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After working toward the goal of obtaining my CFI-I rating for almost a year, on January 4, 2012 it happened.

You may recall from a previous post that last June, I had unfortunately received an “Unsatisfactory” result on the flight portion of my CFI-I practical test due to a G1000 automation “gotcha”.  But finally, after returning to So. Cal. in October after spending the summer at home in NW Montana, I was able to freshen up my proficiency and G1000 “knobology” to a level where I could again schedule the practical test.

As opposed to last winter, I was able to fly my Cessna T182T, Dorothy, from home in Montana to Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, CA and was able to make use of Dorothy to practice for and use during the flight test, instead of Pinnacle Aviation Academy’s Cessna 172S.  Pinnacle’s Chief Instructor, James Trieber, again had to suffer through the practice flights with me as I regained test taking proficiency.  Thank you James!

This time around, Candace C., the Designated Pilot Examiner, scheduled the oral and the flight check ride on two separate days.  Even though I had passed the oral in June, due to the re-take being more than 60 days subsequent, I was required to again go through the oral exam.  Both the oral and the flight test were conducted using the FITS Scenario Based Training and Collaborative Learning (Learner Centered Grading) approach to flight training.

The on-the-ground oral was passed successfully (again!) as was the over 2 hour flight check ride two days later and Candace issued my Certificated Flight Instructor – Instrument add-on.  Obtaining the CFI-I also renewed my expired Certificated Flight Instructor – Airplane (CFI) and my Multi-engine Certificated Flight Instructor add-on (ME-I).

So, almost four years after I re-entered the General Aviation flying arena following more than a 15 year absence, I was able to bring my flying proficiency and knowledge beyond where it had been previously with the CFI-I.