Do you keep your CFI current?

[John Pennekamp]

I keep mine current not only in case I want to teach someone to fly in the future, but it's also great for picking up women in bars.

No, but seriously, it looks good on a resume, and also can get you an FAA job is you ever get sick of the airlines. All the inspector positions require current CFI credentials.

 

[flyboycpa]

You never know, later in life you may buy a plane and your son, daughter, wife, nephew, etc.. may take an interest and want to learn to fly. You would save some cash in the long run.

Not sure if having a CFI would get you lower insurance premiums.

And hell I paid way too much for mine, so the 120 bucks it costs to keep it the rest of my life is fine with me

Exactly! I have a wife that was already a Private Pilot when I met her, plus we both fly our 17-month old in my wife's Stinson and my Swift. I keep her BFR current, as well as that of many of my close buddies.

I also do only tailwheel instruction, just because that is a niche that isn't very well served. Probably 90% of the dual I've given has been tailwheel. I enjoy it, it's not a resume builder, just something fun to do.

Plus, I'll most likely teach my boy later in life to fly, whether he pursues it as a career is up to him. He'll at least have his Private-SEL come heck-or-high water!

Too hard to get, but too easy to maintain!

 

[d328pilot]

I have kept mine current and I even gave a BFR and IPC to some friends the last time I was back home.. It is too easy to renew and too stupid not to.

 

[dirkdigler]

Liabilities

I have kept mine current and I even gave a BFR and IPC to some friends the last time I was back home.. It is too easy to renew and too stupid not to.

I keep my CFI current but I do not use it. Liability risk is just too high without an insurance. I understand the spirit of being an instructor. Once an instructor, always an instructor, after all. But doing any kind of sign offs such as BFR or ICC could come back to haunt you. I would instruct only in certain environment.

 

[Alcatraz]

Yeah, I keep it current, for the same reasons above. You just never know if you would want to instruct a friend or something. I still do the Am Flyers thing that I paid for in 2002, and haven't paid a dime for since. Of course, it helps that the FSDO is a mere seven minute drive away, so I can do the paperwork really easy!

 

[Dumb Pilot]

I let mine go back in 1986 and I can't think of a good reason (or even a bad one for that matter) as to why I would have kept it active for the past 20 some years. As to teaching my kids to fly, they will become pilots over my dead body

 

[bubbers44]

I had 2000 hrs instruction given in the mid 70's and finally got an airline job. I let it expire when a flake aquaintance of mine wanted me to sign him off for an instrument rating he wasn't ready for. Now, a retired airline pilot with assets, I do not want to risk losing it all signing somebody off to fly and have a lawyer sue me because I have money and he has a problem.

 

[Helos2Galaxy]

I have been doing the AMerican Flyers lifetime program for 3 or 4 renewals and by far it is the most user friendly and interferes the least with my personal life. As an airline bubba, I probably won't use it a whole lot unless my kids want to fly. Am I proficient as a CFI, no not really but for the legality aspect of keeping it current, American Flyers is just fine. Should I ever decide to teach again, I'll take a few lessons at a flight school.

 

[d328pilot]

I enjoy it, it's not a resume builder, just something fun to do.

That sounds like a pretty good reason to me.

Its really sad that our legal system is so restrictive. Can't instruct because of liability and cant rent an airplane because the cost of insurance has made rental prices too high. Sad indeed.

 

[Visceral]

If you have given the proper training per CFRs and signed everywhere you should with the correct sign offs, the FAA can't fault you for a pilot's future misdeeds. When is the last time you've seen a probable cause of an accident or incident as "failure to receive proper training endorsement". Usually, its the old "pilot error".

 

[dirkdigler]

If you have given the proper training per CFRs and signed everywhere you should with the correct sign offs, the FAA can't fault you for a pilot's future misdeeds. When is the last time you've seen a probable cause of an accident or incident as "failure to receive proper training endorsement". Usually, its the old "pilot error".

