• Many CFIs instruct in small airplanes.cessna 172's image by Edward White from Fotolia.com
  
  Certified flight instructors, or CFIs, teach aspiring pilots how to fly. CFIs give instruction in airplanes as well as flight simulators and training devices. CFIs can instruct beginner students working on their private pilot licenses, experienced pilots working towards their commercial licenses or airline transport pilots undergoing recurrent training. CFIs can improve their effectiveness by taking a few simple steps.
  
  

Sterile Cockpit

• Maintain a sterile cockpitcockpit image by JASON WINTER from Fotolia.com
  
  Teaching students to maintain focus on the flight is very important for instructors. Keeping a "sterile cockpit," meaning no non-flight related conversation, during taxi, climb, descent and landing is crucial for flight instructors. A sterile cockpit allows pilots to focus on the task at hand by minimizing distractions, and allows for more effective instruction.
  
  

Preflight

• Preflighting an aircraft is one of the most important aspects of aviation safety, and it is advantageous for CFIs to teach this to their students. Preflighting should be taught and done with zero distractions: no cellphones, passengers or other people should be present. CFIs should teach students to preflight from the outside in, ensuring that the exterior is free of defects before transitioning to the interior checklist.
  
  

Flight Review

• Planning is key to conducting a successful flight review.flight image by Vadim Gorbatyy from Fotolia.com
  
  One key duty of a CFI is to conduct a "flight review," which is a Federal Aviation Administration-required biennial inventory of a pilot's flight proficiencies. Flight reviews consist of one hour of ground instruction as well as one hour of flight instruction. CFIs should conduct flight reviews to test and build pilot proficiency: although two hours is the legal minimum time, much longer flight reviews may be necessary. Additionally, all areas of pilot proficiency should be covered, including regulations, flight planning, preflighting, flight maneuvers and night operations. CFIs should exercise good judgment in giving a passing score for a flight review.