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The CFI course is designed to take a commercial pilot certificate holder through the completion of the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) rating. A CFI certificate is required to teach other pilot certificate applicants, conduct flight reviews, aircraft proficiency, or insurance checkouts. This is one of the traditional first steps in expanding career horizons as a professional pilot.
The best way to master a subject is to teach it. Becoming an instructor significantly expands flight knowledge and proficiency; rapidly exceeding the expectations of what is possible as a pilot. Being a CFI provides the opportunity to build valuable flight time, gain experience, refine proficiency, and increase safety awareness, all while being paid to fly.
By teaching others, CFI’s are constantly being challenged to learn, enhancing their capabilities to comprehend and communicate. CFI’s have the opportunity to exponentially grow their experience by constantly improving and refining their piloting and communication skills. A CFI will personally impact the safety and proficiency of the pilots they train, but there’s also the critically important role CFI’s play in impacting the future of aviation. Teaching someone to learn to fly is often the greatest reward of all.
Aspen Flying Club is the perfect setting for aspiring CFI’s to complete their flight instructor certifications. Located close to the Rocky Mountains and with density altitude considerations to deal with daily, AFC prepares CFI candidates to teach anywher in the USA. Aspen’s team of experienced instructors provides training for initial issue flight instructor certificate (CFI), flight instructor instrument airplane (CFII) and multi-engine instructor ratings (MEI).
Become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
The CFI initial course is a very detailed, thorough and comprehensive course that requires a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of the applicant as well as the instructor. The course consists of about 50 hours of ground school, and 10-12 hours of flight training. CFI training is about being able to clearly teach aviation concepts, both on the ground and in flight. This course is not about piloting skills. At this stage it is understood that CFI applicants already hold at least a commercial pilot certificate and have already mastered the art of flying. Now it is about mastering the art of teaching aviation. This is the reason the CFI course focuses on ground training.
The ground school includes all the subject areas covered in the fundamentals of instruction and the Flight Instructor Aeronautical Knowledge. The applicant will have to spend a lot of time self-studying, and practice-teaching other students while the instructor is supervising.
When it’s time for the checkride, the applicant will have gained all the knowledge and confidence necessary to qualify as a flight instructor. The flight portion of the course includes all the private, commercial, and CFI maneuvers, while teaching from the right seat. The course also includes the required spin awareness, entry, and recovery techniques.
What are the prerequisites?
Must hold a Commercial Airplane license with instrument rating and 250 hours total time Must have passed the Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI) and CFI Airplane Knowledge Tests, must have a sign off on instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins and spin recovery and a current third class medical certificate.
The Checkride
In most cases CFI applicants will take their CFI checkride with the local FAA FSDO inspector. This checkride is free of cost. There are times when the FSDO will schedule a checkride with a local DPE, and in that case there will be an examiner fee due to the DPE. A CFI applicant does not get to choose their examiner, one will be assigned.
How much does it cost?
Aspen Flying Club has the perfect complex aircraft for any Pilot looking to achieve their Initial Instructor Certificate. The Cessna 182RG, N143LW, has 235 horsepower, retractable gear, and comes equipped with easy to use Aspen Avionics with safe taxi and synthetic vision. N143LW is also ideal for any CFI applicant because they’ll be eligible for a 10 hour block rate of just $135 an hour! Assuming candidates meet the minimum hour requirements, this is an estimate of what to expect to pay during CFI training:
* These prices are just an estimate. Actual costs will vary on an individual basis depending on different learning styles and the proficiency and preparation of the pilot.