Certified Flight Instructor I (CFI I)
Become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
The Certified Flight Instructor I (CFI I) course is designed to take Commercial Pilot Certificate holders through the completion of the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI I) rating. A CFI I certificate is required to teach other pilot certificate applicants, conduct flight reviews, aircraft proficiency, or insurance checkouts. This is one of the traditional first steps in expanding career horizons as a professional pilot.
By teaching others, Certified Flight Instructors are constantly being challenged to learn, enhancing their capabilities to comprehend and communicate. Certified Flight Instructors have opportunities to exponentially grow their experience by constantly improving and refining their piloting and communication skills. A CFI will personally impact the safety and proficiency of the pilots they train, but there’s also the critically important role CFI’s play in impacting the future of aviation. Teaching someone to learn to fly is often the greatest reward of all.
Weaver Vector is the perfect setting for aspiring CFI’s to complete their flight instructor certifications. Located close to Pearland Regional Airport, Weaver Vector prepares CFI candidates to teach anywhere in the USA. AFS’s team of experienced instructors provides training for initial issue flight instructor certificate (CFI), flight instructor instrument airplane (CFII) and multi-engine instructor ratings (MEI).
The CFI I initial course is a very detailed, thorough and comprehensive course that requires a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of the applicant as well as the instructor. The course consists of about 64 hours of ground school, and up to 16.8 hours of flight training (14 flight lessons). CFI training is about being able to clearly teach aviation concepts, both on the ground and in flight. This course is not about piloting skills. At this stage it is understood that CFI I applicants already hold at least a commercial pilot certificate and have already mastered the art of flying. Now it is about mastering the art of teaching aviation. This is the reason the CFI course focuses on ground training.
The ground school includes all the subject areas covered in the fundamentals of instruction and the Flight Instructor Aeronautical Knowledge. The applicant will have to spend a lot of time self-studying, and practice-teaching other students while the instructor is supervising.
When it’s time for the checkride, the applicant will have gained all the knowledge and confidence necessary to qualify as a flight instructor. The flight portion of the course includes all the private, commercial, and CFI maneuvers, while teaching from the right seat.
About CFI I
FAA Certificated Flight Instructors (CFIs) play critical roles in aviation safety. They teach new pilots to fly and help current pilots maintain their skills. Flight instructors are authorized within the limitations of their flight instructor certificate and ratings to train and issue endorsements that are required for:
- Student pilot certificates
- Pilot certificates
- Flight instructor certificates
- Ground instructor certificates
- Aircraft ratings
- Instrument ratings
- Flight reviews, operating privileges, or recency of experience requirements
- Practical tests
- Knowledge tests
Become a Certified Flight Instructor
Prerequisites & Checkride
Must hold a Commercial Airplane license with instrument rating and 250 hours total time. Must have a current third class medical certificate. In most cases CFI applicants will take their CFI checkride with the local FAA FSDO inspector. There are times when the FSDO will schedule a checkride with a local DPE, and in that case there will be an examiner fee due to the DPE.
Ground Training
CFI candidates are expected to have a wealth of knowledge. During training, candidates review knowledge subject areas for the private and commercial pilot certificates. The FAA requires CFI candidates to learn the fundamentals of instruction. Candidates must be familiar with topics such as teaching methods, human needs, types of learners, lesson planning, and evaluation. Candidates will practice applying the fundamentals of instruction during simulated ground training lessons and flight lessons.
Prior to the flight instructor practical test, CFI candidates need to prepare or have access to detailed lesson plans for any private or commercial pilot topic, and need to be prepared to simulate teaching the subject.
You may accomplish the ground training requirements for the flight instructor certificate through one-on-one ground instruction, a home study course, a ground school class, or a combination of the above. In-person training is more important with the flight instructor certificate than with any other certificate or rating, because you will benefit from practicing teaching simulated or real students.
More than with any other certificate or rating, CFI candidates need to use and be familiar with several official FAA publications.
Flight Training
In flight training, CFI candidates learn to fly maneuvers from the instructor’s seat, which may be awkward at first after many hours spent in the pilot’s seat. Candidates practice flying and explaining maneuvers. Then they allow their instructor to simulate being a student, and they must recognize and correct errors.
CFI candidates who are current and proficient pilots will have an advantage in training. Less time will need to be spent on polishing flight skills and knowledge, so training will progress more quickly. CFI candidates are expected to meet at least commercial pilot flying standards.
Flight instructor certificate training requirements are outlined in the FAA regulations. Weaver Vector conducts flight instructor training under Part 141 and Part 61 of the regulations.