Creating lesson plans

[crashed_05]

http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/inst_reports2.cfm?article=5212

 

I found this article about creating lesson plans for new CFIs and thought there was some interesting info in there. I'm not starting my CFI training for another few months, but I'd like to get a head start on my lesson plans. I'm interested to see what some of you have done in preparing yours. What do you think of this article? What did y'all use as a template? Any preferred format over others? Would you start out with basic aerodynamics or helicopter components and systems? I've already gotten a little bit done, but I just want to make sure I'm on the right track before I get too far down the road.

[r22butters]

When I did mine, I based them off the PTS, then I figured I would use the R22 Flight Training Guide as a guide for, when to teach what. That's what my instructor and I used for my Private training, and it seemed to work out just fine.

 

If you fly the R22, a good place to start is Awareness Training, specifically Energy Management, just make sure you break it down into different levels (depending on how far along your student is).

Edited October 13, 2010 by r22butters

[Trans Lift]

I got one of my friends (who was an instructor already) binders and copied out the lesson plans. Changed a few things around to the way I liked it and voila. Done!

 

I added new things along the way but I liked his lesson plans and they worked for me.

[rick1128]

Crashed, You are getting a head start on your Instructor Notebook. Excellent, that way you will not feel rushed. How I did it was to first get the CFI PTS off the FAA website. I converted it to a Word format, then I started to expand the information. I checked every reference I had access to and kept expanding the material. This worked for me for 2 reasons. One, I had all the information in one place. Second, it made me learn all the material. I used pictures, diagrams, forms, etc to help illustrate the book. While I was doing that, I also took each maneuver in the PTS and did a lesson plan on each maneuver, plus pre-flight and post flight. Finally, I added several AC's to the book most important of which was the AC on Instructor signoffs.

 

I would not get a binder until you have pretty much finished. I managed to stuff mine into a 3 inch binder. Also keep in mind that while you are training a student in one particular model of helicopter, you are not instructing them to fly just that model. After all their new certificate will not say R22 or H300 on it. It will say Helicopter. So if you will need to cover areas that may not apply to the model of helicopter you are training in. Things like 'Zero G' and ground resonance.

[Chewie]

For my CFI plans I found a set online done by another CFI that I really liked the layout/format of. I downloaded and rewrote them, just keeping the original format and clip art. I'm more visual and having color graphics with written explanations for each step of a lesson makes more sense to me. I have various random ACs and other information in there too, all in a 3" binder

 

For my CFII I went the other route and made them from scratch in Word, making liberal use of (again color) graphics from the Jepp and FAA books, (my all in one was the best investment I have made in awhile, the scanner got a workout). It is around 16 sections and about 200 pages including an IFR flow of the flight thing I got from another instructor. Sits in a 2" binder.

 

Looking at the two I like my CFII one better. I'm proud of it because it was all me, it looks more professional, everything matches and flows together better I think, and I learned more building that one than rewriting one I got from someone else. As an ongoing project I think I am going to re-do my CFI binder like I did my II. I think you gain more as an instructor by making you own plans. I'll attach a page from each of my lessons so you can see what I mean.

 

As for your other questions IMO:

 

Start out with components and systems, the student will understand aerodynamics better if they know what and where a rotor blade is and the basic operational concept of a helicopter.

 

As far as template, it depends on what your school teaches from. For CFI I would say structure your plans based on the RFH supplemented with the PHAK, and for II either the Jepp book, the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook and Instrument Procedures Handbook, or a combination. We use the Jepp so I built my plans off that supplemented with the FAA books.

 

As far as format you can't go wrong with Word, if you don't have or can't afford Word (flight school student and all ) I would recommend you check out OpenOffice. Its a freeware "Office" suite.

 

In the end they are your plans, so build them in a way that makes sense to you, good luck!!

 

By the way, did you move to Bend for training (I assume with Leading Edge) or were you already there? I ask cause I'm from Bend, though I'm living in the valley now flying 300s, little too big for the 22

Edited October 13, 2010 by Chewie

[crashed_05]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm starting to get a better picture. It looks like my school's training syllabus follows the Robinson flight training guide exactly. I'll probably use that as a template to get things rollin. I know what I'm gonna be doing during my spare time for a while. It's amazing how much you learn in a year. The hard part is getting it all in order.

 

Chewie, I did move here...all the way from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! I wanted to take advantage of the new GI Bill at Leading Edge, which turned out to be a great school.

