Originally Posted by
michael95u
While it is perfectly legal to do the MEI or CFI-I first, it is up to the FSDO. I can tell you that the KC FSDO does not like doing CFI-I as the initial. They aren't a big fan of the MEI as the initial either.
I can't imagine they would have that much, or any weight in the decision. It's their rules that allow you to do it, so if they really cared, wouldn't they just try and change the regs? However, they could make it more likely that you are required to do the ride with a fed rather than DPE.