Letting my CFI expire

Acadia

Well-Known Member
I think I have made up my mind to allow my CFI to expire at the end of August. That said I thought I would run my thoughts by the forum; perhaps I am not thinking clearly on this.

I got my CFI in 2002, and I instructed part time until 2006. I hold no CFI-I or MEI. In 2006 I left aviation for a career position that am extremely happy with, and in the last two years I have flown only occasionally. I have no plans of doing any significant flying again, and it is hard to imagine being qualified to instruct again even if I continue to hold my CFI. Lastly I have approximately 500+ hours of dual given, roughly 2000TT, and I am 38 years old. My schedule is such that fun flying is almost impossible. I might continue to fly occasionally for work (photos and survey work), but even that would be barely enough to stay current for basic VFR flight.

I know all of the perks to maintaining a CFI, but given my position in life it seems to be a wasted effort maintaining it. Sound thinking?
 
It's so easy to maintain with Gleim or American Flyers online. Why don't you just hang on to it? You never know if you might like to teach a spouse or child to fly one day.

Besides, it took a lot of time and effort to get it. You shouldn't let it expire. Just my opinion.
 
Like you said, if you can't stay current enough to be able to instruct anyways, why waste the money and time getting it current?
 
I am thinking that it is a waste of time & money to keep the CFI, but suddenly a part of me is saying renew it one more time. If I don't use it by 2010 I could probably in good conscience let it die.

As I don't have access to any of my materials I would have to wing the online renewal. I don't even remember what my time line is at this point. With an August 2008 expiration, I just need to have the renewal completed and the forms postmarked before August 31 right? Or do I need to be sure everything is to the FAA before the 31st?
 
American Flyers is lifetime, 1-time fee, you might want to just pay that and just take the few hours each couple of years to keep it current.
 
Don't do it! Remember how hard you worked for that ticket!? All the sweat and tears and $$$. You NEVER KNOW when you might find use for your CFI again in the future. You're only 38, who knows in 20 years you might want to get back into it occasionally just for the fun of it. If you let it expire, you have to go through the whole process all over again. Do the American Flyers thing, pay your one-time fee, and put forth the minimal effort to keep it renewed every 24 months. It's up to you man, but I'll never let mine expire regardless of where my career takes me. I worked too hard for it. I think you'll seriously regret it if you let it expire. JMHO.
 
Its certainly a personal choice, but I'd bet you'll run into a situation sometime in the future that would make you wish you'd held onto it. Maybe a friend who wants to have you do a BFR, or as said by another person, a friend or family member who wants to learn to fly.

Keeping your CFI leaves a wide open door in front of you. Wishing (a few years from now) that you would have taken the small amount of effort to keep it current once you've already let it go would be a terrible feeling...
 
Thanks for the input. I don't have access to any of my flying materials, so could someone refresh my memory on when I need the paperwork in by for an August expiration? If I complete everything and send it by say Aug 15, am I leaving plenty of time?
 
don't let it expire.

you put time and money into it. it would be akin to buying a dilapidated old house, fixing it up and then letting it become old and run down again just because you can't see using it in the future.

just because you don't think you'll teach again doesn't mean that is what life has in store for you. use the boyscout motto... :)

~$200 every two years is only $.27 a day :)
 
I know all of the perks to maintaining a CFI, but given my position in life it seems to be a wasted effort maintaining it. Sound thinking?

I'm almost in the same boat. I got my CFI, CFII, and MEI in 2003, have about 1000 dual given. But I haven't instructed much at all since 2005. The CFI was probably my proudest aviation accomplishment. Getting hired and flying as an FO at Piedmont was up there too, but I worked harder for that CFI. I will never let it expire, you just never know where your path in life will lead you. It's too simple to keep. Getting current again to be a competent CFI will only take a few hours of refresher with another CFI, and a few hours in the books, it'll all come back to you pretty quickly. I can't hurt to hang on to it.
 
I'm almost in the same boat. I got my CFI, CFII, and MEI in 2003, have about 1000 dual given. But I haven't instructed much at all since 2005. The CFI was probably my proudest aviation accomplishment. Getting hired and flying as an FO at Piedmont was up there too, but I worked harder for that CFI. I will never let it expire, you just never know where your path in life will lead you. It's too simple to keep. Getting current again to be a competent CFI will only take a few hours of refresher with another CFI, and a few hours in the books, it'll all come back to you pretty quickly. I can't hurt to hang on to it.

Thanks for the input. I think you are right. I will keep in for now, and see how I feel in a couple of years. Now I just need to find the time to crank though the online renewal.
 
FWIW, I used American Flyers online renewal. It's a one time fee and unlimited renewals. All the materials I needed were provided online, I brought the certificate to the FSDO with an 8710 and I was good to go. Like everybody said, you worked too hard to let it go to waste, especially when it is so easy to renew.
 
I let mine expire in 2006. I had all three ratings, earned in 2001 and 2002. I was not current teaching, and had no plans on maintaining currency. The CFI was a means to get me to where I wanted to be. If I want to teach again in the future I would rather go through a reinstatement to make sure I was safe and current.
 
Thanks for the input. I think you are right. I will keep in for now, and see how I feel in a couple of years. Now I just need to find the time to crank though the online renewal.

I had a classmate in initial who had come from Mesa and had literally written a book on flight training, and he told me he was going to let his ticket expired. After talking to him about it, he decided to keep his current. Good move. Me personally, I don't know if I'll ever use it again outside a volunteer capacity such as with the Civil Air Patrol, but I refuse to ever let it expire; I worked too hard for it.
 
DON'T let it expire. I do the ASA course and it is so easy....I took me about 4 hours to complete. Things change and you might want it in the future....
 
What's all the worry? A simple mini-checkride with your local friendly DE in a 152 will re-instate any time you feel the need.
 
That petrifies me. I haven't flown a Cessna since 1996.

Look, it's not like i'm going to jump in an airplane and start instructing tomorrow. But it's nice to know that if I want to teach my son how to fly, or if I want to semi-retire and let my wife work (while I CFI part-time) then once I am current and comfortable I can instruct without the burden of an additional several hundred dollar checkride.
 
Thanks again for the kick in the pants to suggest I not let my CFI expire. I ended up using Jepps again for the renewal, as I like the format, and I am not worried about the cost. I was able to squeeze it in over the last week, and I will have my paperwork in the mail early next week.
 
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