CFI ticket


New Member
Took my ride with the Atlanta FSDO this week. Whole lotta studying, but it paid off, got the ticket.

The inspector said the empasis is on quality instruction with the goal of producing safe & knowledgeable pilots, and much of the oral and ride focused on these aspects.

This was my first exposure to the FSDO. I was impressed by how knowledgeable and helpful everyone there seemed. Kind of contrary to what you may hear, but a good start. Also, I picked up quite a bit of good info & advice during the oral and the ride.

Some of the oral questions:

Explain principles of lift generation.
What makes an airplane turn ? What's the role of the rudder in a turn ? Explain aileron drag.
Explain wingtip vortices.
What happens when an aircraft stalls ? When it spins ? What causes the rotation ? Can all aircraft safely spin ?
Describe & discuss factors concerning aircraft stability in flight.
What is pivotal altitude ?
Explain airspace - definitions, limits, equipment requirements, clearances required, wx minima.
What is spatial disorientation, and what should be taught regarding this ?
Describe regulations regarding use of supplemental oxygen.
What percentage of time scanning for traffic in VMC ? (66-75%)
How does a stall indicator work ? What is the stagnation point on a wing ? Does it move upward or downward with decreasing airspeed ? (below the stagnation point is an area of relatively higher air pressure. It moves upward as AoA increases and airspeed decreases, causing the stall indicator lever to deflect upward. The reed-type indicators work via higher pressure airflow flowing through the opening as the stagnation point moves upward past the opening).
What are the defacto standard reference docs for flight training (AC's 8083-xxx) ?
When providing a flight review, what are the instructor's responsibilities (provide instruction as well as evaluation)? What standards are used to administer flight reviews (PTS for certificate held) ?
Do AD's that are not applicable by serial number still have to be signed off in aircraft logs ? (yes, they do)
An aircraft out of AD compliance is flown despite having a signed-off annual inspection. Assuming any incident occurs and this is uncovered, who is on the hot seat for this, the owner/operator, or the IA ? (Both are).
What are the required aircraft documents ? Which ones must be present in the aircraft ?
How are operating limitations for an aircraft documented ? Do all aircraft have a POH ?
What kinds of inspections are required for an aircraft used in flight training operations ? Point these out in aircraft logbooks.
What are the two emergencies that are at the top of the list as far as danger to life when operating aircraft ? (collision & fire)
Describe sources of weather information available to the pilot.

Name responsibilities of an flight instructor compared to an aviation instructor. Describe characteristics of a flight instructor.
How do you deal with student anxieties ?
What is the most important tool in the toolbox of the instructor ? (the use of analogy)


New Member
Thanks mooneyguy. I never thought I couldn't do it, but there were a few times when I was thinking that there was just too much info to take in. Just happy to have passed on the first try.

I was pretty nervous because of some of the stories you hear, like the guy who failed on the ride twice, and they pulled his commercial ticket. That happened at my location.

Another guy failed the oral on spin awareness, and they voided his spin endorsement apparently. Probably because the inspector didn't want to have to do spins on the ride, but that would suck nevertheless.


New Member
Hey moderator, maybe I should have put this in the 'Checkrides' section. Whaddya think about moving it over there ?