Can only CFIs teach flying?

On Friday, October 4, 2019 at 4:23:24 PM UTC-7, jp wrote:
Is it legal for non-CFIs to instruct others to fly?

The answer is, it depends on the level of training and whether the "student" needs to log instruction:

(all answers are for the USA)

1. If a pilot is rated and wants to get "instruction" in cross country, or another aspect of soaring, then the "instructor" does not need to be rated, and the "student" simply logs PIC time.

2. If there is a regulatory requirement to log training time, then most times the one providing instruction must be a CFI.

3. If the one receiving loggable instruction is not able to act as PIC (out of currency or not rated) then the instructor must be a CFI.

4. If a student rated pilot has another person in the glider, that person can only be a CFI. Anyone else would constitute a passenger that is prohibited for the Student Pilot.

Mike B. (CFI, CFII, MEI, CFI-G and former DPE for all of that)

Read Mike's post twice! Right on.

Over the decades as a CFI in gliders and airplanes, I have spent many ground and flight hours "undoing" some very poor skills and serious misunderstandings regarding the aeronautical knowledge of many student pilots as well as airplane rated transition to glider pilots who were "taught" by non-CFI's..

Certificated Flight Instructors carefully plan their ground and flight lessons and develop an "economy of words" for the topics they teach because this first bit of learning is usually what many pilots will revert to in times of stress, and that stress is often felt during a typical aerotow and landing.

This is the "Law of Primacy."

As a Designated Pilot Examiner I've seen dangerously large landing patterns, too much reference to the instruments, not clearing turns or not looking outside for other aircraft or reading the sky for clues regarding lift and sink. The worst is any pilot encountering sink in the landing pattern or the drop from a wind gradient on short final and pulling back on the stick (pitching up) in both scenarios! Yikes!

In teaching beginning cross-country soaring I've see poor thermaling technique, inability to "read the sky"and "inaccurate" accuracy landings -- essential skills for XC and why I offer a "Rusty Pilot" course and also encourage / conduct the Bronze Badge test.

There is one common, required logbook endorsement unique to the soaring community that doesn't have to be issued by an instructor. Do any glider only rated pilots know what it is?

DT

On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 3:56:29 PM UTC+13, wrote:
There is one common, required logbook endorsement unique to the soaring community that doesn't have to be issued by an instructor. Do any glider only rated pilots know what it is?

There is the DI duplicate control check, but that's in the aircraft's logbook, not the pilot's.

On Friday, October 4, 2019 at 10:56:29 PM UTC-4, wrote:
There is one common, required logbook endorsement unique to the soaring community that doesn't have to be issued by an instructor. Do any glider only rated pilots know what it is?

DT

Tow endorsement

On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 2:48:17 AM UTC-5, Bob Youngblood wrote:
On Friday, October 4, 2019 at 10:56:29 PM UTC-4, wrote:
There is one common, required logbook endorsement unique to the soaring community that doesn't have to be issued by an instructor. Do any glider only rated pilots know what it is?

DT

Tow endorsement

Yes, another current towpilot can endorse the towing instruction for the initial and the 24 month recurrent endorsement (as needed) but the mandatory GLIDER TRAINING requirement in FAR 61.69 for the initial towpilot endorsement must be logged with a CFIG.

I just gave the FAR 61.69 ground and flight instruction in my Cessna 182 towplane and the glider training in my ASK-13 to 6 brand new towpilots for FREE at Marfa in southwest Texas. Like my free checkrides for glider flight instructor (Initial and Renewal), we obviously cannot get aloft without good tow pilots.

On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 10:57:54 AM UTC-4, Burt Compton - Marfa Gliders, west Texas wrote:
On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 2:48:17 AM UTC-5, Bob Youngblood wrote:
On Friday, October 4, 2019 at 10:56:29 PM UTC-4, wrote:
There is one common, required logbook endorsement unique to the soaring community that doesn't have to be issued by an instructor. Do any glider only rated pilots know what it is?

DT

Tow endorsement

Yes, another current towpilot can endorse the towing instruction for the initial and the 24 month recurrent endorsement (as needed) but the mandatory GLIDER TRAINING requirement in FAR 61.69 for the initial towpilot endorsement must be logged with a CFIG.

I just gave the FAR 61.69 ground and flight instruction in my Cessna 182 towplane and the glider training in my ASK-13 to 6 brand new towpilots for FREE at Marfa in southwest Texas. Like my free checkrides for glider flight instructor (Initial and Renewal), we obviously cannot get aloft without good tow pilots.

Hi Burt,

I am very interested in your tow pilot course. I tow for the Civil Air Patrol in C-182 aircraft now. I would enjoy reading your tow pilot training material. I have read the Bob Warner book on towing gliders. I also am interested in coming to Marfa to fly my ASW20B soon. I would appreciate any information you may have regarding glider flying at Marfa too. Thanks, Deming

Even CFI’s sometimes put out some really bad info. A local old timer CFI was notorious for teaching students that if they have an engine fail on takeoff, that they could easily make a turn back to the field at low altitude by holding the wings level and doing a 180 with just the rudder! I actually heard this guy teaching that and his whole explanation of why it should work.

On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 6:59:20 PM UTC-4, WB wrote:
Even CFI’s sometimes put out some really bad info. A local old timer CFI was notorious for teaching students that if they have an engine fail on takeoff, that they could easily make a turn back to the field at low altitude by holding the wings level and doing a 180 with just the rudder! I actually heard this guy teaching that and his whole explanation of why it should work.

We had a local 'barnstormer', a charming and persuasive fellow, convince a few of our student pilots that in a steep enough turn, the rudder and elevator swap functions. And of course, once they'd bought that explanation, they really didn't want to let go.

T8

On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 5:42:07 PM UTC-7, Tango Eight wrote:
On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 6:59:20 PM UTC-4, WB wrote:
Even CFI’s sometimes put out some really bad info. A local old timer CFI was notorious for teaching students that if they have an engine fail on takeoff, that they could easily make a turn back to the field at low altitude by holding the wings level and doing a 180 with just the rudder! I actually heard this guy teaching that and his whole explanation of why it should work.

We had a local 'barnstormer', a charming and persuasive fellow, convince a few of our student pilots that in a steep enough turn, the rudder and elevator swap functions. And of course, once they'd bought that explanation, they really didn't want to let go.

T8

Poor choice of words or explanation? If you roll a G103 slow enough you will be feeding in top rudder to keep the nose from falling through. However the rudder has not swapped function with elevator. I flew a 10 hour aerobatic course with Les Horvath. When I thought he would sign my logbook he told me he was not a CFIG so could not sign the book. You can certainly learn much from non-CFIG's like XC flying. But for the basics through private I would pick a CFIG with grey hair.