E6B Showdown

As you know, I’m not a fan of the E6B, and someone at AOPA knows that too!  Jill Tallman, an editor at AOPA, wrote an article on the E6B.  I was reading it when all of a sudden, about ½ way through, I saw my name mentioned and a quote of what I have said about it.  The article starts by saying why she likes the E6B and that it has a purpose in training.  After that, she says that a “vocal minority” thinks the E6B is obsolete and that one of those people is me.  I’m honored to be mentioned with what I believe, so that part was good.  The whole article was well written.  My quote was, “I’m on a mission to say what the E6B is, and that’s a rite of passage that robs students of valuable training time.”  

So, I was thinking about this for a while.  It’s a great argument starter.  Those who love the E6B and those who want to shoot it between the eyes (me.)  It would be a fantastic bit of entertainment and education for me to find someone who believes with all of their conviction that the E6B is still relevant and must be taught and tested.  So, I’m looking for that individual.  I’m going through SAFE, NAFI, and AOPA to find that adversary.  An adversary for a showdown show.  Then, after, we both head on down to the watering hole and nurse whatever wounds we inflicted on each other.  Stay tuned for an update on the progress.  I’ll be at the NAFI Summit here this week (October 24-26), so I’ll ask around there as well.  I think it would be fun.

Win or Lose, I’d have a great time.

Latest news from the NAFI Summit - Lakeland, FL - OCT 24-26 - CFI Bootcamp was there.

CFI Bootcamp attended the NAFI Summit.  The Summit is the first event NAFI has done since its inception 57 years ago.  The event had around 200 attendees.  There was a large contingent of CFI Bootcamp Alumni there!  Somewhere around 15 of the 200 were graduates of CFI Bootcamp.  

Brad Palmer, the manager of GA and Commercial GA Safety, gave the Keynote Speech.  Everett Rashon, the manager of the AFS600, which is all of pilot certification and training, was also there but didn’t speak.

The summit format was to have two or three large presentations in succession, and then there would be two for the same period we could choose from.  The first day was a long one.  We started at 8 and ended with a dinner and presentation by John and Martha King.  Everything concluded at around 8:30 PM.  

The second day was the same format but would end at 4 PM with no subsequent dinner.  

The fee to attend was $310.00 for NAFI members, which most were members or joined because the NAFI membership fee offered more savings for the event price than the membership fee. 

I took the Brightline high-speed train from Miami to Orlando and then an Uber to Lakeland on the 24th.  I arrived at 3:30 pm, and the registration was at 4, followed by a reception at 5-8.  I ran into several people I know and some I’ve worked with, like Ron Klutz.  Many wondered why I wasn’t presenting.  I told them I wanted to be an attendee and see if I thought it would be a good venue for what I typically present.

In the end, I have mixed feelings about the value of the event to me personally.  As a company, I think it’s important for us to show up and connect with our customers and people that we know.  For me, I think I got enough out of it for it to be worth it, but I’d say I probably broke even on the effort-to-go expense and overall value.  As a new CFI, though, this is a different matter.  I think the event would really help connect new CFIs to the established CFI world and also to industry and the FAA.  I’d be all over this event if I were a new CFI.

I have extensive show notes that I’m preparing into an article that I’m planning on sending to everyone as a separate expanded content email.  You’ll get a good idea of what went on and quite a few tips from some really knowledgable speakers/instructors, “Shhh …  Like Gary Reeves and Ed Wishmeyer.”  Expect that here in your email inbox very shortly.

SAFE now has a Mentoring Facebook Page - Live now.

