Refer to the applicable ACS to prepare for the required tasks. Make sure you read the Appendix which includes important information for CFI initial. Several requirements for specific maneuvers are found in the Appendix.
Please have all your original documents out and ready for me to see as well as the maintenance logs for our aircraft BEFORE I arrive. Having the inspections tabbed out beforehand is appreciated and will help you during our discussion. I am seeing an uptrend in applicants not being familiar with aircraft maintenance logs. If your school provides everything to you digitally, I highly encourage you to put your hands on the actual maintenance logs(notice this is plural) so that you fully understand how the logs are organized. An RMS summary sheet is not a verification of airworthiness. You as the PIC are required to verify the actual inspection entries in the appropriate logs.
Make sure you have your pilot certificate, government ID, current medical, and log book with associated endorsements. You can save some time during the test and review the pilot bill of rights found here. When we meet, you will be signing that you have read it. Have your IACRA login information available for the test. You will have to login at least once to finalize your application.
Although the test is not a race to answer the questions quickly or give your presentation quickly, keep in mind in the real world that you will be limited to the time you have to teach your student. They may have only scheduled you for a 30-60 minute ground. With this in mind, it's important that your presentations are well presented and easy to understand. This is best accomplished with visual presentations such as slides, illustrations, cockpit posters etc. You are allowed to use your lessons plans. I do not mind you using lesson plans from 3rd party sources, however ensure you are proficient using them and that they apply to the aircraft and equipment we are conducting the test in. I would encourage you to practice your lessons with other pilots to ensure you are proficient with your lesson plans. This is one of the primary reasons I am seeing unsatisfactory tests. Your presentation should be fluid and well organized. This is often the result of not practicing your lessons verbally with an audience or even by yourself. If you just sit at a desk and go over it in your head, this often does not transition well to giving the lesson to me.
Remember, the ACS specifies what is required to be covered for each task. Essentially how it works, common errors and how to correct them. My current weight can be found here Have a plan for the flight portion of the test to include all required tasks. Please have your plan printed out so that I can review it prior to the flight. Please put tasks in the order you plan on teaching them. If the task specifies evaluator will select A or B, pick the one you would like to teach. I may adjust it prior to the flight but I am giving you the opportunity to let me know your preference. I will be acting as your student throughout the ground and flight. Make sure you plan for flying and teaching. I’m intentionally not giving you step by step instructions. This is a CFI practical test and you are demonstrating proficiency and understanding of the applicable ACS. I am not allowed to provide you the lessons I intend for you to teach during the ground in advance. The intent of the ACS is that you are prepared to give any lesson. If you do not feel you are ready to do that, please reschedule with me IAW my cancellation policy. I want you to be successful and this in not a practical test you will pass if you are not well prepared. I'm not telling you this to increase your stress, only to manage expectations. Your first ground lesson will be from Area of operation II. Technical Subject Areas. I do allow you to pick the first lesson you would like to teach. I only ask that you not pick one of the required tasks(C or K). I do this to help you settle in to the evaluation and hopefully minimize your stress levels. If you are required to complete Area of operation I. Fundamentals of Instructing, this will be a guided discussion. I am seeing an increasing trend on applicants relying heavily on notes to answer questions. You should be able to talk about the FOI tasks and demonstrate to me you can apply this knowledge to your instruction. If you are having to reference your notes to answer the majority of the questions, this will most likely result in a disapproval.
Try and plan ahead to take care of anything that can save us both time. If your school dispatches your airplane out to another student before you, I understand that’s outside of your control. If it’s possible though, see if we can get an airplane no one will be using before us. Ideally have the plane preflighted ahead of time so we can identify potential problems early. Reference your written test reports and type or hand write the corresponding subject codes for your missed questions from the ACS on one piece of paper. Do this for both written tests please. Do not only write the codes down(your test does that), you are demonstrating to me you know what the codes mean. This is a copy for my records and needs to be a document I can keep. Please condense to a single piece of paper(DO NOT simply highlight the codes in the PTS. Include your FTN number on the document. You can find the FTN number on your written test or in IACRA. About half of you miss this for some reason so to be even more clear. Include your FTN on the document. :) I am required to ask you every missed question from the written test. Your instructor is required to review the missed subjects with you and endorse your log book validating this has been done. This additional instruction is required to be logged as well. It is in your best interest to show up for the test able to answer the questions you missed on the written at an instructor level of knowledge.
KNOW THE ACS. I ask every checkride if applicants are familiar with the ACS and they still seem to not know what the requirements and standards are for the tasks. I'll be evaluating you based on those standards. You will be teaching your students to the ACS standards. Fees and cancellation policy can be found here .
Please do not hesitate to email me with additional questions. I've created this website primarily to assist you. Please take the time to review the information I have provided. Vince@dpeaz.com