CFII study guide
CFII · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Flight Instructor – Instrument (CFII) rating is the add-on that lets an existing flight instructor teach instrument flight: attitude instrument flying, holding and approach procedures, IFR clearances, navigation systems, and the judgment that keeps pilots alive in the clouds. It is for CFIs who want to train instrument applicants, conduct instrument proficiency checks within the scope of their privileges, and sign off the training required for the instrument rating. The CFII study guide has 9 sections and about 2,725 words.
01Fundamentals of Instructing
On the CFII ride the FOI material is aimed at an instructor teaching already-certificated pilots, so questions emphasize how adults learn and how you assess them rather than classroom management basics. Know the four levels of learning: rote, understanding, application, and correlation.
298 words, about 1 min02Technical Subject Areas: Regulations, Endorsements, Logbooks
Expect questions on 14 CFR 61.65 (instrument rating eligibility and experience), 61.57(c) (recent instrument experience), 61.51(g) (logging instrument time), and 61.195 (flight instructor limitations). Section 61.57(c) requires, within the preceding 6 calendar months , six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigation systems.
327 words, about 2 min03Preflight Preparation: Weather, Airworthiness, Cross-Country Planning
You must read METAR/TAF, prog charts, winds and temperatures aloft, freezing level, AIRMETs (Tango for turbulence, Zulu for icing, Sierra for IFR/mountain obscuration), SIGMETs, and PIREPs, and translate them into go/no-go decisions. Know the alternate rule: under 91.169 an alternate is required unless, for the period from one hour before to one hour after the ETA, the destination forecast allows at least a 2,000-foot ceiling and 3 statute miles visibility - the practical '1-2-3' rule.
310 words, about 2 min04Air Traffic Control Clearances and Procedures
Use the CRAFT mnemonic: Clearance limit, Route, Altitude, Frequency, Transponder. A clearance is not authority to deviate from a regulation; ATC cannot clear you below minimums or into unsafe conditions.
293 words, about 1 min05Flight by Reference to Instruments
Instrument flying is taught either as control-and-performance (what the airplane is doing: pitch, bank, power, trim) or primary-and-supporting (which instrument gives the primary pitch, bank, and power information in each attitude). Be fluent in both, because questions swap between them.
275 words, about 1 min06Navigation Systems
For VOR know the CDI, OBS, TO/FROM logic, reverse sensing, and the cone of confusion. VOR receiver checks are required within 30 days and logged: VOT plus or minus 4 degrees, ground checkpoint plus or minus 4 degrees, airborne checkpoint plus or minus 6 degrees, and dual VOR check plus or minus 4 degrees between receivers.
275 words, about 1 min07Instrument Approach Procedures
Know the segments - initial, intermediate, final, missed - plus the MSA, procedure turn or hold-in-lieu-of-procedure-turn, FAF, MAP, and the missed approach holding fix. Understand DA (precision, LPV) versus MDA (non-precision, LNAV, circling), and that a DA is a decision altitude while an MDA is a minimum descent altitude with a level-off.
302 words, about 2 min08Emergency Operations
91.3 gives the pilot in command authority to deviate from any rule in an emergency, and requires a report on request. Declare the emergency, squawk 7700, and remember aviate, navigate, communicate.
319 words, about 2 min09Postflight Procedures
The postflight phase is not just parking. Complete the after-landing and securing checklists, close or cancel the IFR flight plan, switch the transponder as required, and record discrepancies.
326 words, about 2 min