new pilot questions

[snoopyloopy]

alright guys, i'm no newbie to forums. so i'm sure some of these have been answered before. feel free to skip the ones you feel are obvious....or maybe provide a link to relevant thread. i just didn't see many answers that really answered my questions so decided to create this thread to get them answered all in one spot. without further ado, here we go!

first, i'm sure a little background wouldn't hurt, so here it is. typical story here, i've been interested in flying since about the time i could stand up and see planes. i live in socal, so my parents would on occasion take me to the hill just south of the 105 and we'd watch airport ops from there. then i learned there was a space shuttle. as i got a little older, the interest in aviation waned a bit, especially after realizing that my parents actually did not have money to pay for flight lessons for me.

fast forward to about early 2008. i rediscovered an interest in aviation and astronautics and deviated from my psychology coursework to work on aero engineering material (but thanks to ca budget incompetency, i'm still stuck on prereqs three years later). then this past year, i decided if i'm gonna design the damn things, i might as well fly them too. so i looked into flight training and decided to enroll in a commercial flight degree program at a community college this past semester. there, i took private ground school then past the faa written about three weeks ago. now my plan is to start actual time building, first scheduled flight is for this thursday morning.

anyway, on to the questions:
will i have to redo my ground at the flight school even though i have the written done already?
i'm well aware that most people require between 50-70 hours of actual training time before being ready for check ride. and i know that most pvt is mostly about the sight picture. so is it bad to do some time on fsx (or x-plane) to attempt to keep skill up?
should i buy insurance and what levels would probably be adequate?
decent beginner headset? (which i'm sure is probably a dead horse...)
what should i stock in my flight bag? (aka what are the most essential things to buy and in what order? currently already have lax sectional/tac, e6b, plotter, 2011 far/aim, etc. from ground school.)
i joined aopa and they're perpetually trying to coax me into all their services. besides flight training magazine, which ones should i actually put my money in?
what funding options are out there beyond my back pocket?
why did the rooster cross the road?

anyway, i think that jurst about covers it for now. if i have more questions, they'll most certainly pop up right here first. merci.

 

[steingar]

anyway, on to the questions:
will i have to redo my ground at the flight school even though i have the written done already?

Not a requirement of which I am aware/

I'm well aware that most people require between 50-70 hours of actual training time before being ready for check ride. and i know that most pvt is mostly about the sight picture. so is it bad to do some time on fsx (or x-plane) to attempt to keep skill up?

The FAA requires 40 hours. The rest is up to you.

should i buy insurance and what levels would probably be adequate?

Renter's insurance would be a good idea.

decent beginner headset? (which i'm sure is probably a dead horse...)

Get a good comfortable headset, you'll use it. If you stop you can always sell it on Ebay.

what should i stock in my flight bag? (aka what are the most essential things to buy and in what order? currently already have lax sectional/tac, e6b, plotter, 2011 far/aim, etc. from ground school.)
i joined aopa and they're perpetually trying to coax me into all their services. besides flight training magazine, which ones should i actually put my money in?

An E-6B is a good idea, along with a current facility directory.

what funding options are out there beyond my back pocket?

Dunno.

why did the rooster cross the road?

Chasing the chicken

anyway, i think that jurst about covers it for now. if i have more questions, they'll most certainly pop up right here first. merci.

No worries, and welcome to POA.

 

[jesse]

anyway, on to the questions:
will i have to redo my ground at the flight school even though i have the written done already?

It really depends on the program and the instructor. If you're good with the material you likely wouldn't be doing much ground, enough for the instructor to feel comfortable with signing you off as you progress.

i'm well aware that most people require between 50-70 hours of actual training time before being ready for check ride. and i know that most pvt is mostly about the sight picture. so is it bad to do some time on fsx (or x-plane) to attempt to keep skill up?

X-Plane or FSX aren't going to teach you much about the sight picture. They'll probably just create bad habits early on since you tend to rely on instruments more in them. They can be useful later on, especially in instrument flying.

should i buy insurance and what levels would probably be adequate?

Depends on what you have for assets. If you don't have much to lose, you have little need to buy a lot of insurance. Most young people with no assets probably don't buy any - or just enough to cover the deductible.

decent beginner headset? (which i'm sure is probably a dead horse...)

Completely personal preference. I fly with an old David Clark which is older than I am.

what should i stock in my flight bag? (aka what are the most essential things to buy and in what order? currently already have lax sectional/tac, e6b, plotter, 2011 far/aim, etc. from ground school.)

