APPENDIX 1. INSTRUCTOR ENDORSEMENTS The following examples are recommended sample endorsements for use by authorized instructors when endorsing logbooks for airmen applying for a knowledge or practical test, or when certifying accomplishment of requirements for pilot operating privileges. Each endorsement must be legible and include the instructor’s signature, date of signature, certificated flight instructor (CFI) or certificated ground instructor (CGI) certificate number, and certificate
expiration date, if applicable. The purpose for this advisory circular is to provide guidance and to encourage standardization among instructors. 

STUDENT PILOT ENDORSEMENTS

1. Presolo aeronautical knowledge: section 61.87(b).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has satisfactorily completed the presolo knowledge exam of section 61.87(b) for the (make and model aircraft).

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

2. Presolo flight training: section 61.87(c).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required presolo training in a (make and model aircraft). I have determined he/she has demonstrated the proficiency of section 61.87(d) and is proficient to make solo flights in (make and model aircraft).

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

3. Presolo flight training at night: section 61.87(c) and (o).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required presolo training in a (make and model aircraft). I have determined he/she has demonstrated the proficiency of section 61.87(o) and is proficient to make solo flights at night in a (make and model aircraft).

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

4. Solo flight (each additional 90-day period): section 61.87(p).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required training to qualify for solo flying. I have determined he/she meets the applicable requirements of section 61.87(p) and is proficient to make solo flights in (make and model).

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

5. Solo takeoffs and landings at another airport within 25 nm: section 61.93(b)(1).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required training of
section 61.93(b)(1). I have determined that he/she is proficient to practice solo takeoffs and landings at (airport name). The takeoffs and landings at (airport name) are subject to the following conditions: (List any applicable conditions or limitations.)

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

6. Initial solo cross-country flight: section 61.93(c)(1).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required solo cross-country training. I find he/she has met the applicable requirements of section 61.93, and is proficient to make solo cross-country flights in a (make and model aircraft).

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

7. Solo cross-country flight: section 61.93(c)(2).
I have reviewed the cross-country planning of (First name, MI, Last name). I find the planning and preparation to be correct to make the solo flight from (location) to (destination) via (route of flight) with landings at (name the airports) in a (make and model aircraft) on (date). (List any applicable conditions or limitations.)

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

8. Repeated solo cross-country flights not more than 50 nm from the point of departure:
section 61.93(b)(2).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required training in both directions between and at both (airport names). I have determined that he/she is proficient of section 61.93(b)(2) to conduct repeated solo cross-country flights over that route, subject to the following conditions: (List any applicable conditions or limitations.)

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

9. Solo flight in Class B airspace: section 61.95(a).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required training of section 61.95(a). I have determined he/she is proficient to conduct solo flights in (name of Class B) airspace. (List any applicable conditions or limitations.)

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

10. Solo flight to, from, or at an airport located in Class B airspace: section 61.95(a) and section 91.131(b)(1).
I certify that (First name, MI, Last name) has received the required training of
section 61.95(a)(1). I have determined that he/she is proficient to conduct solo flight operations at (name of airport). (List any applicable conditions or limitations.)

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 12-31-05

If you ever want to be an effective flight instructor, and make a positive impact with those you are instructing, you need to become an effective leader. Our thoughts of leaders aren’t often categorized with flight instructors because too many pilots think that becoming a flight instructor is just a way to build flight time, that it’s a stepping stone or a necessary evil they must endure until they can move onto bigger and better things. It’s those people who fail as instructors and inadvertently cause a ripple effect that damages the hopes and dreams of others who are just getting into the aviation scene.Think of this…. if you really want to impress the panel at an airline interview, tell them you became a flight instructor because you cared and because you wanted to make a difference in someone’s flying career. The moment you start thinking like this, is the moment you’ve started thinking like a leader, and then nothing can hold you back.

