Suggestions on commercial and CFI

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jsignaigo91

Filing Flight Plan
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Oakley0315
Hi everyone, new to this forum. Im looking for suggestions and opinions on finishing my commercial and CFI.

Long back story on me. Im from St louis MO. Which is where I did my private in 2015 and instrument last year. Im now working on my commercial and CFI initial. I was a automotive mechanic for over 11 years, decided that I wanted to be a CFI, I really enjoy instructing, aviation like for many has become a passion of mine. I have now moved to Tampa area with my girlfriend who is a traveling nurse for about 4 months, then were moving back to St Louis. Ive been lucky enough in life that I made good money for several years and have a good enough girlfriend that supports my aviation dreams. Ive quite my mechanics job in St Louis. Planed on taking a few months and get my CFI initial and finish my commercial at a school down here near Tampa.

In St Louis I really finished my commercial training. I had my check ride scheduled, had to cancel cause of April and May weather in midwest. DPE was so far out in scheduling couldnt really make it work because of the move to Tampa. I tried to do the best research on schools in area before we came down here. I explained my commercial situation to them. They told me I would have to get endorsed by one of their CFIs, Which I expected and totally understand. I really do like the CFI they gave me to work with. Guy is really on point and for the most part always learn something new when im doing a lessons with him. Ive flown about 6 or 7 hours with him and at this airport. The school itself has some issues with scheduling due to the volume of students. Its kind of annoying to say the least. But never the less im still there. My CFI has given me my commercial endorsement and is ready for me to schedule my checkride, still have to jump through some school hoops to schedule it.

This airport, im now flying out of in Clearwater is a high volume airport, with student traffic and normal operations. Im somewhat used to it but this one is very busy, nothing not manageable. My issue is, I am having some real trouble with commercial landings, shorts and softs. I didnt have this issue before in St Louis. I had several airports I went to in that area and for the most part was good on commercial landings at all of them. Knowing my DPE may ask to go to any of them in that area. This Clearwater airport is a golf airport, next to a delta which effects the pattern on the 34 runway.

So after all that heres my question. Due to the delta and the high traffic volume I have not had one pattern that was standard or the same. This is effecting my commercial shorts and softs. I get that im a commercial candidate, not to mention I want to do my CFI at this airport, I should be able to fly to any airport and hit my marks for short and softs. Ive flown to other airports in the area and have been able to hit my marks fine. I dont know much about the DPE that this school uses, my CFI doesn't really know either cause he is new to this school. Is it not a good idea during my checkride to tell the DPE what I just described and ask him to go to a different airport with a less congested pattern to perform my landings and takeoffs?

Also any tips and tricks to maybe nail shorts and softs at a airport like this is much appreciated.
 
I’m working on my commercial. On any given day at any given airport, meet the standards - if I can’t do it, then I’m not proficient, and not ready for checkride.

If I were a DPE and had a bad attitude, I wouldn’t accommodate the student and I’d dictate where we were doing the landings. That would be a red flag. But I’m not a DPE and don’t have bad attitude most days, lol.
 
Agreed, if you cannot handle an airport where other people are, you aren't really ready for the checkride.

Think about it, you are a charter or airline pilot and you are going to tell the passenger(s) you can't take them where they want to go because you are not proficient to land there????
 
Sorry, you asked for tips. Just bang out a bunch of TO/LD in various situations until you get it. Throw a CFI in the plane once in a while. Just practice. That’s all I got. You’ll probably get your cert before I do, so take all I’ve said with your head held high. Good luck.
 
Not at all, I wanted the tips. Yeah thats what ive been doing up till this point. In regards to check ride I would agree. I should be able to go to any airport and hit marks where I want them. Im not having my issues because of a airport with people at it, my issues are extending patterns past my normal points with different power settings. They dont feel like stable approaches because of it.
 
Take this with a grain of salt, because I am just a private pilot, but you may want to narrow your reference to the point where it works at every airport - say, once you're on short final, you know you need to be so high and so fast to make the type of landing you want work, and then plan the landing backward from that point. This helped me get more consistent landings, because once I got to that "point", every landing was pretty much identical to others of its type regardless of what happened before. If you have to fly a larger pattern, be prepared to keep power up to reach it. If a tight pattern, you may end up flying with little or no power on final to reach the speed/altitude/distance point you've set. If you know those numbers, it might help with feeling like the approaches are unstable when you have to differ from your normal patterns, because that "point" on short final should be the same whether you're flying normal or abnormal patterns.
 
I would make sure you get it right at any airport. But, don’t get discouraged. Don’t stop visiting the other airports where you get it right. Sounds like the high traffic and varied patterns are getting you distracted, and it’s understandable. Once you are in sequence to land you should be able to make sure the final part of your approach is setup for the short or soft field landing and that is your focus until you get back up into the crazy pattern and deal with the zoo. As far as the examiner is concerned, just ask around. Someone in the area will know which airports the shorts and softs are usually done.
 
Skychaser put it very well. I end up fast almost every time. Even using 40 degrees of flaps at times. I guess just like everyone these higher prices on everything is keeping me from flying more than I should.
 
jsignaigo91 said:
my issues are extending patterns past my normal points with different power settings. They dont feel like stable approaches because of it.
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Identify objective criteria that define a stable approach so that when it feels unstable you can determine whether or not it actually IS unstable.
 
Keep practicing.

Also, the cfis should have a good idea on what the dpe likes to do. Talk to them about it. It may well be that the dpe takes students somewhere else to bang out the landings with the grand finale back home. This should be your easiest checkride.
 
If you are really ready, you should be able to shoot for a specific point in space at a specific speed and configuration from most any pattern.

Flying exactly the same pattern is great for someone learning to make things similar each time. But for someone getting their commercial, you should be able to make the last part the same from any pattern.
 
jsignaigo91 said:
…my CFI doesn't really know either cause he is new to this school...
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Only 1 CFI at this place? Can’t talk to any of the others?

If nobody has data on the DPE, I’d be wondering why that’s the case.

I’d also be able to fly to the standard for the check ride being taken, wherever that may be.
 
I know a good deal about clear water, how can you not do engine out simulations, lots of other students manage to do it

there is a busy 141 at CLW, fixed and rotor wing.
 
It sounds like you will need to go to a less busy airport for the power-off 180 so you may be able to do the other performance landings there. Soft field shouldn’t be strongly affected by extending your pattern. Short field is a bit trickier but I say focus on practicing varying lengths to final so you can better judge your approach including when to extend each notch of flaps and how much power or slip to use.
 
Learning efficiency is all about pressure differential, just plain physics.

Had a student tell me he couldn’t do turns about a point at 95, because he was used to 80. At 95 the plane just wanted to climb and things happened to fast. Ooooooook, try it now, and I open the throttle, completely, we’re doing 115... made him do them mercilessly.

After that 95 wasn’t a problem. Took about 30 minutes. Next problem....

I LOVE landing. I like landing EVERYWHERE, from everywhere. I’ll fly a 50’ pattern, or 5000, it’s ALL fun. I do power off 180s in class D in front of the tech flight school 747 pattern, the tower knows me.

You need someone to overstretch your limits, and you’ll quickly adapt.

So ya, gotta practice, but practice right.
 
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