Sounds like you have everything you need. The more you fly, you'll probably find the less you keep in your bag. About the only additional thing you may want is a flash light.

i joined aopa and they're perpetually trying to coax me into all their services. besides flight training magazine, which ones should i actually put my money in?

I purchase nothing nother then the basic AOPA membership. Their medical/law services aren't that impressive imo and resources like Dr Bruce if an issue comes up are more valuable and a better use of your dollar.

what funding options are out there beyond my back pocket?

Don't finance flight training. Especially if you have no commercial aspirations (and even then don't) It's pointless. What is the point of learning to fly and then having no money to fly once you're done because you're buried in debt? Too many people finance training and never fly again because they can't afford it.

 

[W. Stewart]

will i have to redo my ground at the flight school even though i have the written done already?

No. Ground school is not even a requirement--I did not attend any formal ground school. I did all the book learning myself, and strongly recommend Rod Machado's "Private Pilot Handbook" as a text. Google Rod Machado to find out how to order the book online.

i'm well aware that most people require between 50-70 hours of actual training time before being ready for check ride. and i know that most pvt is mostly about the sight picture. so is it bad to do some time on fsx (or x-plane) to attempt to keep skill up?

The hours are highly variable. I think I got my PP with 53 hours back in 1999. I don't think that a simulator package will be very helpful until you might be working on an instrument rating.

should i buy insurance and what levels would probably be adequate?

Renter's insurance would be reasonable, and is affordable. Avemco has such a policy.

what should i stock in my flight bag? (aka what are the most essential things to buy and in what order? currently already have lax sectional/tac, e6b, plotter, 2011 far/aim, etc. from ground school.)

Sounds like you have everything you need at this point, minus the headset.

what funding options are out there beyond my back pocket?

That is the only legal one I know about. . ..

Have fun, and welcome to the pilot community.

Wells

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Yea. Pretty much what has been said so far. Headseat and flashlght. I got a nice set of David Clarks for less than $100 on E-bay but ususally they go for more.

MSFS has some problems - it's hard to land correctly (like a real airplane) but real easy to land if you don't try to emulate real life. You could learn the wrong things here. Also, as mentioned, it is easiest to fixate on the panel in MSFS and hard to look outside and use visual navigation / peripheral vision. In real life you want to learn the opposite...

Then there is the whole "Feel" thing. The airplane will be talking to you and you need to learn how to listen (and also what things to absolutely ignore). You don't get that with MSFS.

MSFS is good for working on your instrument scan, but flying instruments sitting in your LazyBoy is stupid easy compared to real life – don't get overconfident

 

[elmetal]

if you choose to fly msfs, fly a 172. Don't get all confident flying the jets and f22s and all the like. 172s are different even in the game

 

[steingar]

A simulator will be useless for VFR. All they'll do is convince you that a 172 is uber difficult to fly. Go out and fly a real airplane. For all you know you'll hate every minute. Scared the willies out of me first time out.

 

[N801BH]

Welcome to the group and our 'addiction'. You do realize you are hooked for life?.

All the above answers are right on. Remember,, like anything else in life the more you do it the better you get at it.. Just convert cash into flight hours and you will happy person.. IMHO.

Ben
www.haaspowerair.com

 

[elmetal]

I very much go against flying a sim until you learn to fly instruments.

I've flown with a couple of vfr pilots who were mad msfs pilots but in the plane they were handling it like a fighter/aerobatic.

I mean literally 5 degrees off heading? 20 degree bank, wait till you hit the heading and a snap back to center.

I'm not exaggerating. Rudders? What rudders. rudders are used to steer on the ground.

The way to turn is to snap the aircraft into a 30 degree bank in less than .5 seconds and not touch the rudder. Then you roll out when the GPS says your heading. Not your DG, because you know, the GPS doesn't lag or anything



I can go on forever with my experience in airplanes with MSFS pilots (some with over 200 real hours, yet same bad habits)

Play flight sim for what it is, for fun, don't try to learn to fly with it.







with all that said, I've played flight sim once before. I played an entire day probably about 8 hours , all I wanted to do were the cool challenges like fly-in, or land on the moving bus (they really should tell you that just the mains dont count, they want the TW on the ground! DAMMIT!)

maybe it's just me but when I played flight sim the last thing I wanted to do is fire up an airliner and sit there for hours flying it, or fire up a fast jet. Now, in the mountains, the jet was fun to fly low, but I really don't see the airliner appeal on flight sim. in real life sure but

 

[elmetal]

Welcome to the group and our 'addiction'. You do realize you are hooked for life?.http://www.haaspowerair.com

My wallet wishes you were wrong!





