Calling yourself a CFI/S

by Rob Stapleton on 10th Jun 2009 | View all blogs by Rob Stapleton

I spoke with Paul Hamilton today who is in Hawaii giving instruction.

He said that the group he is working with is looking for qualified CFIs, I asked whether he meant SPIs or CFIs. He corrected me and said that due to the confusion about Sport Pilot instructors, that he suggests that ALL Sport Pilot instructors call themselves "CFI with a Sport rating" or CFI-Sport, CFIS...etc.

So he asked that I pass this along and that we all use this monniker as an identifier from now on.

Post your thoughts on this, but I agree with him because of all the confusion and the differences between the airplane pilot crowd and the former Ultralight Instructors who have transitioned--that we stick to the CFI Sport title.

How many of you sport instructors are using the CFI to identify yourselfs, and how many tri-axis standard catagory CFIs also instruct WSC?

Comments

8 Comments

by John Olson 8 months ago

Rob, ahem.
I hate to burst yer bubble, but er, ahh...
My ol' amigo Pablo is not "in Hawaii giving instruction". He is in Hawaii selling rides. To tourists. I know this to be fact because... I USED TO DO THAT TOO. Been there, done that! Guilty as charged!
I don't care what silly moniker or acronym they give me Ron, I don't care how many initials they stack behind my name, here's what I do: I teach newbies to take off and land. That's it in a nutshell. As I see it, this is the most important skill we as trikers have to pass on and the rest of it they can learn on their own. Or not. I consider myself good at what I do, and to hell with the rest of that bull**** they shove on us.
The Fun Police have got us by the short hairs Ron, and we gotta shake 'em loose...
Go for it Pablo!
Ole
3076398CFI
FAA-610 "Where Fun goes to die."
by Paul Hamilton 8 months ago

In the beginning at a NAFI seminar/meeting it was determined one of the reasons that the rec pilot failed was because the Sub H instructors (private pilot) bad mouthed the rating since they did not know what it was. As a result, it was determined that CFIS for CFI’s with a sport pilot rating would be the best solution to explain that a CFI is a CFI is a CFI.
The SPI (sport pilot instructor) terminology lowers the CFI to an ultralight instructor status which we are trying to get away from to promote and grow our sport.
Oly, Intro instruction flights are the best way to inform the public about trikes. In these hard economic times, we grow our sport, one person at a time. I am amazed the interest people have in triking that they bring back to the “mainland” after an intro lesson. This is good for all. Lets figure out how to work together to promote triking rather than bad mouth it.
by Rob Stapleton 8 months ago

Yep, I agree better to promote the sport that to shoot it down. I am trying to keep people engaged by keeping a dialog with the FAA, users the EAA, AOPA and others in the loop. Some think that trike flying is dead...because there is no one else standing up and saying "Hey you are wrong."
Many of the GA pilots that I take flying love trikes and are laughing with pleasure when we first rise off the ground into the air.
by Steve Sprague CFI 8 months ago

Just my two cents, but I finally sold my Powered Parachute and older Trike and just went with the Trike only because I can barely accommodate the rise in the number of new Trike Seekers and enthusiasts. It is now exponential compared to either PPC's OR Fixed Wing. PPC's are just too limited in many cases and the new Sport Airplanes (FW) are still way too expensive for most. But one thing is definite ... either way, it is up to us that are already Triking to be the Ambassadors to the general public and get people up in the air in this sport. where there are numbers, there is strength and longevity. These same forces have now finally opened the door for us to have the privileges that we do, and will soon I hope, gain us even more in the foreseeable near future.
by John Olson 8 months ago

Hey Steve are you guys still over there on Kauai selling rides? I just had a nice chat with my ol' amigo Pablo and I told him how proud I am of you guys. The way I see it, anything you and he and the rest of us might do to subvert and derail the dastardly and insidious plans them stinkin' feds like Lumpy have for grounding us all well, I'm all for it. And that includes selling rides. Keep up the good work bato!
Who's Lumpy you ask?
He knows who he is, and that's all that matters.
Ole
3076398CFI
FAA-610 Where Fun goes to die! "We ain't havin' fun, till YOU ain't havin' fun."
by Steve Sprague CFI 8 months ago

John, you're attitude is just not aviation healthy ... and not worth the time nor the bandwidth on this site. Just a sputtering flame from the grumpy left-overs of the bygone days of coffee shop BFI's. Proof of the 'ol saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, eh? I envy you only for the time on your hands, but not your obvious resulting boredom. You may now find something else to do as there is nothing further I care to discuss with you. Your 1st impression is now confirmed, I don't need to know anymore.

Laterz Bato!
by John Olson 8 months ago

January 31, 2010 Steve.
1-31-10- When Fun goes to die.
Ole
by Ryan McAnarney 8 months ago

I'm a new triker with only around 100 hours now, and I'm living on kauai seeing what is going on here. There is definetely a huge interest in triking that exists in tourism. I bit the bug a couple years ago. I've got deep roots on kauai, and have loved and cherished the island since a keiki. My only advice to these pilots out here, "which may have thousands of hours more than me" is to respect this place, because it will bit your ass hard if you don't!!! And so will the people.