AGI currency

[🦈💜]

Two questions, for anyone who has some experience with FAA ground instructor certs.

First, do the FAA ground-instructor certificates come "pre-charged"? I've seen people stating that a CFI endorsement is needed "immediately" for a fresh ground instructor certificate to be valid for teaching, but many seem to disagree and the regs don't read that way to me.

Second, does anyone know what, to the FAA, constitutes a "month" of teaching? Not too many people teaching full time on a ground instructor cert that I know of.

Thoughts?

-Fox

 

[Mike H]

I've seen people stating that a CFI endorsement is needed "immediately" for a fresh ground instructor certificate to be valid for teaching, but many seem to disagree and the regs don't read that way to me.

I've never heard of any such endorsement for a newly minted AGI. Recency of experience for Groun Instructors would be found in 61-217b A new AGI would, by definition, start out current, IMO.

 

[🦈💜]

I've never heard of any such endorsement for a newly minted AGI. Recency of experience for Groun Instructors would be found in 61-217b A new AGI would, by definition, start out current, IMO.

That's how I read it as well, but I've seen dissenting opinions, based on the fact that it's never "stated" that a ground instructor is automatically current.

On this one, I'll go with whatever the consensus ends up being, as I'm unaware of a LOI or any formal guidance on the issue and there is a potential for ambiguity.

-Fox

 

[Houston]

I'm with Mike H on the idea of having to use a GI certificate before you can use a GI certificate. It just doesn't make sense and personally, I've never heard anyone say anything even remotely like that. I hear a lot of misconceptions, but that is one I've never heard.

Regarding a "month", the FAA came out some years ago and cleared up a lot of confusion by saying a "month" means to the last day of a month. The only things that don't end on a "month" are when it says "days". For example, landing currency is a 90 day requirement.

 

[🦈💜]

I'm with Mike H on the idea of having to use a GI certificate before you can use a GI certificate. It just doesn't make sense and personally, I've never heard anyone say anything even remotely like that. I hear a lot of misconceptions, but that is one I've never heard.

Here's a thread I hadn't seen on the subject:
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29127

Regarding a "month", the FAA came out some years ago and cleared up a lot of confusion by saying a "month" means to the last day of a month. The only things that don't end on a "month" are when it says "days". For example, landing currency is a 90 day requirement.

Oops, ambiguous question. What I meant by that is: What does it take to meet the "Three months" of teaching to maintain currency as a ground instructor?

-Fox

 

[🦈💜]

Actually, crap -- Here it is from the horse's mouth:

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...terpretations/data/interps/2009/Metzinger.pdf

 

[Houston]

Wow! I'm sure glad I didn't bet a lot of money on that one. That is news to me.

For those who may be reading this, here is a link to the letter of inperpretation:

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...terpretations/data/interps/2009/Metzinger.pdf

Here is what the old John Lynch FAQ's have to say on the subject:

QUESTION: If a ground instructor has not met the recency experience requirements of § 61.217(a), how does that ground instructor get current? Is the 3 months of recency experience requirements of § 61.217(a) have to be concurrent? What was the purpose of requiring 3 months of recency experience requirements in § 61.217(a)?
ANSWER: Ref. § 61.217(b); Just like it reads to do in § 61.217(b). It reads: “(b) The person has received an endorsement from an authorized ground or flight instructor certifying that the person has demonstrated satisfactory proficiency in the subject areas prescribed in Sec. 61.213(a)(3) and (a)(4), as applicable.”
So, get hooked up with another GI or a CFI and get the endorsement.
No, the 3 months don’t have to be concurrent. Just show me 3 months of giving ground training within the preceding 12 months. We don’t care if we have to add it up a day at a time, just so we can see a total of 3 months.
The purpose of the rule was to require some degree of recency within our ground instructor personnel. Personally, we don’t believe requiring 3 months of recency every 12 months is asking too much.
{Q&A-73}

Here is what the preamble to the regulatory change dated July 30, 1997 says on the subject:

Section 61.217 Recent experience requirements. It was not the FAA's intention to require a ground instructor to meet the recent experience requirements by demonstrating proficiency to an FAA inspector or a designated pilot examiner. Therefore, paragraph (b) has been corrected to provide that the holder of a ground instructor certificate may not perform the duties of a ground instructor unless within the preceding 12 months that person has received an endorsement from an authorized ground or flight instructor who certifies that the person has demonstrated proficiency in the subject areas prescribed in § 61.213(a)(3) and (a)(4).

As far as the second part of your post where you ask what does it take to maintain the three months. I don't see a three month requirement, but I do see a twelve month requirement in 14 CFR 61.217 that is pretty explanatory. Unless I'm missing something again, I would guess that the three months Lynch is taking about in 61.217(a) was something in the regulation before the rewrite.

§ 61.217 Recent experience requirements.

The holder of a ground instructor certificate may not perform the duties of a ground instructor unless the person can show that one of the following occurred during the preceding 12 calendar months:
(a) Employment or activity as a ground instructor giving pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor training;
(b) Employment or activity as a flight instructor giving pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor ground or flight training;
(c) Completion of an approved flight instructor refresher course and receipt of a graduation certificate for that course; or
(d) An endorsement from an authorized instructor certifying that the person has demonstrated knowledge in the subject areas prescribed under § 61.213(a)(3) and (a)(4), as appropriate.

Thanks for asking the question. You made me aware of something I didn't know before.