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GOUGE Military Competency Route to CFI/CFII - advice

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
Thanks for the gouge on that. I was studying today again, although between emails and random phone calls, I seem to only make it through 50 questions at a time. I was wondering how many W&B questions were "normal" given the relatively large number of them in the test bank.

As for a Complex requirement for a CFI/I...I'd doubt it since there's plenty of people who've done their time in 150s. Then again, I don't have to care about such things, since I have dual IP designations in my NATOPS.
@Gatordev on my test, 50% + of the questions were in the FOI Basics, Perception-Memory and Evaluation categories. I was surprised. Overall very straightforward. Thank the maker for Sheppard.
 

FrankTheTank

Professional Pot Stirrer
pilot
Thanks.. So what do I need and where do I go? I know about the Sheppard gouge but how about documentation? I'm fairly sure that my NATOPS jacket was left in Meridian when I got out.
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
@FrankTheTank - you can use whatever service record paper work you have showing your designation as a Naval Air Training Comand flight instructor, NI/ANI, Stan IP, etc. Also your DD-214 should have "flight instructor" on it somewhere. You have the docs - or can get them I bet. Your Navy logbooks als will likely suffice. Its a conversation for whatever FAA Inspector or Designated Pilot Examiner you chose. Sheppard has a list of the ones most familiar with your background, so its likely very straightforward if you use one on the list that deals with former Meridian IP's all the time.

Take the MCI exam, gather supporting documentation , fill out 8710-1 form online, go set an appointment, walk out with your CFI/CFII.
 

FrankTheTank

Professional Pot Stirrer
pilot
Awesome thanks Chuck! Beers on me. Like I said I never thought I would instruct again but now the kids have the bug. I appreciate the 411
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
I just finished, and submitted my FAA 8710-1 for Mil comp CFI/CFII - holy fuck balls was that a lot of work! No less than 6 hours of spreadsheets. First online 8710-1 I have ever submitted.

Night PIC landings by category?? Night SIC landings by category?? Who thought up THAT?

Thank you FAA :)
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
I just finished, and submitted my FAA 8710-1 for Mil comp CFI/CFII - holy fuck balls was that a lot of work! No less than 6 hours of spreadsheets. First online 8710-1 I have ever submitted.

Night PIC landings by category?? Night SIC landings by category?? Who thought up THAT?

Thank you FAA :)

The good news is it’s all saved and you can populate the numbers from a previous application for your next one.
 

BACONATOR

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Cheapest and easiest way is the "Military Competency" app. 10 bucks. Go through the question banks and take practice tests until you're consistently in the 80s. Took me a couple days to be ready. Not sure on Shephard air, but I'm guessing it's a bit more than 10 bucks. Also, the FSDO will write you up for basically any rating you can justify. In my career, I've managed to sea-lawyer two FSDOs into writing me an airplane instrument rating, and a CFI-H and CFII-H certificates... all about what paperwork you have and what it says. If they buy it, you get the rating.
 

fc2spyguy

loving my warm and comfy 214 blanket
pilot
Contributor
Cheapest and easiest way is the "Military Competency" app. 10 bucks. Go through the question banks and take practice tests until you're consistently in the 80s. Took me a couple days to be ready. Not sure on Shephard air, but I'm guessing it's a bit more than 10 bucks. Also, the FSDO will write you up for basically any rating you can justify. In my career, I've managed to sea-lawyer two FSDOs into writing me an airplane instrument rating, and a CFI-H and CFII-H certificates... all about what paperwork you have and what it says. If they buy it, you get the rating.

That's ridiculous and dangerous IMHO. If you've never been an actual primary helo instructor in the Navy you shouldn't get a CFI rating. The fact that they do that does a disservice to the flying public who don't know any better. A NATOPS O is not teaching someone to fly, evaluating someone on a similar skill level is completely different. I have a feeling that a student who knows nothing will find much more inventive ways to kill you than a winged aviator.
 

HAL Pilot

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
When you get your CFIs the hard way through a non-military competency route (i.e. part 61 or 141 training), you have absolutely zero actual instructing experience when the FAA or DE hands you the tickets. All you’ve done is shown you can fly the maneuvers yourself from either seat in the aircraft. You’ve never taught anyone anything. It’s OJT with your first students as the victims.

I’d say a military pilot giving NATOPS checks is probably better prepared than a brand new CFI, at least they were in my P-3 days having gone through the squadron IP training syllabus.
 

fc2spyguy

loving my warm and comfy 214 blanket
pilot
Contributor
When you get your CFIs the hard way through a non-military competency route (i.e. part 61 or 141 training), you have absolutely zero actual instructing experience when the FAA or DE hands you the tickets. All you’ve done is shown you can fly the maneuvers yourself from either seat in the aircraft. You’ve never taught anyone anything. It’s OJT with your first students as the victims.

I’d say a military pilot giving NATOPS checks is probably better prepared than a brand new CFI, at least they were in my P-3 days having gone through the squadron IP training syllabus.

Wow, wtf. How is that a thing? That’s absolutely ridiculous.
 

HuggyU2

Well-Known Member
None
...holy fuck balls was that a lot of work! No less than 6 hours of spreadsheets.
Sorry to tell you, but this means you probably did it wrong. Did you call your friendly FSDO specialist, and go over exactly what they wanted? My FSDO wanted none of that. I don't even remember filling out the 8710 because it was so painless.
 

Python

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Wow, wtf. How is that a thing? That’s absolutely ridiculous.

Which part? A CFI is not legally allowed to instruct (log instruction in a student’s logbook). How would he have any experience prior to his CFI checkride?

That being said, when I did my CFI pre-Navy at a Part 61 place, it was by far the most labor intensive certificate I had to earn. At the time, the word on the street was that the checkride had a 50% first time failure rate. Many long days and hours went into that certificate. Furthermore, all the classes and academics on fundamentals of instructing, theories of learning, cognitive science etc. that I had to do for the certificate were annoying to say the least, but made me a better instructor. I actually had to learn some of the academics and theory of becoming an educator...something nobody in the Navy has to do in order to instruct...including the “best” instructors of patchwearers.
 
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