The Great CFI Lesson Plan Debate

Is it OK for flight instructors to buy lesson plans? Or should they come up with their own?

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 01:26 PM ET

Verified

An instructor and a student preflight a Cessna 152 before a lesson. [Credit: Richard Steiger]

Key Takeaways:

Lesson planning is a mandatory part of CFI training (FAR 61.185), serving as a vital tool for organizing instruction, ensuring logical information delivery, and providing a reliable reference during check rides and teaching.
Creating lesson plans from scratch enhances an instructor's learning and retention, thereby improving teaching delivery; while premade plans save time, they require thorough verification against current standards and knowledge of source material to be effective.
Regardless of their origin, lesson plans must include key elements (e.g., objectives, actions, common errors) and cover all required skills and tasks, emphasizing the need for regular updates and caution when using inherited or outdated materials.

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One of the most polarizing discussions among CFI candidates is the topic of lesson plans. Specifically, should you make your own? Or is it OK to purchase premade lesson plans from a third-party provider?

Aeronautical Knowledge for CFIs

FAR 61.185 lists the aeronautical knowledge required for flight instructors. There you will find it written that the person applying for a flight instructor certificate is to receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor, and that ground training will include the learning process, elements of effective teaching, student evaluation and testing course development, lesson planning, and classroom training techniques. It’s all there in black and white—lesson planning.