CFII before CFI

W

wrdabney

Well-Known Member
I am working towards my commercial and then I'm gonna get my CFI. But, I talked to a CFI today and he recommended that I get my CFII before I get my CFI. He said there is nothing that says you can't get your CFII first and then get your CFI as an add-on. His reasoning was that if you get the CFI as an add-on the checkride will be less stressful and cover less material. Has anybody done this and if so would you recommend it or not?
 
It's done fairly often, so there's nothing wrong with it. I'm skeptical that it necessarily makes any of the checkrides any easier. You won't be able to do any flight instruction with the -II only, so it's not very useful until you get the SE add-on.
 
This was discussed 2-3 weeks ago.

I don't see the point, and dislike the idea of doing something because it might be 'easier'.
 
Yeah, I was the one who originally asked the question 2-3 weeks back.

Heres my honest opinion from the opinions and information that I gathered which may be worth even less then $.02...

Easier or not, in the end, you will still be expected to maintain a certain level or professionalism that is accepted as safe, legal, and standard. Be honest with yourself and really decide whether or not going with what some say is the "easier" route of the CFII as your initial is worth the cost to yourself and your future students for any lack of experience which may have been discovered on a CFI initial and compromise the accepted professional standards. As CFI's, we are the gateway to general aviation and now more than ever, we need to adhere to the professional expectations to preserve our current liberties.

It is ultimately your decision, just chose what is right for your situation while keeping in mind the best interests of the profession.
 
Codyjp said:
This was discussed 2-3 weeks ago.

I don't see the point, and dislike the idea of doing something because it might be 'easier'.
Click to expand...
I don't have a problem with "easier".

But, given the October 2009 FAR revision and the resulting FAA Chief Counsel opinion letter that a CFI-Instrument with no CFI-Airplane rating can't teach in an airplane, it's certainly less useful to do so than it once was.
 
I am new and a little slow so talk real loud ! I passed my CFI checkride in Dec. 2009. I would like to know where I can find the reference material that actually explains getting the CFII before the CFI. The best I could come up with is that you can take the CFI or the CFII as a initial ride and instruct as rated. I did not see any limitations or privileges that compared one against the other. I did not realize you can not teach with only the -II any help greatly appreciated.
 
Tailwind said:
I am new and a little slow so talk real loud ! I passed my CFI checkride in Dec. 2009. I would like to know where I can find the reference material that actually explains getting the CFII before the CFI. The best I could come up with is that you can take the CFI or the CFII as a initial ride and instruct as rated. I did not see any limitations or privileges that compared one against the other. I did not realize you can not teach with only the -II any help greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

You can find the LOI here.
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/.../Grayson-2.pdf
 
JEP said:
is that the same tgrayson of JC?
Click to expand...

Yup, the one and only.

As far as the OP. If you feel the CFII is easier for you, you can take the first, just be sure to have a MEI or CFI lined up right after so you can actually use your certificate.
 
It's actually a bit more efficient... I did my CFI, CFII, and MEI rides over the span of 2 days.


CFII on day 1, then MEI and then CFI on day 1.

It really streamlined the process and also nuked the requirement to take up a complex on the CFI ride.
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
I don't have a problem with "easier".

But, given the October 2009 FAR revision and the resulting FAA Chief Counsel opinion letter that a CFI-Instrument with no CFI-Airplane rating can't teach in an airplane, it's certainly less useful to do so than it once was.
Click to expand...

So under the new ruling, does being a CFI-I ONLY, pretty much only give you the same priviliges that an IGI has?
 
I did my CFII as the initial then did my CFI add on. It didn't seem to make anything any easier or quicker for me. I still had to fly with the FSDO for the initial, and they didn't cut any corners.
 
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