To become a CFI, a pilot must meet the provisions of 14 CFR part 61. The FAA places full responsibility for student flight training on the shoulders of the CFI, who is the cornerstone of aviation safety. It is the job of the flight instructor to train the student pilot in all the knowledge areas and teach the skills necessary for the student to operate safely and competently as a certificated pilot in the NAS. The training will include airmanship skills, pilot judgment and decision-making, and good operating practices.
A pilot training program depends on the quality of the ground and flight instruction the student receives. The flight instructor must possess a thorough understanding of the learning process, knowledge of the fundamentals of teaching, and the ability to communicate effectively with the student pilot. He or she uses a syllabus and teaching style that embody the “building-block” method of instruction. In this method, the student progresses from the known to the unknown via a course of instruction laid out so that each new maneuver embodies the principles involved in maneuvers previously learned. Thus, with the introduction of each new subject, the student not only learns a new principle or technique, but also broadens his or her application of those previously learned.
Insistence on correct techniques and procedures from the beginning of training ensures that the student develops proper flying habit patterns. Any deficiencies in maneuvers or techniques must immediately be emphasized and corrected. A flight instructor serves as a role model for the student, who observes the flying habits of his or her instructor during instruction, as well as when the instructor conducts other pilot operations. Thus, the instructor becomes a model of flying proficiency whom the student, consciously or unconsciously, attempts to imitate. For this reason, a flight instructor should observe recognized safety practices, as well as regulations, during all flight operations.
The student pilot who enrolls in a pilot training program commits considerable time, effort, and expense to achieve a pilot certificate. Students often judge the effectiveness of the flight instructor and the success of the program based on their ability to pass the requisite FAA practical test. A competent flight instructor stresses to the student that practical tests are a sampling of pilot ability compressed into a short period of time. The goal of a flight instructor is to train the “total” pilot.
