Originally Posted by rickair7777

Not True. No checkout is legally required in typical light aircraft unless it requires a type rating (or has some special FAR provisions like the MU-2).

Anyone can give flight instruction, the appropriate CFI rating(s) is only required if the instruction is going to be used for pilot certs, ratings, currency, or other FAR mandated requirements (ex endorsements).

Most light aircraft checkouts are mandated by insurance requirements, or just plain common sense, as opposed to FARs. If your insurance doesn't care, any pilot can give a checkout. But it doesn't count as a FR, IPC, endorsements, or anything else FAR-related other than landing or instrument currency (the later only within the grace period).

But insurance requirements exist for a reason, I wouldn't skip a checkout just because it's legal to do so. As to whether you want a CFI to give the checkout...I'm sure there are circumstances in unusual airplanes where the best-qualified pilot does not happen to be a CFI.

One possible gotcha would be flying for compensation while giving a checkout...a private pilot giving a checkout for compensation would be violating the FAR's. A non-CFI commercial pilot might be OK since the FAR 119 exemption does not state or imply that you need a CFI rating to give student instruction...but I'd check with the FSDO, there might be an interpretation on that.