Flight Instructor Ride coming up. any suggestions/tips?

[etihadCC]

Hello All,

I have my Class IV flight test coming up in a few days and was hoping to get some tips and suggestions especially from those that conduct the ride or anyone that has done it recently. Any idea if Transport is focusing on one area lately? Alot of people I have spoken with said the examiners like to stick to the basics ie, attitudes and movements, straight and level etc since that is generally what a Class IV will teach for some time but please do write in if you can help. Would love to hear from previous experiences as well. greatly appreciate it.

regards,

[jgppilot]

I did attitudes & movements and steep turns on the ground followed by the steep turn lesson plan in the air. Whatever you get, try to make sure to make the link between the air exercise you demostrate and the one you supervise.

[Krimson]

Had Forced Approaches, 360method. Be sure to know this method as TC is planning on removing any other kind of forced approach from the training manual, and will want to see only this method. I was asked specifically to leave out any other method I would have taught.
Would have had steep turns as well, but the horizon was not visible, so for a new student it would be considered difficult so we did slow flight instead. That being said, look at the conditions for the day of your ride. If there is no horizon, you can kind of expect to not do attitudes and movements, since you would not want to take a student for that flight on a less-than perfect day for his/her first flight. If it is windy, expect illusions created by drift.
This may not be every examiner, but I was asked based on the current conditions what I would teach that day.

[gustind]

Had Forced Approaches, 360method. Be sure to know this method as TC is planning on removing any other kind of forced approach from the training manual, and will want to see only this method. I was asked specifically to leave out any other method I would have taught.

My examiner specifically commented on the fact that I chose to teach the 360 over the "circuit method." The reason being a student who is just learning the forced approach would relate the procedure to an engine failure in the circuit therefore satisfying the learning factors.

Just know how to teach everything. They can ask anything of you. My day it was windy and hot, had short field take-offs, forced, diversions, had me do a steep turn, I evaluated his slow flight. It was a little bit of everything. A friend of mine, taught stalls, did instrument work as a spur of the moment exercise and did some other random stuff. Point being, this isn't a written exam where things are consistent, it'll change depending on the examiner and the wx.

Best of luck.

[Big Pistons Forever]

There are also numerous other threads on this topic so a search will be well worth you time.

Anything is fair game. I had one of my students asked to present how he would teach VOR intercepts to a CPL student, on his initial class 4 ride. You should also have a night rating PGI ready as I know at least one initial candidate was asked for that and he had nothing prepared.

Also the FIG is your friend. If you asked anything about a lesson plan go to that lesson plan and start with the descriptor heading on the top of the table and work you way down to the exercise in question. Discuss it in the context of the overall aim of that lesson plan and where the exercise fits in with ones you will have already done and ones coming up.

[Colonel Sanders]

The instructor rating flight test is passed or failed, oddly enough, on the ground in front of the blackboard. Er, whiteboard.

If you have good PGI, you pass. If you have bad PGI, you fail. It's really that simple.

I honestly doubt you will have any trouble flying a light trainer. Not much is expected from an initial class 4. It is possible to flunk the instructor rating flight test in the air, but it's not easy.

It is unlike any other rating or licence that you have obtained, up to this point.

Let me know if you want to know how to ace your PGI. It's really simple.

[Gessle64]

I wish instructor students would look at this differently. It shouldn't be about which exercise they're going to give you on the flight test, it should be about being competent to teach EVERYTHING.

[etihadCC]

Thanks all for the reply

@ Colonel Sanders - would love the tip !

[Colonel Sanders]

would love the tip

Sure - passing any flight test is easy, if you know how.

Download and read the flight test guide. Hardly anyone ever
does that, which astounds me. The flight test guide is two things:

1) a contract between you and the examiner, and
2) the answers at the back of the book

The flight test should NOT be a mystery. You should know exactly
what is going to happen on it. The examiner is required to ask you
to do everything in the flight test guide, to the tolerances specified.

He is not allowed to make up different exercises. Or different
specifications.

The flight instructor flight test is a strange one. It is passed or
failed on the ground. If the Inspector likes your PGI, you're good.
If the Inspector doesn't like your PGI, you're toast. That's the
way it is, and if your class 1 hasn't told you that, get nervous,
because there's a lot of other stuff he didn't tell you, either.

What you do in the airplane, frankly, is pretty irrelevant. I would
hope that as a commercial pilot with all those recent hours of dual
flying a light trainer, that you can fly (eg) a steep turn and talk at
the same time. It is possible to fail the flight instructor flight test
in the airplane, but it is not easy.

So. How you do pass the PGI (whiteboard) part of the flight instructor
flight test?

BY DOING WHAT IT FRIKKEN SAYS TO DO, IN THE FLIGHT TEST GUIDE.

If we look at TP 5537E:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/p ... u-4281.htm

Let's see what it says for PGI:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/p ... y-4282.htm

Performance Criteria

Assessment will be based on the candidate's ability to apply
the instructional techniques and learning factors set out in the
Flight Instructor Guide, including the ability to:

1.prepare the teaching area for effective student learning (readiness);
2.prepare/check training aids;
3.determine that the student is ready for learning;
4.explain where the lesson fits into the overall picture (relationship, readiness);
5.identify the main teaching points (readiness);
6.relate the lesson to past and/or future experiences of the student (relationship);
7.start presentation of new material at the student’s level of understanding (readiness, relationship, effect);
8.proceed at the rate of student comprehension (relationship, exercise, primacy, effect);
9.use developmental teaching (exercise, effect, relationship);
10.introduce each stage of the lesson and provide a link between stages (relationship);
11.obtain student feedback throughout the lesson (exercise, effect);
12.respond to student feedback (effect);
13.identify and emphasize major points for the student (exercise, effect);
14.give clear explanations (primacy, effect, relationship);
15.use visual aids effectively (effect, intensity);
16.use voice effectively by varying rate, volume and pitch (intensity);
17.appear enthusiastic about the subject being taught (intensity);
18.use eye contact effectively (intensity);
19.involve the student effectively;
20.confirm student learning at the end of each stage.

Print out the above checklist, and bring it with you to your
Flight Instructor Flight Test. You probably already have 50 lbs
of paper, what's one more piece.

Before and after your PGI, review the above, and ensure
that you touch EVERY ITEM ON THE LIST. The examiner is
checking that list, so why shouldn't you?

You don't have to do a very good job of each item to pass.
The class 4 is NOT held to a very high standard. But you
can't omit 15 items of the above 20 and expect to pass.

I find it simply f_cking incredibly astounding that your
class 1 instructor doesn't tell you to do this.

Why more people don't look at the flight test guide before
they do the flight test, is completely beyond me.

[Oxi]

Thanks for the post CS! I've got my ride coming up this week so it only helped. Did the OP complete his test? any news.

oxi

[Colonel Sanders]

Good luck! Do what the flight test guide says, and you will pass!