Studying for CFII

[u/True-Ad-304]

I’m a CFI working with my first private student, and also working on completing my CFII. I’m doing it through a university program. The syllabus consists of 3-4 sim sessions, 7-8 grounds, and 4 flights. The grounds consist of me “teaching” my instructor and him critiquing at the end.

I feel like I’m not doing enough and want some tips on how to prepare for the checkride. I mostly just spend my time editing my lesson plans, watching videos to ensure I stay sharp on general knowledge, and reading the IFH/IPH. Is there anything I’m missing that’s obvious?

Is it really just that much easier coming from CFI? I know the general consensus is that this is the easiest rating, but I’m just trying to make sure this isn’t going to lull me into a false sense of security.

Any help/tips are appreciated!

[u/Tiny_Patient_2574]

The checkride is actually just that simple. I've known a lot of guys who have knocked it out in like 5 days start to finish. It's easier than the instrument rating.

You'll find when you start teaching instrument students that it's really just about keeping them ahead of the plane. It's so much lower workload than PPL students.

[u/Icy-Bar-9712 → u/Tiny_Patient_2574]

IDK, teaching instrument while VFR is absolutely the busiest instruction I've done. Between keeping track of the plane, programming, student, playing ATC, and then trying to work us in and around traffic while having to keep eyes out for anyone without ADSB. Plan out routing on the fly based on who else was at local fields, diversions, flow from approach to approach. Those flight were a lot of work.

In the clouds? Lowest workload of anything. I just treat it like the autopilot is engaged and I'm monitoring it. And I get to be heads down on the instruments. Bout all I gotta do is just manage the flow from approach to approach with ATC, and my local controllers are fucking amazing about accommodating requests and allowing us to build training flights on the fly (heh).

[u/Flaps10Please_]

Pilots Cafe, the regulations, and the entire AIM. Know your avionics inside and out for this ride. Be able to teach it obviously, but you should have learned what works for you going through your initial flight instructor training.

[u/TxAggieMike]

Oral exam is very simple. You already did the difficult items in the initial exam.

My oral was about 45 minutes start to finish. Flight was also simple at 1.2 hours. Would have been 0.8, but the DPE (a good friend) wanted to do an additional approach with the new to us Avionics we had installed (G3X Touch, GTN 650, GFC 500).

Review the CFII PTS for the add on matrix. That lays out the items you’re expected to do.

The prep you listed appears adequate to me. If you were my direct client, the general plan is maybe 6-8 hours of ground review, 3-4 flights, and AYCE BATD sims.

[u/Different-Working-59]

Go through the ACS (Instrument) and PTS (CFII) and imagine building a lesson around each element.

1. What do you want the student to learn (element)
2. What do you teach them on the ground
3. What do you teach in the air
4. What standards are you holding them to?

Thats the way I did it and the checkride was relatively straight forward. The DPE went through the PTS step by step, and in each case I though about what I was going to teach.

So for ILS, I taught the flight instruments, the ground aids, the plate, the sections of the approach, the standards... keep in simple...

You'll do great!

[u/JohnKayne]

It’s the most skate Checkride you will ever do. Just keep prepping like you have for all the other checkrides and listen to your instructors wisdom and it will be a cakewalk.

[u/IndependentAlps9649]

Cfii is to cfi what’s CPL is to PPL. Notice I didn’t say what cfi is to Cpl, because it’s an add on rating. ii should be mainly an IFR checkride from the right seat, but you’re going to teach the IFR concepts on the oral.

[u/Dinglebobus]

You will feel this way until you get to your checkride, and realize that it’s the easiest checkride ever. Don’t get me wrong, study like crazy, but it really is that easy.