FAA Publishes Rule Removing CFI Expiration Dates
The agency says removing expiration dates on instructor certificates will increase efficiency and cut costs.
The FAA has published a final rule eliminating expiration dates on flight instructor certificates, replacing them with recent experience requirements every 24 calendar months.
The agency says that removing the expiration date on certificates will increase efficiency, cut costs and put instructor certificates in line with other airman certificates such as private and commercial, which do not expire.
Under the new rule, instructors must still renew their certificates every 24 calendar months by completing a Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic (FIRC), obtaining an additional instructor certificate or engaging in further instructional activities. Additional activities must include “at least 15 flight activities recognized under the FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency program,” during which the flight instructor evaluates at least five different pilots and makes the required endorsements in each pilot's logbook for every activity. The rule also specifies that CFIs who endorse at least five applicants for a practical test within 24 calendar months and maintain an 80% pass rate can also utilize this provision to renew their certificates.
In issuing the rule, the FAA emphasized that general aviation advocates have long pushed for the removal of the expiration date on instructor certificates in favor of a more streamlined process.
The final rule is effective Dec. 1. The FAA estimates that the rule will result in $5.6 million in cost savings for both the FAA and the industry over five years.
