ATP Total CFI Program Day 4

The ground school portion of the program ended today. I’m tempted to think that this will free up a lot of time between flights to do things like study and maybe even sleep a bit. Somehow it probably won’t work out that way. The folks who are in the preceding class are currently in the second week of this 14 day program, and they look like they’ve been run over by a truck. The DPE has assigned me a “drag demonstration” for my multi-engine instructor checkride. No, it has nothing to do wearing women’s clothing. Rather, it’s a way of demonstrating the effect different configurations and airspeeds have on single-engine performance in a twin. Anyway, I’ve put together a lesson plan and will have to...

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ATP Total CFI Program Day 3

I haven’t used dial-up since the mid 1990s, and now I remember why. I’m 99% sure this is a problem with the ISP (Netscape Internet), because I have no problems connecting, it just says my password is incorrect. Which is, in itself, incorrect. I even had Netscape’s tech support confirm it, after spending half an hour on hold. Why do tech support people always assume the problem is that the customer is too stupid to operate a computer? Sheesh. My hotel room here at Texas Station has high speed internet available for an extra fee. You don’t even need a computer — they let you access it through the television. Or you can hook into an ethernet connection with your laptop (again, for a fee). Pretty slick. I’m tempted, but...

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ATP Total CFI Program Day 2

Title 14 CFR Part 61 requires a Certificated Flight Instructor candidate to demonstrate ‘instructional proficiency’ in spinning an aircraft. That means I not only have to be able to put the plane into a spin and recover it, but also instruct as I do so. My spin sign-off flight was scheduled for 6:30 a.m. this morning. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to clouds and low ceilings. Ironically, one of the instructors said just yesterday that Las Vegas only has five days of IMC conditions per year. What are the odds? (Actually, the odds were about 71-to-1 against. Not that I’m counting or anything.) On the positive side, I had a chance to grab some breakfast before another grueling day of classwork. We started at 8 am and didn’t finish...

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ATP Total CFI Program Day 1

Greetings from Las Vegas! After talking about doing this CFI thing for so long, it’s almost odd to actually be here. The most remarkable thing about the “Total CFI” program seems to be the way the system works here. Days are long enough that one connects to another. For example, I was up at 4:30 a.m. today in order to be out of the hotel by five and preflighting the Seminole by 5:30 for a 6:00 a.m. wheels-up time. We were back on the ground by 8:00 for the ground seminar. That lasted for about eight hours, after which there was an administrative meeting, a quick dinner, and now it’s back to the books. And this was a “sleep in” day. I’ve got a training flight later in the week that’s scheduled to depart at 3:00...

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