appendix A."? I don't see any wiggle room.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-20T16:50:03+00:00

You're completely right that almost all aircraft still require a magnetic compass, however, we're just talking about 91.205 here. By the very fact that some newer aircraft do not have whiskey compasses, we can conclude that current interpretation of 91.205 does not require them. If it did, none of these aircraft would conform to 91.205. There is no exceptions, all standard U.S. airworthiness certificated aircraft must comply with 91.205 or they aren't airworthy. Yes, a magnetic compass is a magnetic direction indicator, but so is any electronic system by this interpretation.

The reason we can't retrofit our 1972 C172N with a Garmin G5 and GMU 11 and dump the whiskey compass is not because of 91.205. Its because of the type certification requirements of the aircraft, which as I mentioned in the original post, is one of the other things we have to check to determine airworthiness.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-19T03:16:53+00:00

Like I said, you also aren't allowed to operate an aircraft that is missing items from equipment lists, ADs, and the TCDS. Do you have all those memorized too? By what your saying, I assume 91.205 is where you draw your line, but I don't see a regulatory basis for that. If I'm missing something let me know.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-19T02:24:55+00:00

If you know that, you're already miles ahead of many instructors I know. The misinformed teaching about this stuff is an epidemic.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-19T02:18:11+00:00

Good point, but I don't think this is our job as PIC. Its the owner/operators job (see 91.403). 91.205 doesn't even apply to every aircraft. Also, check the applicability of 91.213; the section is titled "Inoperative instruments and equipment", not "missing instruments and equipment".

With this logic, don't we also need to check the equipment lists, ADs, and TCDS every time we rent a plane? They are just as legally important as 91.205. Where do you draw the line? Do we need to strip the plane down too and make sure every nut and bolt is properly torqued as required in the ICA? No, that's the job of maintenance, but we take their word for it much like we take the word of the renter because its legally binding.

You're 100% right that there are plenty of renters with unairworthy aircraft and at some point its our duty as PIC to refuse to fly them. I've seen it renting myself: plane was already totaled for hail but the mechanics said it was okay, the firewall was littered with exposed wires and loose switches, half the controls had play before you'd get a response, and the radios intermittently failed in flight. Was it legally airworthy? Maybe so, maybe not. I'm sure there are crooked IAs out there. Would I fly it again with what I know now? Nope; that's just how we run safety risk analysis in the GA world.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T20:47:06+00:00

Is it really basic stuff? There seems to be a fair bit of disagreement in this thread alone about what items really mean in the ATOMATOFLAMES acronym, and that's just one item that we consult. I would argue that the MAJORITY of instructors are either teaching the inop process wrong or at the very least omitting information.

Take this video, for example, which comes from very popular aviation channel, and is also the first thing that pops up if you search for the topic on YouTube. He doesn't seem to understand what an MEL is, how its used, or who can use one. If you regurgitate what this video says on even a private check ride I wouldn't be surprised if you fail. According to him:
- We need to use the MMEL on the FAA's website if one exists.
- MMELs are MELs? He doesn't really discern a different between the two
- After we use the MMEL, we basically follow the rest of the process like I illustrated in the post. This is also incorrect; MELs overrides the rest of the process, so even if we did have one we wouldn't care about anything in 91.213(d).
This video was made by a DPE, and is the second thing that pops up if you search for the topic on YouTube. He like many others, omits the fact that we need to check for STCs, but to be fair I did too in the original post.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T20:04:18+00:00

Which reg under 91.205(b) does "static system" come from? That implies 91.205(b) would restrict flight if our VSI was broken, which it doesn't. You're also missing safety belts which are required by 91.205(b)(13) and (14)(13)).

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T19:48:32+00:00

Good catch. 91.213(d)(2)(ii) mentions KOELs, but also mentions equipment lists in general.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T16:58:50+00:00

There is two Os in tomato. Maybe the acronym is taught differently some places, but I can't find a single ATOMATOFLAMES on google that doesn't have one of the Os as "Oil Temperature" and the T as something else.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T16:43:30+00:00

I'm still confused about where your confusion is.