I can't wait until I have the means to get some space in a hangar somewhere and build an RV 6 or something alike.

I have to have the money and the time first...

 

[Radio Flyer]

I disagree that MSFS can't be useful. I flew it for years because I couldn't afford the real thing. MANY years. While you may pick up some bad habits, as has been pointed out, by the time I got to fly a real plane, I knew how to read all of the instruments, how to trim the plane for straight and level, how to recover from a stall and how to do slow flight and steep turns. My instructor said that I had trimmed about 5 lessons off because I already knew how to do a lot of what I needed to learn.

I'm not saying that the sim replaces real life experience, and it certainly doesn't have the feel of the plane. I'm just saying that I don't agree that it can't be of some use in learning some fundamentals.

 

[elmetal]

I disagree that MSFS can't be useful. I flew it for years because I couldn't afford the real thing. MANY years. While you may pick up some bad habits, as has been pointed out, by the time I got to fly a real plane, I knew how to read all of the instruments, how to trim the plane for straight and level, how to recover from a stall and how to do slow flight and steep turns. My instructor said that I had trimmed about 5 lessons off because I already knew how to do a lot of what I needed to learn.

I'm not saying that the sim replaces real life experience, and it certainly doesn't have the feel of the plane. I'm just saying that I don't agree that it can't be of some use in learning some fundamentals.

How do you develop a proper scan without learning what a proper scan is? I see room for bad habits to grow.

No doubt it can teach you things like how to trim and how to recover from stalls, but it doesn't teach you to do all that without looking at the instruments.

Try playing MSFS with the view completely outside the window (like not from behind).

Now can you still learn all those things? It's much harder, whereas on an airplane it's much easier.

The bad habit that I find from MSFS players when they learn to fly is that they cannot get their head outside the cabin. Seriously. Of course people eventually learn but that's not the point.

VFR flying should be very little about the instruments. especially in terms of attitude (not altitude obviously) and bank angle, etc


But yes, it can definitely help in some cases and for only some things.

 

[elmetal]

with all that said, firing up the sim on a good computer to go out and fly a cub in North Carolina is a BLAST

especially since I'm so far from that really really nice scenery

 

[steingar]

especially since I'm so far from that really really nice scenery

Where I come from Florida is considered nice scenery. I thought the coast was quite pretty when I flew over its length.

 

[alaskaflyer]

Where I come from Florida is considered nice scenery. I thought the coast was quite pretty when I flew over its length.

In Florida I'd much rather be on the beach than flying over it.

In Alaska? Probably vice versa.

 

[denverpilot]

...first scheduled flight is for this thursday morning.

Good, go have fun... first and foremost. If it isn't fun, why are you doing it? Photos of your big grin afterward are always welcome here!

will i have to redo my ground at the flight school even though i have the written done already?

Up to your instructor. Ultimately that person has to feel you're qualified to go for the checkride. Study hard, ask for a syllabus (they'd better have one), and stay ahead of the game. Also, be aware that at some schools the instructor may have little leeway in regards to how things are done... even if they're not Part 141, some club owners demand things of their "employees". Just keep your eyes open and if you feel like you're getting milked for money, ask around the local pilot community and see if folks start saying things like, "Yeah, they do that over there."

i'm well aware that most people require between 50-70 hours of actual training time before being ready for check ride. and i know that most pvt is mostly about the sight picture. so is it bad to do some time on fsx (or x-plane) to attempt to keep skill up?

You'll just be teaching yourself to look at the instruments too much. And the sight picture really isn't the same once your butt is in a chair that can be adjusted fore/aft, maybe up/down, etc.

Nothing against or wrong with FSX or X-Plane, but they're just not the same for primary flight.

should i buy insurance and what levels would probably be adequate?

How much do you have to lose? How much is the aircraft worth? What's the deductible? Ask the club if they put students on the insurance as "named insureds" (they rarely do, and the question will probably shock them a bit), also read up on "subrogation"... basically it means that if you do something negligent, even though the insurance company will pay back the flight school, they may still turn around and sue you for damages.

Renter's insurance usually makes sense. But everyone's situation is different. If all they can sue out of you is a 20 year old Subaru and your leather jacket and fancy aviator sunglasses... Ha.... you get what I mean.

decent beginner headset? (which i'm sure is probably a dead horse...)

