CFI renewal
 

Does anyone know what the easiest way to renew your CFI is? I'm a 121 guy and just looking to renew it so it doesn't expire.

You could try an online refresher course. Not sure how many are available but the one at american flyers is a one time fee, hope it helps

American Flyers - Flight Instructor Renewal Courses

Gleim....

Gleim Publications :: Flight Instructor Refresher Course

I did the one through AOPA. Got it done in about 4 hours.

I have used the AOPA online course twice and appreciated the effort they put into the interactive part. Learned more at the AOPA course here:
AOPA Online: ASF - Online Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic

I now use the American Flyers just to save money, as it is "pay once, renew for life". As previously posted the course is online here: American Flyers - Flight Instructor Renewal Courses

With both you should finish the course and submit your paperwork prior to the last day of your expiration month... give yourself a couple weeks buffer. I know AOPA lets you renew anytime during your 4 month renewal period and maintain your original expiration date.

Awesome guys, thanks!

I did the American flyers this last month. Easy, one time fee of $125. Don't do the $35 fee for them doing the paperwork, you still have to do 1/2 of it anyways. Once I finished it, I printed the certificate, called my local FSDO, showed up with cert/8710/cfi-license/drivers license and 15 minutes later new temporary.

Yes, I also walk the paperwork into the FSDO instead of mailing. Call ahead of time to get an appointment first.

If you're a line check airman or check airman or work in the training center, you should be able to get someone in your certificate holding office to renew it. Used to be able to just do it as a 121 PIC but that's pretty much out the window unless you know the Fed.

Does anyone know if a check instructor at a 141 school would count. Before I left for the airlines, I was a check instructor at Parks. Think that would work?

Also, does anyone know how long the AF course takes...16 hrs?

thanks

I think, from october or something, the FAA will let wings program seminars count for renewal as well?

The regs say:

(a) A person who holds a flight instructor certificate that has not expired may renew that certificate by—
(1) Passing a practical test for—
Blah, blah
(2) Presenting to an authorized FAA Flight Standards Inspector—
(i) A record of training students Blah, blah;

(ii) A record showing that, within the preceding 24 calendar months, the flight instructor has served as a company check pilot, chief flight instructor, company check airman, or flight instructor in a part 121 or part 135 operation, or in a position involving the regular evaluation of pilots; or

The regular evaluation of pilots at a 141 school would be worth a call to a FSDO. Hard to say if that only applies to 121/135 ops.

how long is this the AF course? I just started it and about 20mins into and already want to pull my hair out.

My CFI expired in Nov. 2000, will they renew it, being expired that long? Is there a check ride involved??

CTPilot how much are you paying (if I'm not getting too personal), I got two summer projects, renewing my CFI and getting my seaplane rating. I'm financially retarded at present, might only be able to do one.

Yeah, you have to fly with a CFI examiner. A successful ride in any class on your CFI certificate will renew all CFI ratings. 61.199

There's a link to the American Flyers' course earlier in the thread. Here it is again ... American Flyers - Flight Instructor Renewal Courses

I don't know if it's the cheapest, but I'm using it for the second time at no additional charge.

I understand that's the downside of the free lifetime AF course. The Gleim course has the advantage of letting you do it at your own pace. You can usually blow though most modules fairly quickly.

I've done the American Flyers gig the past 3 renewals. Paid the one time fee and now free for life. Everything is online. Do the course on your laptop in your hotel room while on a trip. When complete, print and take the certificate to a FSDO (doesn't matter which one in the country). Very painless.....:D

The AF course is the same. You can stop at any time and come back to it at your leisure.

Read a few pages, go get a beer at your hotel bar, come back and read more. Repeat as necessary.

The trick is to be doing something else while you're "studying."

Hit the refresh button every 10 minutes, and it'll put that times towards your study time. That's how I did it after I had read the questions one time through. It will only go up a max of 10 minutes if you happen to forget and say hit the refresh every 15, so hitting it right on the dot is important to maximize the time use.