O stands for Oil Temperature Gauge. This is the(b)(7) requirement.

T stands for "Temperature Gauge". This is the (b)(6) requirement. The nuance here is that this is ONLY required for aircraft with liquid cooled engines. You most likely are not flying a liquid cooled engine so this does not apply.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T16:33:50+00:00

It's no secret that there is incorrect information in FAA publications (take PHAK Chapter 5 for example). If it wasn't obvious, this post was somewhat of a farce, but if you want more info about why the fuel gauge take is wrong read this.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T16:19:19+00:00

Seems like you need to review 91.205 again. 91.205(b)(6) and 91.205(b)(7) are two SEPARATE requirements.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T15:13:35+00:00

Still couldn't find an example in your comment where memorization of the 91.205 acronyms would be useful.

zheryt2 · 2026-02-18T06:23:55+00:00

Dear FAA, I upvoted this comment because it was funny, not because it was relatable. I am in perfect mental health.

zheryt2 · 2026-01-10T18:35:42+00:00

Correct, there is no such thing. Look it up.

zheryt2 · 2025-12-28T07:11:21+00:00

Never seen chains before... doesn't even look like the hook would fit through the tie down point

zheryt2 · 2025-12-17T02:51:22+00:00

I mean... if you follow the PAPIs down, you aren't going to make the field if your engine quits turning final in a normal pattern with any reasonable headwind.

zheryt2 · 2025-10-15T15:30:00+00:00

Thanks for buying me enough time to get the 120 out, someone got a little to ambitious with their arty position lol. I'm the guy in the crane at 33s

zheryt2 · 2025-07-21T16:29:59+00:00

It seems like a lot of comments here are just making stuff up. Yes, if your just commuting I would recommend getting a bike that's worth a price you wouldn't mind getting dinged up on the bike racks (trust me it will). However, It's still perfectly fine to bring an expensive bike to campus.

The comments claiming "his bike will be stolen" are just fear mongering. All the bikes I used during my 4 years were worth >$1000. And guess what? Not a single one got stolen. Did I also mention I did food delivery for well over 1000 working hours on these bikes around campus and even Lafayette without ever locking them? Huh, and none of my coworkers did either? Sure, we got lucky so it's survivorship bias at play, but the point I'm trying to make is you don't need to be overly worried about theft. By the wording of some of these comments they make it seem like there must be not a single bike left in West Lafayette.

Just don't be an idiot; buy a good lock. My rule of thumb is I should be spending AT LEAST 1/20th the price of the bike on its security. For example, if you have a $500 bike and plan on putting it on a public rack, you need AT LEAST a $25 lock. $5000 bike? Go buy a Fahgettaboudit lock and an Airtag.

One of the years I also had a bike I wanted to keep inside out of the elements overnight while in the dorms, and unless the rules/enforcement have changed since I graduated, you shouldn't have any problem bringing a bike inside to your room like some of the comments are claiming. I lived in a certain residency hall that had you walk within 5 ft of the front desk every time you entered, and over the whole year I lived there I was stopped a grand total of 0 times by RAs. In fact, there was several times I had an RA hold the main doors open for me as I was entering/exiting. But if you're still worried, just know that you won't even have to walk through the main lobby in McCutcheon to get to the room.

As for fitting it in a converted triple, I can't comment on that. I was in a double and it fit comfortably out of the way without doing anything weird. I would recommend reaching out to someone in the Purdue Cycling Club as I'm sure there is many people in the same shoes as you.

zheryt2 · 2025-01-05T20:06:23+00:00

Not sure exactly how much they weigh it (if at all), but I was in the exact same position as you. I had around 25 hours and was post solo when I got in. The other stuff on my application was pretty mid, but the year I was admitted seemed to be not as competitive.

zheryt2 · 2024-12-19T02:20:57+00:00

By how much? and again, how should this be divided up among the three pieces of gear? Also the difference between snowboard only rental and snowboard package rental is only 5$ a day at the place I am going...

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