Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

3 Answers

CFI Aeronautical Knowledge Prep. Any Recommendations?

Asked by: 6893 views , ,
Flight Instructor

It's been over a year since I've been flying and in the aviation loop.  What's the best approach in terms of studying aeronautical knowledge to prepare for CFI training? Ive been slowly chipping away at my ratings the past 4 years.  Private, Instrument, Multi, Commercial.  However in between each rating I would have months where I wouldn't fly or be around aviation folk.  Slowly over time I think my general aviation related knowledge is not where to should be.  Are there any good home courses that are actually worth the money or would it be better to use a variety of texts, manuals, etc.  I just want to be at the top of my game when it comes to the knowledge portion for the CFI ticket.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Dauntless Aviation's GroundSchool series of apps are the smart pilot's choice for fast and effective FAA knowledge test prep.
Actual, up-to-date FAA questions Polished user experience
Best explanations in the business Free lifetime updates!
Private Pilot IFR Commercial Pilot CFI ATP Sport Pilot Sport Pilot Instructor Parachute Rigger Aviation Mechanic (A&P)
You can get the app now and be studying right away. Available for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android.

3 Answers



  1. Josh Martin on Aug 26, 2010

    I like the ASA Oral Exam guides for this type of thing. http://www.asa2fly.com/Oral-Exam-Guide-Certified-Flight-Instructor–P916_product1.aspx
    It covers all the topics and puts them in a nice question and answer format.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Vance Cochrane on Aug 26, 2010

    I would recommend Rod Machado’s books, they have simple easy to understand explanations of basic aeronautical concepts. You can find them at http://www.rodmachado.com/

    Also, you never really stop increasing your knowledge. There is always more to learn about aviation so whatever you can get your hands on you should absorb.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes

  3. Best Answer


    Larry on Aug 27, 2010

    Hi Kyle. I can sympathize with your scenario. I finished my private in 2000, instrument in 2001, and commercial in 2007. This year, I finally decided to go after my CFI and finished in July(2010). It’s tough trying to recall information after periods of disuse, but brushing up by doing the CFI will be good review.

    Some of the materials I used to get back up to speed were:

    Airplane Flying Handbook (required)
    Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (required)
    Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (Required)
    Advisory Circulars (Required)
    King Instructor/FOI Knowledge Test Course (Optional- good review of private/commercial material and FOI)
    Lesson Plans (Optional)
    Depending on what city you live in, go to WINGS events. Sometimes they have CFI specific programs. These are a great way to hang with people who want to help follow pilots develop.

    I would also recommend carefully picking your CFI. Ask what they know about the checkride. It pays to use a CFI that has a good relationship with the FSDO

    If you have any questions, feel free to message me via Facebook or we can set-up a phone call if you’d like.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.