5-499 FAA CONDUCT OF INSTRUCTOR PRACTICAL TESTS.
A. Contact With Flight Instructor Community. The General Aviation Safety Audit and other sources indicated that the FAA needed closer contact with the flight instructor community. Therefore, the FAA resumed the responsibility of conducting practical tests for initial issuance of flight instructor certificates. Flight instructor examiner (FIE) designations were withdrawn for the purpose of conducting these practical tests. However, the FAA still authorizes the FIEs to conduct practical tests for the renewal, reinstatement, and addition of a rating to a flight instructor certificate.
B. Public Complaint. After this policy was implemented, the FAA received complaints from the public and some Regional Flight Standards Division (RFSD) managers that applicants for flight instructor practical tests were experiencing excessive delays in obtaining appointments at some Flight Standards District Offices (FSDO). An investigation of these complaints revealed that such delays had occurred.
1) The FAA intends to continue conducting initial flight instructor certifications, but recognizes that conditions sporadically occurring at some FSDOs may cause lengthy or unacceptable delays in administering flight instructor practical tests.
2) RFSD managers may authorize individual FSDOs to designate highly qualified FIEs to conduct practical tests for the initial issuance of the flight instructor certificate according to the following procedures:
a) FSDOs may designate to conduct flight instructor practical tests for the initial issuance of the flight instructor certificate with RFSD manager’s approval. When an appointment cannot be made with an FAA ASI within 2 weeks, the FSDO may direct an applicant to a selected FIE, in accordance with the following:
1. The FSDO must:
· Review the qualifications of FIEs or other examiners whom it deems highly qualified,
· Create a pool of the most qualified examiners to administer initial flight instructor practical tests,
· Notify the examiners that they are being considered to administer the tests, and
· Inform the examiners that administering the tests is subject to approval by the RFSD manager and to cancellation, at any time and without cause, by the FSDO.
2. The examiner must consent to conduct such tests.
3. When allowed, the FSDO will direct applicants to an FIE nearest the applicant’s location. When several examiners are available within a 50-mile radius of the applicant, the FSDO should select examiners on a rotating basis.
b) Each FSDO must obtain advance approval from the RFSD manager before designating examiners to conduct the initial flight instructor practical test. FSDOs must submit justification for the request, including enough information on ASI resources and applicant demand, to enable the region to determine if that FSDO cannot serve the applicants within 2 weeks. Before approving the request, the region should determine whether other FSDOs adjacent to that office are also unable to conduct the tests.
c) When conditions indicate only a short-term demand for testing services, such as completion of a semester or training class, the region may limit the period when a FSDO may refer applicants to FIEs .
d) RFSD managers will maintain documentation for such authorizations granted. In addition, they will review FSDO policies on this subject at least annually to determine if existing FIE designation procedures are needed.
3) This initiative is deemed necessary to ensure that the FAA continues to meet its obligations to initial flight instructor applicants in a timely manner while providing the highest level of safety.
4) It must be emphasized that the use of this policy is limited to those instances when an applicant cannot be scheduled for a practical test within 2 weeks of the original request. FSDOs are expected to conduct initial flight instructor certification practical tests whenever resources are available.
