Flight Review for Gold Seal CFI

[nonstop]

Recently a question came up at our Flight School about the flight review for a CFI. If, at the time when renewing the CFI cert., the CFI qualified for a Gold Seal, it is understood that the renewal could be used in lieu of the ground portion for the Flight Review. The question now is, because the CFI qualified for the Gold Seal, can the CFI use that in lieu of the flight portion for his Flight Review? Any thoughts or insights greatly appreciated.

 

[TOGA9]

The regulation seems pretty clear: if the CFI has completed a renewal of his certificate within the 24 calendar months preceding the flight review, then the ground portion need not be accomplished. There is no reference to excusing the flight portion, and no distinction for a Gold Seal. Do you have any references to support your thought?

§ 61.56 Flight review.​

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (f) of this section, a flight review consists of a minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training. The review must include:

(1) A review of the current general operating and flight rules of part 91 of this chapter; and

(2) A review of those maneuvers and procedures that, at the discretion of the person giving the review, are necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate.

(b) Glider pilots may substitute a minimum of three instructional flights in a glider, each of which includes a flight to traffic pattern altitude, in lieu of the 1 hour of flight training required in paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) Except as provided in paragraphs (d), (e), and (g) of this section, no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft unless, since the beginning of the 24th calendar month before the month in which that pilot acts as pilot in command, that person has—

(1) Accomplished a flight review given in an aircraft for which that pilot is rated by an authorized instructor and

(2) A logbook endorsed from an authorized instructor who gave the review certifying that the person has satisfactorily completed the review.

(d) A person who has, within the period specified in paragraph (c) of this section, passed a pilot proficiency check conducted by an examiner, an approved pilot check airman, or a U.S. Armed Force, for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privilege need not accomplish the flight review required by this section.

(e) A person who has, within the period specified in paragraph (c) of this section, satisfactorily accomplished one or more phases of an FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency award program need not accomplish the flight review required by this section.

(f) A person who holds a flight instructor certificate and who has, within the period specified in paragraph (c) of this section, satisfactorily completed a renewal of a flight instructor certificate under the provisions in § 61.197 need not accomplish the one hour of ground training specified in paragraph (a) of this section.

(g) A student pilot need not accomplish the flight review required by this section provided the student pilot is undergoing training for a certificate and has a current solo flight endorsement as required under § 61.87 of this part.

(h) The requirements of this section may be accomplished in combination with the requirements of § 61.57 and other applicable recent experience requirements at the discretion of the authorized instructor conducting the flight review.

 

[Douglas]

for a pilot certificate, rating, or operating privilege need not accomplish the flight review required by this section.

Is this confusion?
CFI does not count as a "pilot" certificate.

 

[Ajax]

If you have renewed your CFI then that in itself could serve as the ground portion of the 61.56. That said, if you just get a gold seal and don't select renewal at the top, then it wouldn't count because you would receive a gold seal CFI with the same expiration date.

That said, I have been meaning to ask this question and this seems like an appropriate place. To be eligible for a renewal you need 5 signoffs within the past 24 months and 4 of which must pass on their first attempt. So, a few hypotheticals:

• As a CFI if you were to sign off 5 and 4 pass on their first time you would be eligible for a renewal, however if say in between your first and your second sign off you add on your MEI, then would the first one still count towards the 5 requirement?
  
  
• If the answer to the above is no, then we'll use the same scenario of adding the MEI after your first signoff. In this case the CFI has signed off 10 students at least 8 of which passed on their first attempt. 9 of which were after the MEI which serves as a renewal, then if the CFI is not eligible for a renewal could he/she then apply for a Gold Seal that was not also a renewal?

 

[Douglas]

Ajax BU
- Yes.
- N/A because Yes.
It is a 24 month "look back" from when you are standing in the FSDO getting that thing signed off, new certificates won't affect that. (well it will affect it because now you can go longer before renew, but that doesn't mean you *can't* renew early if advantageous to your situation. i.e. one of your passes will no longer be within 24 months. It's a rolling 24.)

 

[TOGA9]

If you have renewed your CFI then that in itself could serve as the ground portion of the 61.56. That said, if you just get a gold seal and don't select renewal at the top, then it wouldn't count because you would receive a gold seal CFI with the same expiration date.

I believe that is incorrect, if you applied for a Gold Seal outside of the "3 months" window for renewal, then you would receive a new certificate with an expiration date 24 months from the month you added the Gold Seal. It seems the easiest would be to wait until you were in the renewal window, unless one of your "passes" was going to drop out of the preceding 24 months window as Douglas said. Here is the FAA order 8900.1 reference:

Questions have been asked about whether a person who elects to attend an approved flight instructor refresher course/clinic more than once every 24 months would be permitted to renew his or her flight instructor certificate more frequently. Even though the rule was written in a permissive format, it does not preclude a person from renewing his/her flight instructor certificate once a year or more if the person chooses to renew by attending an approved flight instructor refresher course/clinic with greater frequency. However, for an applicant who renews his or her flight instructor certificate outside the 3 calendar-month window (see § 61.197(b)(2)(i)), the new expiration date will be 24 calendar-months from the month of renewal.

As a CFI if you were to sign off 5 and 4 pass on their first time you would be eligible for a renewal, however if say in between your first and your second sign off you add on your MEI, then would the first one still count towards the 5 requirement?

I believe so, the FAA order 8900.1 makes no reference to this situation, it simply states the preceding 24 calendar months:

A. Section 61.197(a) . A person who holds a flight instructor certificate that has not expired may renew that certificate for an additional 24 calendar-months if the holder:
1) Passes a practical test for renewal of the flight instructor certificate or an additional flight instructor rating; or
2) Presents at least one of the following to an ASI:
a) A record of training students that shows, during the preceding 24 calendar-months in which the flight instructor has:
-Endorsed at least five students for a practical test for a certificate or rating, and
-Passed at least 80 percent of those students on the first attempt of the test.

 

[Ajax]

TOGA9, Douglas -Thanks guys