CFI ACS Lesson Plans: Guide to Pilot Certification Success

The CFI checkride is one of the most demanding tests in aviation. You must demonstrate the ability to teach the material effectively, professionally, and in alignment with FAA standards. The difference between a pilot who knows how to perform a steep turn and a CFI who can teach one lies in preparation, presentation, and having the right instructional materials.

CFI ACS lesson plans are your blueprint for checkride success and your future as a flight instructor. These documents transform complex regulatory requirements into structured, teachable lessons that meet FAA standards while demonstrating your professionalism to examiners. 

This guide will break down what these lesson plans are, why they are essential for your CFI journey, and how leveraging expert-developed resources from Backseat Pilot can save you hundreds of hours while ensuring your success.

Whether you're preparing for your CFI, CFII, or MEI practical test, understanding and utilizing proper ACS/PTS lesson plans is the foundation of confident, competent flight instructors.

What Are CFI ACS Lesson Plans

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) serves as the FAA's official guide, listing every knowledge area, risk management element, and skill objective to demonstrate to your Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE). The ACS isn't just a checklist of maneuvers; it's a standard defining what you must be capable of teaching as a certificated flight instructor.

Each ACS task contains specific codes (like PA.I.A.K1 or PA.VI.A.R3) that correspond to discrete teaching elements. These codes represent the instructional competency level the FAA expects from every CFI. Understanding these standards is crucial, but transforming them into effective instruction requires a systematic approach.

Going From Knowing to Teaching

CFI ACS lesson plans are critical. They transform raw ACS requirements into structured, logical, and teachable lessons. During your practical test, the examiner can select any ACS task and say, "Teach me this topic." Your lesson plan becomes your script, guide, and demonstration of instructional competency.

Several key reasons highlight the importance of comprehensive flight instructor lesson plans:

• Demonstrates Professionalism and Preparedness: Entering your checkride with organized lesson plans signals to the examiner that you take instruction seriously and have invested effort to succeed.

• Ensures Complete ACS Coverage: Each lesson plan guarantees you address all required knowledge areas, risk management elements, and skill standards for every topic; nothing gets overlooked under pressure.

• Provides Logical Instructional Flow: Quality lesson plans follow proven pedagogical principles, ensuring your instruction flows logically from introduction through application and evaluation.

• Serves as Your FOI Foundation: These plans directly support your demonstration of the Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI), showing you understand student learning and how to structure effective instruction.

What Makes a Lesson Plan "Checkride-Ready"?

Not every document qualifies as an acceptable lesson plan for CFI checkride purposes. The FAA outlines the preferred structure and content in the Aviation Instructor's Handbook (FAA-H-8083-9), and examiners expect lesson plans that meet these standards. The AIH explicitly approves the use of commercially developed lesson plans, provided the instructor understands and utilizes them, validating the use of professional resources.

The handbook emphasizes that effective lesson plans must demonstrate clear instructional design principles while covering all required ACS elements. This means your CFI checkride prep materials must go beyond simple outlines or bullet points; they need to reflect genuine instructional planning and pedagogical structure.

Anatomy of a High-Quality Lesson Plan

Checkride-ready lesson plans should include several essential components, each serving a specific instructional purpose, based on discussion and interpretation of the Aviation Instructor's Handbook by pilot communities:

• Objective: A clear, measurable statement describing what the student will do upon completing the lesson, directly tied to ACS standards.

• Content: The comprehensive "what" of the lesson includes all key points, technical information, regulations, and concepts to meet the learning objective.

• Schedule: A realistic timeline breaking down each lesson segment. It ensures efficient use of ground and flight time while allowing for student questions and practice.

• Equipment: A complete list of all materials, references, visual aids, models, and resources needed to conduct the lesson effectively.

• Instructor's Actions: Detailed guidance on what to say, demonstrate, and do throughout each lesson phase to facilitate learning.

• Student's Actions: Clear expectations for student participation, including listening, responding to questions, practicing procedures, and demonstrating understanding.

• Completion Standards: Specific, measurable criteria for evaluating if the student has achieved the lesson objective and meets ACS requirements.

Creating detailed lesson plans for every ACS task is a monumental undertaking that can consume hundreds of hours better spent mastering the material.

Creating 50+ Lesson Plans from Scratch

Every CFI candidate faces a decision that impacts their preparation timeline and checkride readiness. The decision is whether to invest hours creating lesson plans from scratch or to focus on mastering the material and developing their teaching skills. This decision carries more weight than many candidates realize.

The biggest challenge is the Time Factor. The Private, Commercial, and CFI Airman Certification Standards contain over 50 teaching tasks requiring a comprehensive lesson plan. Creating a properly structured, ACS-compliant lesson plan requires 3-4 hours of research, writing, and formatting. This translates to 150-200+ hours of document creation, time that could be spent studying complex aerodynamics, practicing teaching techniques, or rehearsing presentations under pressure.

The Accuracy Risk compounds this time challenge. Each ACS task contains multiple knowledge codes, risk management elements, and skill standards that must be precisely addressed. Missing a single element, misinterpreting an ACS requirement, or incorporating outdated information from superseded FAA handbooks can cause an immediate checkride failure. Experienced DPEs know ACS requirements and quickly identify gaps or inaccuracies in your materials.

The most significant consideration is the Opportunity Cost. Those 200+ hours spent creating lesson plans could instead be invested in activities that improve your chances of checkride success: practicing complex maneuvers, practicing teaching maneuvers (talking and explaining while flying without overwhelming a student), studying systems and aerodynamic principles, rehearsing presentations, or working with a mentor CFI to refine your technique. The question is: where will your limited preparation time generate the greatest return on investment?

