Aviation Instructor’s Handbook
The FAA's teaching reference and the source for the Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI) knowledge test — learning theory, teaching methods, and assessment.
About this document
The Aviation Instructor's Handbook is the FAA's reference on how people learn and how to teach aviation. It is the primary source for the Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI) knowledge test that every instructor applicant must pass.
It covers the learning process and human behavior, the teaching process and teaching methods, effective communication, the assessment and critique of student performance, instructor professionalism and responsibilities, techniques of flight instruction, risk-management instruction, and how to develop lesson plans and a training syllabus.
It is required knowledge for the CFI, CFII, MEI, and ground-instructor certificates and remains a useful reference for anyone mentoring other pilots.
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Take a free practice test →FAA-H-8083-9 is an official FAA publication in the public domain. We host a copy so you can read it in-browser; always confirm you are reading the current edition on faa.gov. The description above is an original summary and is a study aid, not a substitute for the document or the regulations.