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.
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.
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.