How Backseat Pilot Elevates Your CFI Prep

Backseat Pilot solves the "Build vs. Buy" dilemma. It offers professional-grade instructional materials that eliminate the document creation bottleneck while ensuring complete ACS compliance. This isn't about taking shortcuts; it's about working smarter by leveraging expertly developed resources to focus on becoming the best instructor possible.

Nate, a current CFI, airline pilot, and former USAF C-17 instructor pilot, developed these lesson plan packages. He combined real-world instructional experience, deep knowledge of FAA standards, and an understanding of examiner and student expectations. This combination of practical experience and regulatory expertise ensures every lesson plan meets the highest standards of instructional design and ACS compliance.

The advantages of choosing Backseat Pilot's flight instructor lesson plans extend far beyond time savings:

• Save Prep Time: Instantly reclaim weeks spent researching, writing, and formatting lesson plans. This time freedom lets you focus on mastering the material, developing your teaching skills, and building confidence for checkride success.

• Guaranteed ACS and FAA Compliance: Every lesson plan aligns with the latest Airman Certification Standards and the Aviation Instructor's Handbook principles. Approach your checkride with confidence that your materials meet or exceed FAA expectations.

• Complete Coverage: Access everything you need for CFI success, with packages covering every task in the Private, Commercial, and CFI standards. Advanced packages include specialized CFI-I and MEI lesson plans for instrument and multi-engine instructor ratings, ensuring complete preparation for your certification goals.

• Fully Editable and Customizable: These lesson plans come in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Pages. Keynote and PDF formats. This allows complete customization to match your teaching style, add personal examples, or incorporate additional materials. This flexibility ensures the materials become truly yours while maintaining their professional structure, which the AIH recommends in Chapter 7.

• Professional, DPE-Approved Presentation: Walk into your checkride with polished, organized materials that demonstrate your professionalism and readiness. The packages include lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, and syllabi that create a complete instructional toolkit.

Aspiring flight instructors can save preparation time with Backseat Pilot's CFI lesson plans. The lesson plans are editable and reference materials compliant with Aviation Instructor's Handbook standards. For the ultimate preparation value, access everything needed to ace your CFI checkride with the Whole Shebang Package, providing complete coverage across all instructor ratings.

Using Your Lesson Plans as a Professional CFI

Passing your practical test is an important milestone, but the true value of comprehensive, professionally developed lesson plans extends far into your career as a certificated flight instructor. These materials form the backbone of effective instruction, supporting your professional development and your students' success long after you've earned your CFI certificate.

Consistency and professionalism are crucial for building your reputation as an instructor. Using standardized lesson plans ensures every student receives the same high-quality instruction, regardless of the topic or your schedule. This consistency builds student confidence, improves learning outcomes, and establishes your reputation as a meticulous, professional educator.

Efficiency in a demanding career is invaluable for flight instruction. New CFIs juggle packed schedules, teaching multiple students at different levels while managing ground instruction, flight training, and administrative tasks. Ready-to-use, professionally developed lesson plans save preparation time before each lesson, allowing you to focus on individual student needs. Additionally, these materials help with FAA-required record-keeping and are ideal for flight schools seeking to standardize their curriculum across multiple CFI staff.

FAQs about CFI Lesson Plans

Can I use pre-made lesson plans on my CFI checkride?

The Aviation Instructor's Handbook allows and encourages the use of commercially developed lesson plans, provided you thoroughly understand the material and can teach from them effectively. The key requirement is demonstrating complete familiarity with your materials; you must be able to teach each lesson as confidently as if you had written it yourself.

Do I need a lesson plan for every ACS task?

Yes, this is the standard expectation for CFI practical tests. The examiner can select any task from the appropriate ACS and ask you to teach it, so be prepared with a comprehensive lesson plan for every topic. This requirement is why complete lesson plan packages provide significant value compared to creating individual plans.

Are digital lesson plans on a tablet or laptop acceptable?

Digital lesson plans are acceptable and often preferred for their professional appearance and ease of reference. However, policies can vary by examiner, so confirm with your DPE beforehand. Many instructors keep both digital copies and printed backups to prepare for examiner preferences or technical issues.

What's the difference between CFI, CFII, and MEI lesson plans?

Each set corresponds to the specific instructor rating and covers the appropriate ACS tasks or PTS tasks for the CFII. CFI lesson plans focus on visual flight rules (VFR) operations in single-engine aircraft, covering all Private and Commercial pilot tasks. CFII (Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument) plans address all instrument flying procedures, approaches, and IFR operations. MEI (Multi-Engine Instructor) plans cover multi-engine aerodynamics, systems, performance, and emergency procedures specific to twin-engine aircraft.

Conclusion

CFI ACS lesson plans represent more than checkride requirements; they are the foundation of your success as a test candidate and professional educator. It is possible to create comprehensive, ACS-compliant lesson plans from scratch, but it's an inefficient and risky investment of your preparation time. The hundreds of hours required for document creation could be better spent mastering aerodynamic principles, refining teaching techniques, and building the confidence that separates good instructors from great ones.

The first smart decision for a long and rewarding career in aviation education is investing in professional flight instructor resources like Backseat Pilot's lesson plan packages. By working smarter rather than harder, you position yourself for checkride success while building a foundation for effective, professional instruction that will benefit future students. Your CFI journey begins with proper preparation, so ensure you're equipped with the tools that will serve you beyond your practical test and throughout your instructional career.