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) just put together the CFI Mentoring Facebook Group for new Instructors and Instructors who want someone to ask questions about things that come up in teaching people to fly.  The ground is moderated by Dorthy Schick and Michael Phillips, both highly qualified and the right people to do this work.  The last time I checked, the group was up to around 250.  There are around 30 mentors, of which I am one, that can help ensure you are doing it right or helping with strange or difficult situations.  Our current issue is that there are around 8,000 “active” CFIs.  The FAA considers an active CFI to have recommended at least one person for a practical test within the CFI expiration date on their Flight Instructor Certificate.  Interestingly enough, 6000 of those CFIs have been teaching for - Less than a Year!  Also, depending upon where the new CFIs are trained, they may have been taught the test and not much more, and then they are sometimes working independently without anyone to ask questions, get advice from, and so on.  I’m not saying that all new CFIs aren’t qualified and did have good training and an objective, practical test, but we are noticing more and more that people trying to find qualified instructors to teach a CFI program are few and far between.  I hear this a lot - I just need to find a two-year CFI with 200 hours of instruction given, and they can just sign me off.  I’ll do the studying on my own.  While the two-year CFI’s signature and endorsements will get you to the checkride, will that be enough for you to teach?  Most new two-year CFIs do Student pilots, Private Pilots, and the occasional Commercial.  The FOI knowledge is in the rearview mirror, and they have endorsements that someone gave them and said, “This is what we use.”  What I’m getting at is just because you have two years doesn’t make that person proficient in teaching the FOI and technical subject areas in the Flight Instructor Airplane Single Engine PTS.   So, SAFE recognized this and pointed out the statistic to me not long ago.  They have been on a mission to provide something like this new Mentoring program for a long time.  If you are a new CFI or a CFI that just would like to have an ear for your issues, head over to Facebook and join the group.  You can find it on Facebook and search for the group - SAFE’s Mentorship Connector.

Mike didn’t get inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame - But he was in the Top three.

I may not have mentioned this before, but there were quite a few people from our Power Hour and Newsletter crowd who nominated and voted for me to be in the NAFI Flight Instructor Hall of Fame.  There is only one person inducted each year.  The person who won was highly accomplished and deserving of the honor.  I received an email from the group that gets all the responses and tallies the final count.  They told me that I was in the top three.  Not bad.  I’ll take a Silver or Bronze!  The good news is that because I was in the top three, I’m automatically entered into next year’s nominees without needing to do anything else.  They keep what I have on file there, and I can add to it as the time comes again.  If you were someone who clicked me for that, Thanks.  I appreciate it.

Should you train for your CFI in a round gauge or glass cockpit?

This comes up regularly in panels and discussion groups.  The answer depends upon where you will teach and how their fleet is equipped.  For example, Advantage Aviation and Infinity Flight Group use a mixed fleet of about ½ G1000 and ½ round gauge.  If you will be teaching there, you’ll want to be able to teach in both, or you’ll be pretty limited.  You’ll also want to get as many G1000 students as possible because your hourly rate won’t look as bad as compared to the round gauge rental price.  

Here goes the math on why you should do your CFI in a G1000 airplane.  At first, you’d pause and say well, the G1000 172 is $240/hr, and the round gauge 172 is $170/hr.  That’s a difference of $70/hr.  Your training, if you passed your Commercial recently, will take between 10 and 15 hours of flight time.  That’s $2400 (G1000) and $1700 (Round Gauge.)  A difference of $ 700 if you take 10 hours.  At 15 hours, it’s $3600 G1000 and $2565 Round Gauge, a difference of $1035.  If you already fly a round gauge Cessna 172 and your school has people flying those and G1000, you aren’t making financial sense to do your CFI in a round gauge 172.  Why?  When you pass your CFI checkride and can now begin teaching, you will need transition training in a G1000 172 if you want to teach in those.  That will take you about 3-5 hours.  That will be done at $240 per hour, so that’s between $720 and $1200.  Remember the $700 - $1035 price difference round gauge vs. G1000?  You will either pay slightly less or maybe a few hundred dollars more.  Plus, you’ll get 10-15 hours with that G1000 avionics suite that makes you super proficient.  Remember, you are already proficient with round gauge airplanes.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not very good with having 3-5 hours in a new avionics package complete with autopilot.  If you get checkride ready a little early, you may be able to work in some instrument time as well in the G1000.