Overview & Presenter Background

• Presenter: Mike Shiflett

  • ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI

  • Former DPE, UK examiner, 16K+ hours

  • Director of Training at CFI Bootcamp

The Core Issues with Current CFI Training

1. Demand vs. Supply

   1. Every school needs CFIs, but:

   2. CFI programs are infrequent

   3. Ties up senior staff

   4. 141 programs are often inflexible or overregulated

2. 141 vs. 61 Program Challenges

   1. VA funding only available at 141 schools

   2. Ground syllabi are often rigid and not tailored to real-world pacing

   3. Part 61 requires instructors with specific backgrounds:

      1. Flight: 2 years + 200 hrs dual given, 5 successful applicants, or Enhanced 141/142 program

      2. Ground: AGI with 2 years + 40 hrs given, or 100 hrs in a 141 program

3. Instructor Limitations

   1. 2-year CFIs often lack:

      1. FOI depth

      2. Endorsement and testing knowledge beyond private/student

      3. Experience in how to actually teach vs. fly

Systemic Cultural Problems

• The industry promotes pilots who must learn to teach, instead of teachers who happen to be pilots

• CFIs don’t stay:

  • They’re pilots first

  • The “shiny jet” wins every time

What Not to Do

• Don’t make students write lesson plans from scratch

• Don’t lecture through the entire course

• Avoid overloading classroom time—flipped classrooms and hands-on methods are better

• Don’t undervalue ground instruction compared to flight time

Solutions for Schools

• Pay senior CFIs more

• Use retired pilots, CFIs without medicals, and second-career instructors

• Float training costs and build them into commitment contracts

• Compress onsite training, deliver ground via online course

• Consider whether monetizing your CFI program causes staff burnout or loss

Solutions for Instruction Quality

• Shift perception: CFI = Teacher Certificate

• Provide high-quality lesson plans from the start

• Use Teach Brief-Fly, Smart Study Pro, and scenario-based learning

• Make it flexible and respectful of adult learners

CFI Bootcamp Case Study

• Online 42-hour lecture course

• 7-day scenario-based in-person instruction

• 1 week of flight instruction

• Prescheduled checkrides

• Typical graduate:

  • 100 hrs ground

  • 15 hrs flight

  • Spin endorsement

• Perceived by students as worth more due to focused quality and faster timeline

Resources & Tools

• Teach Brief-Fly: Teach Brief-Fly

• Smart Study Pro: CFI Smart Study Pro

• Free previews and webinars:

  • Free Online Course Preview

  • Power Hour Library