| As you might be aware, the FAA's standards tend to change from one FSDO to the next. I have seen FI aplicants, with minimal lesson plans obtain their certificates, while I have seen others get told to pack-up and try again later for lack of material.
The lesson plans available commercially are very good; in theory, the FAA inspector conducting your examination cannot dismiss you for showing up with one of these books. I recommend that you write your very own. If you do not, you would be cheating yourself out of a great opportunity to dig deaper into what it is exactly to teach flight.
I advise anyone to approach this as writting a thesis on flying, and bringing it to the review commitee (the FAA inspector) and defending it.
Many moons ago, when I "defended my thesis" at the Richmond FSDO, I got nothing but prayse, I showed up with my thick binder, every imaginable lesson plan that I could write, a model airplane, some markers, visual aids, etc... Guess what? Those guys (it was a 2 against 1 examination) were impressed, they sensed that I came prepared. Some of my material was plagiarized from well known FIs, and credit was given appropriately, but then again, if you have never flight instructed, the meat of your thesis better come from some source with accepted standards and methods.
I actually did such a good job putting those lesson plans together, that I only made, perhaps, just a few changes over the years, to either augment or correct some aspects of it.
It took approximately 2 months of solid work to write the whole thing (I did write FI, II, MEI, all in one shot).
Now, some will tell you that it is a waste of time, that the commercially available ones are just as complete and accepted by the authorities; those individuals are correct. The question is, what kind of FI do you want to be? Are you a professional with high standards or just another youngster trying to pad a logbook with some teaching hours. Whatever the case is, wheter you teach for 10 years or 3 months, do everyone a favor and be the best that you can be, people pay good money for your services, and they deserve the highest standard; that standard starts with your lesson plans.
One word of caution in case you did not know. If during your carreer so far you have never failed (gotten a pink slip and told to try again later) a flight or oral examination, you are very likely to fail this one. This has nothing to do with your performance at all. The FAA believes, and so do I, that everyone that teaches needs to know the feeling of failure, hence the possible failure of the FI examination if your have never failed at anything. It seems a little unfair when someone comes highly prepared and gets failed for mysterious reasons, but it is just part of that learning process. For once I actually agree with an FAA practice.
Hope all this helped you! I am just a PM away.
Cheers! | 
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