[DynamicallyUnstable]

It's GREAT to start working on your CFI notebook now (I assume you haven't done your CPL) as you will attain a much higher degree of knowledge which will also make your CPL checkride a lot easier!

When my students would come up on their CPL, we would often times work on CFI stuff and it made them a LOT stronger as far as really understanding every little thing better. Another thing I would STRONGLY suggest is, when you put together a lesson plan (just do one to start and make it as good and thorough as you can), ask your CFI to play "new student" with you. He needs to throw you the level of understanding a new student has (he'll remember what a new student can be like). Have him be a student that is having a hard time understanding so that you have to dig into technique to find a way to make him understand. Ask him to ask you questions along the lesson as if he IS a student that doesn't understand. Afterwards, get a critique, refine your lesson plan (take your time), and try again another day. It'll be REALLY good for you and will build CFI skills really well as well. It will show you things that you need to add to your CFI book and that will be HUGE when the time comes that you need it. It will also prepare you for any "difficult" students that you may have.

The core of your knowledge will be a lot stronger and when you do your CPL ride, it'll be questions about a lot of things you've been "teaching" so it'll be second nature.

Then when the CFI ride comes, it'll be a lot of what you worked with, with your instructor and that will give you a big leg up on the guys that are rushing to get their CFI book together and don't get the amount of practice you get.

 

Hope this helps...

[crashed_05]

Actually, I do have my commercial. I got commercial and instrument over the summer. I made an attempt to get started on this in the middle of commercial, like you were saying, but I didn't stick with it (took college classes all summer also). I'm starting CFI in the spring...maybe winter. In the mean time, I'm takin a turbine/longline course, which is difficult flying but easy ground...so far. So I'll be able to commit more time to the lesson planning. If I do have to wait till spring to take CFI, that'll leave all of winter term to get the notebook done.

 

Thanks again for the help!

[rick1128]

A suggestion or 2, when you do your CFI oral, keep in mind that the DPE doesn't expect you to know it all. If you don't know own up to it, but know where you can find it. DPE's like to see that. During the flight portion of your checkride, if you are doing a maneuver that looks like it might not be within parameters, call the maneuver off as early as possible. But you don't say 'I screwed up." You treat it like part of the lesson. 'This is what happens if you .....' or 'This is what it looks like of you ....'. You know you screwed up and the DPE knows you screwed up and he knows that you know that you screwed up. On my CFI-H checkride, I called of an approach on my confined area. The approach path had some hazards. I made a balked landing and reset-up the approach. I used it to make a point that you don't have to make the landing on the first approach and it was much easier to inform your employer why you had to make an additional approach than why his helicopter is a pile of uncertified spare parts. His only comments were 'We had to do a balked landing anyway.' and 'I liked that'.

 

The DPE, I had was big on aerodynamics. And while the DPE have to hit a lot of different areas, each DPE has areas that they like to concentrate on. In the area of aerodynamics, don't be afraid to cover some of the past history of helicopters. There was a great deal if rotary wing experimentation in the 1940's and early 50's. I found that pictures are a good thing to put into this notebook. There are several websites out there where you can find these pictures. One you may not be aware of is www.pprune.org. The professional pilot rumor network. They have a rotorhead section and a thread with a lot of pictures. Good pictures help put the point across.

 

While this is a serious endeavor, don't be afraid to interject a little humor. Many times a little humor will get the point across better. It doesn't need to be crass or vulgar. In my notebook, I had a picture of a helicopter sitting in water up to its belly with a note 'Did you remember to close the sump drain?' and just below the title of my section on regulations I had a picture of a helicopter sitting on a city streeet with a police officer in front of it with his ticket book out, and the comment 'Youz in a heap trouble, boy!'

 

During the flight, I was discussing the selection of emergency landing sights with my DPE/Student, who was also owner of the flight school. I pointed out a field that was in a vineyard. I stated that while it was fairly flat, there were a lot of poles both wood and metal that would make the landing there something of a last resort. I also made the comment that "If you landed there you would have to call the owner and tell him that 'I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, no got hurt, the bad news is your helicopter is a bunch of uncertifed spare parts". And that the owner didn't have a sense of humor what so ever, so really don't want to do that'. The DPE's comments after the checkride were that I was quite relaxed during the checkride and it showed in my performance. So relax, flying is suppose to be fun.