Bah, some standardization among FSDOs would be nice...
they figure at that stage in your flying career, you probably know more than joe-blow cfi off the street.
From what I have seen/heard, if you are a checkairman or an instructor, pretty much any inspector at a FSDO will do it.
61.197 said:(a) A person who holds a flight instructor certificate that has not expired may renew that certificate by—
(2) Presenting to an authorized FAA Flight Standards Inspector—
(ii) A record showing that, within the preceding 24 calendar months, the flight instructor has served as a company check pilot, chief flight instructor, company check airman, or flight instructor in a part 121 or part 135 operation, or in a position involving the regular evaluation of pilots; or
It sounds to me like if you are a part 121 line captain, and you are in a position to instruct or evaluate other pilots, then you would qualify for a CFI renewal. However, just being a part 121 line pilot on its own does not qualify you for a renewal.
"I just renewed mine in Denver a few weeks ago. Took about 15 mins out of my day"
Details? You have the inspectors name and would he do it again?
It's all food for thought as Gleim is painless and low threat. Still, this is one of those cool FAA grey areas that are interesting to explore.