Whatever's cheap and attenuates noise so you won't be deaf when you're old. Some will say to get Active Noise Reduction right away since headsets are expensive and you only want to buy them once, but I tend to tell folks to even consider borrowing a few headsets and finding out what's comfortable until they have a few hours under their belt and have decided that their budget can handle flying often enough to make it worth doing.

what should i stock in my flight bag? (aka what are the most essential things to buy and in what order? currently already have lax sectional/tac, e6b, plotter, 2011 far/aim, etc. from ground school.

Flashlight for night flying, and a headlamp (the headlamp's optional, but I really like them over farting with a flashlight), and one that most folks are forgetting.... if your club happens to not provide a fuel tester... I flew at some clubs that didn't... and provided my own... but if every aircraft has one and they have a spare inside in case some idiot throws one in their flight bag and drives home... then don't bother getting one for now.

i joined aopa and they're perpetually trying to coax me into all their services. besides flight training magazine, which ones should i actually put my money in?

Get a quote on the renter's insurance from their agency, but also call some of the other carriers. Sometimes they're better, but more often they're not the best priced insurance. Depends on factors like "Which insurance underwriter is running their program THIS year" since they do switch from time to time, etc.

The rest, you probably don't need. Legal services comes in handy as you get older and have more assets to protect or become an owner/operator... but isn't such a big deal with your CFI's ticket is on the line. Consider it later.

what funding options are out there beyond my back pocket?

None that don't make it cost more to fly, unless you're good at writing letters to aviation-minded companies that offer scholarships or grants. Do you have a compelling story to sell about where you want to go in life and how a few bucks for school would make the difference? A story that includes how you'd help society with that knowledge?

The rest are debt. And debt is a really bad idea. There are students coming out of multiple very well-known aviation schools (I'll be nice and not say which ones) that owe $100K when they get done. Plus interest. It's nuts.

why did the rooster cross the road?

'Cause there was an airplane parked on the other side that he wanted to go fly.

anyway, i think that jurst about covers it for now. if i have more questions, they'll most certainly pop up right here first. merci.

You'll get a whole bunch of answers that may or may not be worth exactly what you paid for 'em here. Just keep that in mind.

You're welcome! Have fun!

 

[Jim Logajan]

decent beginner headset? (which i'm sure is probably a dead horse...)

My CFI recommended the PCA ANR II headset to me because he said they do almost as well as his expensive Bose headsets and wishes he had known about them sooner:

http://www.pca.aero/detail/5984/Headsets/PCA/PCA-ANR-II/

I like them - but can't compare them to anything because I've yet to use anything else. The PCA ANR is basically a rebranded low cost ANR Lightspeed headset that Lightspeed once sold a few years back.

 

[poadeleted20]

If you still want good hearing when you get to be my age, get an ANR headset right from the start.

 

[ajstoner21]

No. Ground school is not even a requirement

Not for Part 61, but you are required to have a formal ground course as part of a Part 141 program.

 

[snoopyloopy]

thx for all the advice so far, guys. off for my first lesson!

 

[tonycondon]

If you still want good hearing when you get to be my age, get an ANR headset right from the start.

huh??

 

[SkyHog]

How do you develop a proper scan without learning what a proper scan is? I see room for bad habits to grow.

My pet peeve with CFIIs: referring to a "proper scan" as being the way you're taught.

A proper scan is ANY scan in which you are able to fly the airplane, in IMC, along the route you're supposed to, even if there are failures.

If my scan happens to be AI-DG-AI-DG-VSI-DG-AI-ALT-DG-Window-DG-AI-Inside of my eyelids-AI-DG

Does it matter, if I fly the plane within the minimum requirements of the IR?

 

[elmetal]

My pet peeve with CFIIs: referring to a "proper scan" as being the way you're taught.

A proper scan is ANY scan in which you are able to fly the airplane, in IMC, along the route you're supposed to, even if there are failures.

If my scan happens to be AI-DG-AI-DG-VSI-DG-AI-ALT-DG-Window-DG-AI-Inside of my eyelids-AI-DG

Does it matter, if I fly the plane within the minimum requirements of the IR?

not at all, any scan is good as long as you can maintain the aircraft in whatever it is you're trying to do.

if you can accomplish that with msfs, great, but a vfr pilot shouldn't be using his instruments for much of anything regarding attitude other than a reassurance.

