FAA FOI case studies
FAA FOI · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI) knowledge test is one of the exams a pilot must pass before earning a flight instructor certificate. It is not a flying test and it is not an exam about aircraft systems - it asks whether you understand how people learn, how instructors teach, and how flight instructors keep training safe and honest. The FAA FOI case studies are 5 cases and about 3,343 words.
1The Plateau Before the Checkride
Dan is 34 and has 52 logbook hours with a practical test scheduled in 11 days. For his first 40 hours he was your most consistent student: steep turns held within ±50 feet, stable landings, and a checklist discipline you used as an example for others.
696 words, about 3 min2Reciting the Standard, Missing the Maneuver
Maria, 22, has 18 hours. You brief steep turns straight from the standards: 45° bank, ±100 feet, ±10 knots, rollout on the entry heading ±10°.
630 words, about 3 min3"Got It" in the Briefing
Kenji, 31, moved to the United States four years ago. His conversational English is excellent - he jokes with the line crew - but he began flight training in his native language and has 9 hours in your airplane.
674 words, about 3 min4The 75 Percent That Passed
You write a 20-question pre-solo knowledge check for three students. Question 4 asks for "the most important preflight action," and the correct choice is the only long, richly detailed option.
635 words, about 3 min5Eighty-Two Miles and a 1500 Deadline
Tyler is 19 with 24 total hours, 3.2 of them solo. He wants to fly 82 nautical miles to a Class C airport tomorrow - an airport he has never visited and a class of airspace he has never entered.
708 words, about 4 min