Renewing Expired Flight Instructor Rating

[Bede]

If someone has spent the last twelve years in an 737, wouldn't you want to check they can demonstrate a pretty good soft field landing, too?

You're not interested if they can make a power-off 180 that works out? No slow flight? Maybe they can, and maybe they need some practice, but wouldn't you want to check, before sending them off for a ride over your signature?

You’re conflating two separate topics: having the requisite flying skills and teaching ability. We’re discussing the latter. I don’t need to see a candidate teach every exercise. I need to see that they can do a PGI, preflight briefing, critique, etc. for a few lessons, not all of them. Obviously they have to be proficient in flying to a CPL standard as a pre requisite to the renewal.

[photofly]

Not only am I conflating the two topics, but in discussing how long it takes to renew a long expired rating for someone who last flew a Cessna a decade ago, the metric in question - how many hours will it take - conflates the two topics. So it’s fair to do so.

[Bede]

Oh yes, the 10000 hr airline pilot who is not current on the Cessna and needs a long checkout to get used to handling a light single again.

And you wonder why there’s a negative stereotype of FTU’s?

[photofly]

I don’t think anyone said that. But the flight school that opined, without checking, that it will only take an hour, might disappoint the customer.

Under-promise, over-deliver.

I hope the OP reports how long it takes to feel comfortable demoing slow flight and soft-field landings, and navigation from a chart balanced on the knee, back in the mighty 172. It will be a useful data point.

[digits_]

Dishonesty at FTUs definitely exists.
- From multiple reliable sources I've heard about promised timelines not being met by certain college programs in Ontario. I've also experienced this myself at other schools.
- Misrepresenting the benefits of a college degree aviation program vs a CPL only.
- Lying about the chances of finding a job. This was a really big one in Europe, but I've met a few pilots who got stung by this in Canada as well.

Shady stuff:
- Flying broken airplanes. Nobody advertises broken airplanes, so it's not a stretch to link this to dishonesty.
- Instructors with an attitude like "You don't have to meet Transport's requirements, you have to meet mine". Although probably meant well, if this adds 10 hours to the PPL course and wasn't discussed beforehand, then this is also not what the student signed up for. Sure, the student can take it up the food chain, but that will cost extra time, possibly extra flight time with another instructor as well, so sometimes people just suck it up. I have not encountered this explicitly in Canada, but since we were talking about FTUs in general, I thought I'd mention it.
- Not signing off licenses before invoices are paid. Understandable from a business point of view, but from what I read in other topics, not exactly legal.
- Charging deposits or having running tabs with balances that don't get refunded when a student drops out, even for valid reasons. There were 2 topics on here with reliable info in the past 5 years if I recall correctly.

As a very rough estimate, solely based upon my own intuition, I'd say about half the CPL students will have encountered at least one of the items listed above.

[fruz]

What would you recommend for an Instructor Rating written test prep? I've heard some using sharper edge and C****ane's..Big price difference. Some have said the Sharper edge isn't as good. What would you recommend?

[780Pilot]

What would you recommend for an Instructor Rating written test prep? I've heard some using sharper edge and C****ane's..Big price difference. Some have said the Sharper edge isn't as good. What would you recommend?

The shaper edge and use of the FIG and Flight Test guides, your good to go.

[ayseven]

I can't even get FTUs to call me back when I want to book recurrent Instructor training. Business must be good.

[780Pilot]

I can't even get FTUs to call me back when I want to book recurrent Instructor training. Business must be good.

I know almost a dozen instructors in the YEG area that are either current and want a job or not current and wanna get back into it. Unless you are buddy buddy with a Class 1 good luck finding someone. The ones that are doing instructor ratings these days are teaching class IVs at their respective schools. They don't have the time or the hassle I guess.

[flyingcanuck]

I want to renew mine but also don't want to spend 1000$ + (I got quoted 600 for just the ride...) and not have a gig lined up. But I also emailed several places and got told no. There's no a surplus of instructors, how things change

[780Pilot]

I want to renew mine but also don't want to spend 1000$ + (I got quoted 600 for just the ride...) and not have a gig lined up. But I also emailed several places and got told no. There's no a surplus of instructors, how things change

Yea. A buddy of mine did the math, he was better off staying on EI until hes called back to Swoop vs getting current and instructing for a bit. If you can find some CPL guys who want some hood that works if you got your ATPL. Keeps you in the air for a bit.

[praveen4143]

Sharper Edge is very well laid out in my opinion but I would highly recommend double checking the information in there. I have found some major gaffes and the publisher is usually good about putting up errors and omissions on their website for the latest version. But still highly recommend double checking things on there against CARs and the FIG.

Link if someone is interested - https://www.sharperedgesolutions.com/support/

[frog]

As far as getting used to light planes again coming from a 737.

You don't start the flare between 30 or 50 feet in a Cessna...trust me ! I bet you will be floating your plane half the runway before you touchdown.

A Cessna glides a lot better than a 737 on the forced approach. You'll be overflying the field on your 1 st attempt.

A Cessna does need right rudder on the climb, not a 737 (unless you're are on 1 engine of course).

How do i know ? I got checked out on a 172 after flying a 737 for years...

[photofly]

A Cessna glides a lot better than a 737 on the forced approach.

Just curious... how much time does a 737 pilot spend practicing forced approaches in that airframe?

[Bede]

A Cessna glides a lot better than a 737 on the forced approach.

Just curious... how much time does a 737 pilot spend practicing forced approaches in that airframe?

Once every 3 years in the sim.

No a 172 does not glide better than a 737. A 737 has around double the glide ratio as a C172.

[frog]

I don't know about the numbers tbh but i did a couple of those in the sim and it feels that it sinks like a brick.

[digits_]

I don't know about the numbers tbh but i did a couple of those in the sim and it feels that it sinks like a brick.

That's because your vertical speed will be higher, but that's offset with a higher forward speed, giving the illusion of sinking like a brick yet being able to glide further.

[frog]

True !
Also, you spend a lot of time going down at high speed in order to lose altitude quickly. So what you see most of the time is a high rate of descent reinforcing this feeling.

On the approach the rate of descent will be reduced, but for that you keep a bit of thrust to avoid sinking. (High drag config of course).

So when I tried the forced approach in the 172, I flew right above the field on the first one.

[frog]

Also, I am also thinking of renewing my instructor but I am wondering if it is worth it these days.
Are there a lot of people signing up for a course with the covid ?

[Aviatard]

I take it jet aircraft don't glide as well as a 172.

You'd think so at first glance, but I was curious about this, and did some investigation. It turns out the glide ratio of a 172N is about 9.1:1, and the A320 is about 17.2:1. So, actually the jet does almost twice as well as a 172.

Sources:
C172N POH: Maximum glide table, page 3-11.
ERAU Journal of Aviation / Aerospace Education & Research, Volume 24 Number 3: Figure 4 Steady Speed Engines-out Glide Ratio, page 45.

Not a B737 but ...