A Pair of I's

Finally got the CFII rating completed today. The practical started with the examiner asking me about how I would approach teaching a new instrument student. This expanded into things like what I can do as a CFII, teaching evaluating weather for an IFR flight, instruments required for IFR flight and how to detect instrument failure, and a discussion of instrument systems. We then talked about obstacle departure procedures and I was asked to interpret the DP from KEAT. After that we went into approach procedures and we discussed the ILS approach at KAST. The two things the DE was interested in was why do we have to time the ILS approach and what would we do if we lost communications as we neared KAST.

After the oral portion, we departed KBFI and picked up an IFR clearance to KTIW. The DE flew the ILS approach and my role was to treat the DE as my student who was just about to take his checkride. The examiner setup the airplane for the approach like a pro (he's a captain for an airline) and he made some "mistakes" along the way. He purposely let the glide slope deflect 3 dots and started to make large corrections near the DH. Both are mistakes that students would make. Afterwards the DE asked me for my critique and also wanted to know if as a student, I would sign him off for a check ride. My answer was that since his performance was within PTS that I would sign him off. My answer wasn't wrong, but he felt that if a student is in check ride prep mode, that a large needle deflection on an ILS approach isn't acceptable for a student who is about to take a practical. If a student makes such a big mistake during a practice check ride, then they probably aren't quite ready.

Next up, it was my turn to fly a partial panel GPS approach. This was straight forward and while I was flying I was asked to talk about how to navigate by compass, both timed turns and using the compass directly taking into consideration dip errors. At the MDA and about 1.5 miled from the MAP, I was asked if we could legally land. The answer I gave was yes, because we could make a normal approach and landing from our current position.

After that we headed out VFR and did some unusual attitude recovery with me doing the recovery and with me putting the airplane into an unusual attitude and the examiner doing the recovery. The examiner gave me some tips on how to setup unusual attitudes and mentioned that when you do teach them, you really need to put the airplane in an attitude that simulates what may happen to a new instrument pilot if things go awry in the clouds.

CFII Practical Exam Prep

The day is near and I've been reviewing all of the instrument regs and making sure all of my ground briefs are in order. I have one more training flight scheduled before the exam and will use that flight to just tighten up my approaches and get in more practice teaching/talking while flying. Learning to teach while also handling (and flying) all aspects of an instrument approach has made me a better instrument pilot by forcing me to stay ahead of the airplane/approach. A lot of things that weren't clear when I was getting my instrument rating are much clearer now and I wish I had known then what I know now. One example is the primary/supporting method of attitude instrument flying. I remember my CFII telling me which instruments were primary for pitch, bank, etc. But it never really clicked as to what that was all about at the time. In the end my instrument scan worked, but I never really understood the logic behind the primary/supporting method. If someone would have just simplified things by teaching me that the primary/supporting method applies to what you are doing at the time (straight and level, turns, climbing/descending turns, etc.), I would have picked up on flying by reference to instruments a little quicker.

Additionally, at the time I didn't even know about the control and performance method and after studying that as a CFII student, I now believe that that method is a much simpler way to fly on instruments. The control/performance method moves the scan focus back to the attitude indicator (where it should be) and this makes holding heading and altitude much easier.