FAA would be the least my concern. I was talking about civil liabilities and how expensive it would be to litigate it. Hope you have a really good insurance....

 

[Helos2Galaxy]

On a similar note, as an airline captain &/or a check airman, will the FAA renew it based upon that?

 

[dirkdigler]

On a similar note, as an airline captain &/or a check airman, will the FAA renew it based upon that?

If you are a part 121 or 135 pilot who is in a position to evaluate other people, you should be able to bring your 8710 form to an FAA inspector and he/she should be able to sign you off. It might be faster if you go to your own POI.

 

[regionalcap]

I would give that a shot but do not depend on it. Some will sign it off, but others will not. In other words, don't wait until the last day and expect it to happen this way. Try it early and see what happens.

 

[AV80R]

I kept my CFI/CFII current (actually renewed it back in 2000) for several reasons. The first was so I could log time for my wife and daughters should they decide they want to learn.

Another reason was that although I had a military background, during my interview I wanted to highlight the fact I ALSO had some time outside the military--flying jumpers, working as a CFI, etc. What if they guy I was interviewing with never flew in the military? Instead of just being another F-15 jock, I was guy who perhaps had something in common with the interviewer... It is a nice ice-breaker, as MANY of us in aviation have done the "dual given" thing for while in our careers.

And yeah...I still like flying GA, and having a CFI means sometimes somebody wants you to jump in with them and show them something.

Agree with everything Albie said (even though I'm not ex-military - just military wannabe ).
I'll never let it expire; also if I ever get back into the training department again (did it in the past at a small regional) the renewal will be much easier...

 

[AV80R]

If you are a part 121 or 135 pilot who is in a position to evaluate other people, you should be able to bring your 8710 form to an FAA inspector and he/she should be able to sign you off. It might be faster if you go to your own POI.

It varies from FSDO to FSDO. From what I've been told you must be a current check airman in order to have it renewed. Being a part 121 (or 135) captain is not enough.

Having said that, many inspectors will renew it anyways because:

- They aren't sure about the rules, and/or because
- They don't care...

 

[piav8r]

After going through the iron mike mei checkride... I'm taking that license to the grave with me!

 

[AAflyer]

Yes,

Still current!!!!

AAflyer

 

[spitfire1500]

Mine will always be current....that was the checkride from hell!!

 

[puck_11]

For all the work and money that you put into it, and for how cheap and easy it is (American Flyers) to renew it, you would be an idiot to let it expire. I don't plan on instructing until I'm done with the military, but after I would love to teach aerobatics for fun again.

 

[harleyman]

I keep it alive, although I would need to jump back into the books again before I would try to instruct.

I worked hard for it and never intend to let it die.

 

[30West]

What for? And please don't come up with the "resume builder" theory, because if you need to show that you can run around the pattern with a student to bump your resume. That is sad

I guess it really IS better that some let theirs go.......

 

[skyaddict]

I was doing a great job using American Flyers lifetime renewal system until one day, while in initial training in sims (post-furlough job) I graduated in the renewal course, but was too cheap ($25, now I'll have to go spend $700 or so) to have AF do the paperwork, and failed to bring the grad. cert. into the FSDO on time - missed it by one day. So one of these days I am going to dust off the cobwebs and shoot a few approaches on a CFII ride (with a DE because the inspectors are all too busy anyhow) and renew everything in one shot.

I'd badly like to get back into a little piston GA, but I already notice that since I was last instructing, $100 hamburgers have turned into $250 hamburgers.

 

[Fozzy]

Why? Complete waste of money if you don't stay current. If I was to instruct I would need a serious refresher anyways. And it is not like I would go back to work instructing. I does not pay enough.

 

[outsidethecloud]

After going through the iron mike mei checkride... I'm taking that license to the grave with me!

I hear you!!!! I saw Iron Mike in the cities once and had an episode of PTSD!! And I took the ride 11 years ago!