People aren’t born leaders, you cant just read a book and poof your now a leader. Becoming a leader takes time and it’s something you have to work on continually, on a consistent basis. There are no magic steps that I can teach you, I can only provide you with areas to work on and the rest is up to you.

Your heart: You have to care more about your student’s future than your own. If your heart is in the right place, it will show and people are more willing to follow those who show they are unselfish and care more about their life and goals then their own.

Confidence follows humility: Confidence comes with being comfortable, knowing your surroundings and resources that are available to you. Being confident does not mean to be arrogant or cocky, but confident with your abilities and decision making skills.

It’s all about Respect: If your student cant trust you, then you not have their respect. It’s all about trust & honesty! Without their respect your doomed as a leader. Be up front and honest whenever you can (the truth hurts, but people can live with the truth).

Plotting the Course & Navigating Change: You have to have a plan of action (lesson plans, setting goals) but you need to be able to adapt and change depending on your students needs and abilities. Those without a plan are left spinning their wheels and will seem unprepared and inconsistent to their students.

Developing those around you: Your job as a flight instructor is not just to get them past their check rides but to develop them into effective pilots and leaders. A brand new student pilot is like a ball of clay, just like an infant child, looking to you, and watching your every move. This is your chance to mold that student and develop them into an effective leader, so in time when they have students of their own, you’ll know their capable and competent to properly train others.

Take these items and create a checklist of your own, that you will read everyday and work on until you develop into a leader that is making an impact in people’s live on a daily basis.

 

It has come to my attention that at least one local multiengine training provider is advocating a seemingly peculiar technique.

Feathered propeller. At this altitude, it would be appropriate to troubleshoot first.

As any piston multi-engine pilot should know, the proper sequence in the event of an engine failure in-flight and above Vyse is as follows: maximize power (mixtures, props, throttles); minimize drags (flaps and gear retracted); activate boost pumps if they’re not already on; identify the dead engine (dead leg, dead engine), verify by moving the suspected throttle, and finally, if altitude or conditions don’t warrant troubleshooting, feather. 

Seems this person, a competent multi-engine pilot who was simply seeking a checkout in the Seneca I, was taught by an accelerated training school to skip the fuel pump step. I.e., everything forward, everything up, identify, verify, feather. Their reasoning, according to this pilot, is that activation of fuel pumps should occur only during the troubleshooting phase… because it’s an attempt to troubleshoot the problem, not a “power-up/clean-up” item.

So, this one summer, in band camp…

All right. Let’s play this scenario out: on takeoff, the critical engine (if the airplane is not equipped with counterrotating props) cuts out at 400 feet AGL. Conditions: hot day, max gross weight. (You can always count on an engine failure occurring under the worst possible conditions – it’s murphy’s law.) Going by the book, the pilot decides to quickly identify and feather the prop on the offending engine without first activating the fuel pumps (which should have been “on” per the checklist, by the way, but this is a commonly forgotten pre-takeoff item.) The pilot finds that she’s unable to maintain altitude due to the high density altitude and is forced to land in a nearby field, substantially damaging the airplane and causing minor injuries only (thank goodness!) to the occupants. The NTSB shows up and finds the boost pumps in the “off” position. Further investigation reveals that the left engine’s mechanical fuel pump was the cause of the engine failure.

That’d leave this unfortunate pilot in a bit of a sticky wicket, as the Brits like to say. The failure to flip one switch turned what would have been a non-event into a near disaster. I’d call it “bad training.”

Activating the fuel pumps – or verifying that the switches are in the “on” position – when dealing with an OEI situation at low or high altitude is an important and necessary step.

One of my favorite scenarios to run in Air Orlando’s full motion “MOTUS” sim, and its hyper-realistic Seneca model, is the failure of an engine driven fuel pump one knot above blue line. If the pilot correctly activates the fuel pumps, as he/she’s been taught, the engine will quickly return to life and the emergency can be cancelled. This is impossible to simulate in a real airplane. We must all remember to train like we fight, and fight like we train.