If you're doing the American Flyers course, you might find that this application is worth downloading. Not that I am implying that you don't read the course materials, but I know that I can get through a module in less than the "required" timeframe:

YRefresher - Automatic Web Page Refresher
Yrefresher Freeware download and review - automatically refresh web pages from SnapFiles

Oh. I've heard that AF requires you to spend a certain amount of study time on each module before you are allowed to go forward - at least that's what I've gotten from most of the complaints about it.

If I remember right, per FAA regs, the CFI renewal course has to be a min of 16 hrs. That is why the AF's modules have a time requirement. I'm not familiar with the other online courses, but don't you have to spend the same amount online with those also?

reinstate
 

[quote=UCLAbruins;549597]My CFI expired in Nov. 2000, will they renew it, being expired that long? Is there a check ride involved??

Yes, there's a checkride. You (like me) are not doing a renewal; you are doing a CFI reinstatement. Unlike the initial CFI check, the reinstatement need NOT be done with the FSDO/Inspector. Additionally, you do not need to retake writtens. Nor do you need a practical test endorsement; you can "self-declare" that you're ready for the check.

But, I tell you what, if you haven't flown a light aircraft lately, it is DIFFERENT.

Zach

No. With the Gleim, if you blow through too many, there's a small prompt (at least the last of the three times I've taken it), but that's about it. The course is =designed= to be 16 hours but YMMV.

Read the two posts' prior to yours, it explains it.


What the heck is YMMV? I don't speak Text:rolleyes:

Thanks!

Ok, now I understand the complaints about the time involved with the AF course. Well, at least the AF course is free for life after the initial fee. Opps, or do the other FIRC courses only have a one time fee also?

YMMV = you mileage may vary

I think AF is the only course that allows you to revalidate forever after you pay once.

Gleim allows you to save their material in PDF or HTML. The system calculates how many minutes you spent reading the online material but you have to manually enter how many minutes you spent reading the PDF or HTML file.

If someone really wanted to finish it fast, they could finish the entire course in less than 2 hours and lie about the time spent on reading the PDF/HTML file.

Interesting. That wasn't there when I last did the course.

I'm coming up for renewal again; we'll see what's changed.

I don't do text. I do Internet forums. :D You must be an ancient dude.

I'm 27, and I've never seen YMMV before.....:rolleyes: The internet, what better place to assume anything about nothing

And learn everything from nothing.....sorry, had to add that. :D

Should I have put the smiley at the end of the post instead of the middle? ;)

In all seriousness, I've learned quite a bit from this thread. Plus I'm trying to raise my post count so I can have PM privileges....:D

American Flyers has an excellent program...and you just pay once! It was quite easy, and fairly informative.

For those using Firefox (mac/windows)

mozdev.org - reloadevery: index

easy simple plugin, lets you specify refresh interval

[QUOTE=zach141;550964]Can you elaborate more on the reinstatement ride? I have not been in a light aircraft in almost 10 years. Obviously I will get training in a light aircraft. However, am I expected to demonstrate maneuvers such as lazy-eights on this ride? Can I be pink-slipped on this ride?

See the CFI PTS booklet. If you want to do the basic (airplane SEL) CFI re-instatement and not the instrument ride, the examiner doesn't cover: FOI, lesson plan, airport ops, fundamentals of flight, & instrument flying.

He will cover: 2 technical subject areas (ex: endorsements and airspace), 1 subject on preflight prep (ex: certs & docs), 1 preflight procedures, 2 TO's and 2 Landings of his choice, 1 performance maneuver (ex: steep turn, steep spiral, chandelles, or lazy 8s), 1 ground reference maneuver, 2 from the slow flight, stalls, or spin section, 1 emergency operation (ex: approach & landing, system/equipment malfunction, or emergency equipment), and 1 post flight procedure.

The fun part is you don't know what he will give you. You could get steep turns or lazy 8's. Fun! :rolleyes:

American Flyers just got rid of their "16hr time requirement", took me three hours earlier today, start to finish. Beverage consumption whilst taking the course is optional, i took that option :D.

Yes, I renewed my CFI one time using the 141 check airman option. You can also use the 80% pass rate ( I think at least 4 out of 5) in the past two years, If you instructed in that time period.