ATP Total CFI Program Day 14
Put a fork in me. I’m done! Today’s checkride went very well. I was up at 5:30 and at the airport by 7:00 a.m. By 10 a.m. I had the new temporary airman certificate in my pocket and had said my goodbyes to the ATP staff as I headed out the door. So much work. And all for a little piece of paper! I really don’t feel that much smarter or more knowledgeable than I was two weeks ago, yet now I’m legally able to provide training as an FAA authorized instructor. But as I was explaining things to my non-flying friends this evening, I realized that hey, I really do know a lot. It’s just that you learn one piece at a time, bit by bit over a period of years. There are very few “ah-ha” moments. Now that I’m done with...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 13
The end is in sight! Tomorrow is the final checkride. In fact, 24 hours from now I should be back in Orange County. You know, these two weeks have flown by (no pun intended). And yet in many ways I feel as thought I’ve been in Las Vegas for months. The program started with such a bang, and yet seems to be ending with a whimper. Richard and I are the only students left, and the flight board is nearly blank. We each have our flights tomorrow with the examiner, and that’s about it. This evening I was on my way to dinner at a little cafe inside the hotel when I heard someone calling my name. I looked over and saw all three ATP instructors standing in the buffet line. They invited me to join them, and I figured “why not?”. We had a...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 12
Not much to report on day twelve. Only made one flight today, and it went fine. I was having a bit of trouble remembering the commercial maneuvers since I haven’t done them since… well, since I got my commercial certificate circa 9/11/01, but the cobwebs are slowly clearing. You know, I’m starting to think that Lazy Eights are the non-aerobatic equivalent of barrel rolls: they take a moment to learn but a lifetime to master. I’m also starting to think about What Comes Next. The new year will be here soon, and with it I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do with this new airman certificate in my pocket. Instruct, sure. But how? Freelance? Work at a flight school? Mix the two? As a graduate of ATP’s instructor...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 11
I’m sitting in the ATP office and the place is empty. Just a week ago, the scheduling board was so full you almost couldn’t see any white space on it. Now there’s just a few flights left. Some of those flights are mine, and that’s why I’m still here. All but one other member of my class has finished the program and gone home, but since I was on the “long” 15 hour program, I’m still here. Part of the slowdown is also due to the fact that Christmas is just a few days away and therefore there’s no class right behind us. Moving back to single engine flying has been an adjustment. The airplane, a 180 hp C172P, is not a stellar performer even on the cold days we’ve been having here in Las Vegas. The...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 10
Wouldn’t you know it? Just when I was getting used to the 5:00 a.m. flights, they’re over. I took my multi-engine instrument instructor checkride this morning. And passed, thank you very much. In fact, everyone in my class has passed every test so far. Three of us took MEII checkrides this morning. As I recall, Casey departed at 1:00 a.m., Gracie took off at 3:00 a.m., and I got to sleep in, departing at 5:00 a.m. The hard work paid off, because the checkride was easier than the training flights. There were only two instrument approaches, a single-engine ILS and a partial panel VOR circle-to-land. There was also a hold, unusual attitude recoveries under the hood, constant speed climbs and descents, and compass turns. Piece of cake. The flight...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 9
The system must be broken, because they let me slip through the cracks: I am the world’s newest FAA certified flight instructor! (Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.) The checkride was a textbook flight. Once we got in the air, that is. The DE thought he heard something odd coming from the left engine, pehaps a stuck starter. So we exchanged that aircraft for a different one, demonstrating one of the great strengths of ATP: with dozens of Seminoles in their fleet, they are nearly impervious to mechanical delays. If this had happened at a traditional Part 61 operation, the checkride would have ended with a “notice of discontinuance” and I would have had to reschedule the flight for at least a few days into the future. Instead, we just moved...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 8
The first checkride is officially upon me. The oral portion of the practical test for my initial flight instructor certificate was this afternoon, and it wasn’t that bad. It only lasted perhaps two or three hours. The flight portion is tomorrow. I’ve heard stories of CFI orals taking eight or ten hours, which seems a bit excessive to me. On one hand, I appreciate the seriousness with which the instructor certificate is approached by examiners, because these guys will be training tomorrow’s pilots. But does it really take eight hours to go through the PTS requirements and figure out whether the applicant knows what they’re doing? Checkride or not, we were prepared for the test as though the oral was going to last that long. I’m...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 7
Despite my longstanding reputation as a night owl, I’m actually getting used to being up at 3:00 a.m. Maybe it’s just the Vegas effect, but when you’re flying at that hour, it doesn’t really matter if it’s early or late. In reality, it’s both. You’d think that walking through the casino at that hour, the place would be empty. You’d be wrong. Every day as I make my way toward the parking garage in the middle of the night, I wonder about these people sitting at the slot machines. What are they doing there at 4:00 a.m. on a weekday? (They’re probably wondering the same thing about me.) One thing’s for sure: the wee small hours bring some, uh, interesting looking characters out of the woodwork,...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 6
Okay, getting up at 1:30 a.m. wasn’t as bad as I thought. Flying in the middle of the night has it’s advantages, especially in the desert. I’ve never seen the air so smooth. It makes the flying easier and more enjoyable, but of course it also leaves a pilot with little excuse for deviations in altitude or heading. McCarren Int’l Airport was quiet at three in the morning, so we were able to do a full ILS 25L approach, then execute the missed followed by another ILS 25L partial panel. And of course the left engine “failed” just as I was intercepting the localizer. After that we held at the Boulder VOR for a few minutes, which I used to set up for the VOR 25L/R, which terminated with a circle to land 19L. My flying was good,...
Read MoreATP Total CFI Program Day 5
I’m starting to form an opinion on ATP’s instructor program. I’ll reserve final judgement until I’ve completed the course, but my thoughts thus far are that your average pilot is probably not going to be well equipped or well served by this kind of thing. Allow me to explain. My class is comprised of five people of widely varying experience. Each has unique challenges to overcome. For example, the high-time member of our group is a former airline pilot who now flies DC-3s for the U.S. Forest Service. She overcontrols the Seminole since it’s far lighter and more maneuverable than the Douglas. Quite a minor thing. On the other hand, the other three people are low time pilots who came out of various academies. They simply...
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