 

[snoopyloopy]

back from first lesson.








































it consisted of making sure i check metars and get updated weather forecasts and reports. got down to kral and the sock was straight. needless to say, probably not optimal conditions for a first flight.

 

[Jeanie]

Was it straight down a runway? you still could have gone up and got a feel for flying... the CFI is going to do the landings in the beginning anyway....

 

[Jeanie]

Oh, I just looked up the METAR - gusting to 23... yeah, maybe not new student friendly afterall...

 

[snoopyloopy]

Oh, I just looked up the METAR - gusting to 23... yeah, maybe not new student friendly afterall...

yea and with runway options of either 09/27 or 16/34, winds would basically be at 45 degree angle to either one. and when i got down there, the secretary told me she'd tried to call me yesterday and cancel. so they had no intentions of going up anyway.

 

[poadeleted20]

not at all, any scan is good as long as you can maintain the aircraft in whatever it is you're trying to do.

Concur. When you try to teach folks some specific scan, they spend so much time trying to remember how to scan that they have no time left to interpret and fly. My experience (and PIC's recommendation) is that folks will develop their own effective scan quickly enough, and since it's their own, they won't have to work to remember it.

 

[elmetal]

Concur. When you try to teach folks some specific scan, they spend so much time trying to remember how to scan that they have no time left to interpret and fly. My experience (and PIC's recommendation) is that folks will develop their own effective scan quickly enough, and since it's their own, they won't have to work to remember it.

Kinda like what they say about telling the truth:

If you never lie, you never have to remember anything.

same idea I guess, you just kinda learn to walk around the instruments in your own pace and figure out what path you like best

 

[steingar]

The vast majority of the scan in VFR flight is out the windows anyway.

 

[snoopyloopy]

alright, thanks for the welcome and all the advice. i like flying, but i've already seen the lack of light at the end of the professional pilot tunnel. so i intend to leave flying simply as a hobby, not actually pursuing it as a career path. i get the feeling that it will be better all around for my wallet and relationships. i would like to fly a 777, so maybe one day i'll go over to a fbo and rent one. B)

and i spotted the most important part of my flight bag that was missing--a logbook. that problem has since been remedied. but another question in relation to that. i know most flight schools do intro flights and say that time is legal to log. and most also allow you to bring a friend along. is it then legal to log the time in that case? or in the case that i have started training at one flight school, but a friend wants to take a scenic/intro flight at another school. can that time be logged too?

 

[Skip Miller]

i know most flight schools do intro flights and say that time is legal to log.

Yes, if you are receiving instruction and the pilot is a CFI.

and most also allow you to bring a friend along. is it then legal to log the time in that case?

Yes, if you are receiving instruction and the pilot is a CFI.

or in the case that i have started training at one flight school, but a friend wants to take a scenic/intro flight at another school. can that time be logged too?

I'm confused by this one. Logged by whom?

Remember, you can log anything you want, even if it is time on the ground wishing you were flying. However, only certain logged time may be counted against the minimums required for a certificate. For a new student, it is good advice to log in your own logbook only that time that counts to the requirements of the rating you are seeking. What your friend does is irrelevant.

-Skip

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

and most also allow you to bring a friend along. is it then legal to log the time in that case?

No legal problem with having a third party in the back seat. Your instructor will log the time you spend getting instructed (assuming the pilot you fly with is an instructor). Some problems might be the lack of a back seat (Cessna 150/152 for example) or, in some cases, school policy.

or in the case that i have started training at one flight school, but a friend wants to take a scenic/intro flight at another school. can that time be logged too?

d

I'm not sure I understand this one. If you ride along in the back, no, the instructor will not be logging the time in your book as dual received.
If you want to try multiple intro flights at multiple schools - no problem - all the flights should get logged as dual received.

 

[murphey]

will i have to redo my ground at the flight school even though i have the written done already?

No. You've already taken ground (and your Jr College is probably a Part 141) and passed your written. If anyone at the flight school requires you to take their ground, go find another school.

As fo AOPA - altho I'm a member (basic only) I prefer the EAA magazine and website.

 

[snoopyloopy]

No legal problem with having a third party in the back seat. Your instructor will log the time you spend getting instructed (assuming the pilot you fly with is an instructor). Some problems might be the lack of a back seat (Cessna 150/152 for example) or, in some cases, school policy.

