The New ACSs and PTSs are effective.

In case you didn’t know, the FAA released new ACSs and updated PTSs that become effective on May 31st. Here is a list that reflects the traditional path of most airplane pilots and instructors.

• Private Pilot Airolane Single Engine Land.

• Instrument Rating Airplane.

• Commercial Pilot Airplane Single Engine Land.

• Flight Instructor Airplane Single Engine

ALL ACSs

• Recreational Pilot Airplane Single Engine Land.

• Sport Pilot and Soort Pilot Instructor.

• Flight Instructor Instrument Airplane.

ALL PTSs

Over the next few months, we will publish how DPEs are adjusting their plans of action and how that is affecting practical tests.

Conducting a Sport Pilot Proficiency Check - Special Guest

On June 8, the Power Hour will host Raul, a Sport Pilot Pro. He will review the details of conducting proficiency checks under the Sport Pilot rules. Did you know you can get or authorize additional category and class ratings at the Sport Pilot level without a DPE?  Are you aware that when MOSAC is made into law next year, Sport pilots can fly more airplanes, including 172s?  Many people will be perusing additional categories under the proficiency check rule. There is much to know to get you up to speed and keep you out of trouble. Join us on Saturday, June 8th, at noon Eastern time for an hour of expert knowledge.

CFI Bootcamp Power Hour Link

It’s always free.

News Flash - CFI Applicants don’t know how to use their lesson plans after the checkride.

In the never-ending world of people thinking that CFI training is self-study, it’s no wonder we see this mind-boggling trend.  CFI’s in training are continuously asking three questions:

1. How and what do I study?

2. Do you make your own lesson plans or modify ones that are available for purchase?

3. Which lesson plans do I teach first with a student pilot?

These questions are being asked because the person thinks you self-study for this and get a “Two-Year CFI to sign you off.”  This is NOT how to do this.  This is a teaching credential, and you need to understand the content well enough to teach it.  Creating lesson plans to ensure you know enough to teach takes way too long, and it is the wrong way around approach.  If you went to a class and the teacher didn’t understand the content they were trying to teach, you’d wonder why the person was trying to teach when they should have already mastered the material.  If you’re in this boat, chances are that the reason is that you knew pretty much what was going to be on your checkrides, and you focused on that.  For the CFI checkride, you probably knew you’d be teaching from a handful of lesson plans the DPE always has people teach.  Chances are you didn’t teach any other lessons/maneuvers.  So it’s no wonder people are asking in what order to teach things.  They were never taught what a syllabus is.  The foundation of any organized class.  Why?  It’s because this person was self-taught.  They were teaching themselves from the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook and maybe missed that chapter or section.  The “Two-Year” CFI didn’t catch it because they may not have taught much.  You only need 200 hours of dual given.  That could be airplane checkouts, flight reviews, etc.

The point is that you need an experienced, qualified flight instructor to turn you into a CFI.  You can self-study the things you forgot or didn’t even know by taking an online course or two from Sportys, etc.  At CFI Bootcamp, we teach you how to use a syllabus, and we use it in our training.  We show you that lesson plans created for a checkride don’t do very well in the real world, and then we show you how to create shorter versions of them.  We have you teach at least two or more lesson plans to the class per day.  It’s not enough to pull out a syllabus from somewhere and say we will use this.  You need to be taught how to use the syllabus in a part 61 environment and how to teach pre-flight briefings instead of full-blown lessons.

Come to our place, or find an experienced CFI from NAFI or SAFE who does this as a career.  They or we can guide you through the FOI, Lesson Plans, Regulations, Endorsements, and the litany of things you need to understand.  Regarding the 2-year/200-hour CFI, you probably know more about the FOI than they do.  You’ll find it goes a lot quicker, and there will finally be light at the end of the tunnel when you stop trying not to spend anything on this rating and put money into good training.  You will be getting all of your money back, by the way, again and again and again when you start teaching.

ProTips

1.  If you have contact with flight students in any capacity, you need to complete TSA awareness training annually. You must complete the training even if you don’t train foreign pilots. It’s free from King Schools. Once you take and pass the course, make sure to keep your completion certificate. It takes about 30 minutes.

2. If you teach and use ForeFlight, get the Performance Plus subscription. If you join SAFE or NAFI, you’ll get ⅓ off the price, too. This highest-level subscription includes great teaching features like 3D view and flights, cloud bases and tips in profile view, synthetic vision, and much more.

3. Stop using slip knots to tie down your airplane. Those knots fail quickly. Learn to tie a bowline or two-half hitches. Here are links to short videos on how to tie them.

How to tie a bowline knot

How to tie a two half hitches knot