CFI course online

5 Answers

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   Kris Kortokrax on May 19, 2014

   Your best bet would be to talk with people who had undergone the programs. Find out how well prepared they were for the practical test and how many attempts it took to successfully pass the practical.

   No one posting here can comment without having completed those programs.

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   Chris Breaux on May 20, 2014

   I was hoping there were a couple of people on here that might have gone through either program and wouldn’t mind sharing the details.

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3. Best Answer
   
   

   
   

   snowpilot on May 20, 2014

   I went through the American Flyers 30 day course in Pompano Beach, FL. (Fort Lauderdale)

   It was good, and the lead instructor, Patrick, is very informative. The days were long and hard, as they should be. On average, we as a class, spent about 10 hours a day for 30 days straight studying, flying, simulator, etc. It is a large workload for sure, and is even tougher on the CFI potentials who opt to do the 2 week CFI-A only program. The success rate of the program is probably not as igh as they advertise, 90%, but probably closer to 70% first time pass rate. They are very strict about using only DPEs who have a history of being PS oriented, unless the scheduling becomes difficult with the seasons. The best thing the program has to offer, which is worth the money in itself, is that you are in a room with a group of other people aimed at the same goal, same deadline, and a similar amount of experience, at least when it comes to the CFI/FOI information. However, there was enough difference in the background of the pilots, some with less than 250 hours, some with over 4000 turbine, that is allowed for each to learn from one another. That is where the true value of the program comes in.

   Some flaws I found with the program were as follows-
   1) the checkride scheduling is not as clean as they promise- it took me 40 days to do what they said would take 30.
   2) the cost is not all inclusive. Yo will be charged for pre/post flight with your CFI, and anytime you have formal one on one, or even checkride oral prep, it is charged. Expect closer to 6000 all inclusive price, not the 3500 they advertise.
   3) 3) My housing was not the easiest situation, if you have the money, spend it on crappy hotel room. The goal of the program is not to spend time sleeping or by yourself, but to be immersed with your classmates. But drama can occur in some of the private housing that they suggest.
   4)Lesson plans are tedious. I went with my lesson plans already done- by hand, not bought- and it helped a ton. Others did not have the same luxury, and were spending more time writing lesson plans (the actual typing portion) than reading the material, FAA books, studying, etc. Dont let the typing detract from the learning- however it is important to generate your own lesson plans (in my opinion) to get a grasp of the material and how it is all related.
   5) get the writtens out of the way, as well, for the same reason as above. They will be easy to do at the end of the class, as the knowledge is there, but many classmates resorted to memorizing FOI, rather than learning it, due to the time crunch.
   6) also, the FOI information that they teach is quite small, and inappropriately placed in the course. It would be hlepful if they did FOI in the beginning, and then taught using FOI principles, and related methods of instruction to the FOI. Get a grasp of the FOI before going, and then it will bloom into reality as the class progresses.
   7) Force your classmates to be active, and all be active together. It is the only way to succeed.

   if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Hope that helped.

   all in all, i recommend it to anyone, especially if it means the difference between doing it alone at an FBO type flight school. I imagine the benefit is not as valid for someone at an aviation college, who is already surrounded by aviation-nerds most of the time.

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   snowpilot on May 20, 2014

   as far as the online academy, I have no experience what-so-ever, but think about the points I gave above and how it would work in an online atmosphere, I wouldn’t have much hope for it.

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   Chris Breaux on May 21, 2014

   Snowpilot,

   Thanks that was very informative and exactly what I was looking to find.

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