I'm not sure I understand this one. If you ride along in the back, no, the instructor will not be logging the time in your book as dual received.
If you want to try multiple intro flights at multiple schools - no problem - all the flights should get logged as dual received.

sorry if the last question is garbled. but your first answer addresses it. since i know student pilots are not allowed passengers, i was asking if i take those intro flights with a cfi and my friend is with me in the back seat, if it's still legal to log that time as instruction received time.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

sorry if the last question is garbled. but your first answer addresses it. since i know student pilots are not allowed passengers, i was asking if i take those intro flights with a cfi and my friend is with me in the back seat, if it's still legal to log that time as instruction received time.

Yes - When there's a CFI on board and you are a student pilot receiving instruction, the CFI is the Pilot In Command. The passenger is the CFI's passenger, not yours.

Now, when there's no CFI aboard - IE, you're soloing - Solo means SOLO. Sole human occupant of the aircraft. No friends allowed.

Now, if you have a friend who is a pilot, and they agree to be the pilot in command (and you have all of the rental/insurance stuff handled), then you could go up with them - But you wouldn't be able to log the flight in that case. As a student, you can only log the time where you're solo or receiving instruction.

 

[gprellwitz]

No. You've already taken ground (and your Jr College is probably a Part 141)

Don't make that assumption. One of the Part 61 schools around here runs classes at many of the community colleges.

and passed your written. If anyone at the flight school requires you to take their ground, go find another school.

 

[ajstoner21]

I agree with Grant,
Assuming the class at a college was 141 is a huge assumption, and I'd bet MOST LIKELY a wrong one. Unless this is a school with its own aviation training program, like a school where you can get a Bachelors degree in Aviation Science or something like that, its probably not part 141.

I have seen many community colleges offer ground school, which was part 61 based.




I'd also say, making a student take "their" ground might not necessarily be a bad thing. It would be tough to tell if they were just trying to get money or not, but it could also be they want to be thorough and make sure the student knows things to their standards. What if a student passed the private written exam with flying colors, by literally memorizing the answer with an exam study guide? They don't know crap when doing it like that, and it does happen. I certainly wouldn't want my name in a kids logbook who did that.

Imagine this.... Student goes through a flight only part, and the CFI says he is ready for the checkride, and the student actually passes the oral and the actual ride it self. A month later, He flies into the FRZ in DC. The FAA (maybe TSA and NTSB???) investigates his training, see's the flight instructors name in the log book, and says, "Hey, You said he was ready? Didn't you train him on this?" and you reply "well, no, he already passed the written when he came to me..." Maybe that is a ridiculous scenario, but I wouldn't want to be the CFI responsible for signing him off.

 

[dmccormack]

A month later, He flies into the FRZ in DC. The FAA (maybe TSA and NTSB???) investigates his training, see's the flight instructors name in the log book, and says, "Hey, You said he was ready? Didn't you train him on this?" and you reply "well, no, he already passed the written when he came to me..." Maybe that is a ridiculous scenario, but I wouldn't want to be the CFI responsible for signing him off.

Which is precisely why you spot check knowledge while flying to and fro.

People that call asking for a sign off and "just need a few hours to finish up..." are a real tough call.

 

[TMetzinger]

Imagine this.... Student goes through a flight only part, and the CFI says he is ready for the checkride, and the student actually passes the oral and the actual ride it self. A month later, He flies into the FRZ in DC. The FAA (maybe TSA and NTSB???) investigates his training, see's the flight instructors name in the log book, and says, "Hey, You said he was ready? Didn't you train him on this?" and you reply "well, no, he already passed the written when he came to me..." Maybe that is a ridiculous scenario, but I wouldn't want to be the CFI responsible for signing him off.

Your point is valid, your example isn't.

If a pilot is flying within the 60 NM circle of the DCA VOR under VFR, he's supposed to have taken the course. Every flight school I know keeps a copy of that certificate in their student/renter folders. Every examiner in that area asks if the student has completed the training, and most ask to see the certificate as part of the Oral.

If some new private pilot from Ohio flies into the SFRA, that's not necessarily a fault of his instructor. Checking NOTAMs is something that gets covered in both ground AND flight training AND in the checkride.

As Dan says - an "almost ready" student that's completely new to you is probably a tough judgment call - how much time you you spend on "testing" the student vs training him? The way I would handle it would be to have a logbook review, an oral interview based on the PTS, with additional questions on "what do you KNOW we need to cover", followed by a mini-checkride. Probably 2-3 hours of ground and 2 hours of flight to fully "assess" the pilot.