If you are a Flight Instructor, you can most likely state your expiration date along with the birthdays of those people closest to you. But, in many cases, forgetting your CFI expiration date can have much more severe consequences than forgetting a birthday. When you miss a birthday, you can still send a belated birthday card, apologize, and life goes on.
When you miss your CFI expiration date, the only way to regain your certificate is to prepare for and take a checkride to earn it back. It is severe but has been that way for a long time.
In its quest to streamline the certification process, the FAA determined that it is essential to bring the CFI certificate in line with the other “time-sensitive” requirements for pilots-namely, the Flight Review and Instrument Proficiency Check.
To do this, the FAA, on October 1, 2024, published a Final Rule titled “Removal of Expiration Date on a Flight Instructor Certificate.” This new rule removes the expiration date from the Flight Instructor Certificate Cards. By doing this, the FAA has eliminated the process of reissuing new flight instructor certification cards to all CFIs every two years. Not only does this save the FAA $5.6 million, but it also allows them to redirect those human resources to other areas.
The expiration date is being replaced with a “recent experience” requirement, and this will explain the new process and how it affects your certificate.
The first issue that the FAA had to address was how to replace all of the existing flight instructor certificates with an expiration date. They can’t just reprint and mail them out to the airmen. By regulation, they need an “event” to make that happen. To address this, they divided the implementation of this new rule into two phases.
Phase 1 becomes effective on December 1, 2024. All instructors renewing their Flight Instructor Certificates as of midnight November 30, 2024, who have an expiration date on their certificate, will need to go through the renewal process as it currently exists. They must comply with one of the options outlined in FAR Part 61.197(a)(2). Submit that information to the FAA along with a signed 8710, and they will receive a new Temporary Certificate. The only difference will be that a new temporary certificate will be issued to those instructors without an expiration date.
However, if an instructor renews their Flight Instructor Certificate before December 1, 2024, they will be issued a new Temporary Certificate with an expiration date. This expiration date will be removed at their next renewal.
Phase 2 becomes effective on March 1, 2027. By March 1, 2027, the FAA predicts that there should be no instructors remaining with an expiration date on their certificates, and there will no longer be a need to issue any new temporary certificates for renewals.
As part of this New Rule, the FAA will also add an additional option to FAR part 61.197(a)(2), which deals with FAA Sponsored Pilot Proficiency Programs. Specifically, it will state:
“Has conducted at least 15 flight activities recognized under the FAA sponsored pilot proficiency program, during which the flight instructor evaluated at least five different pilots and has made the necessary endorsements in the logbooks of each pilot for each activity.”
Once the new rule is entirely in effect and after March 1, 2027, rather than issuing a temporary certificate upon completing a FIRC, the instructor will receive a graduation certificate and must complete an 8710 and submit both in the same manner currently used.
Instructors can still use the American Flyers ACRs (Airman Certification Representatives) to process the paperwork and issue a temporary certificate. Once the new rule is entirely in effect (after March 1, 2027), all American Flyers ACRs are authorized to process the instructor’s paperwork using the same current process. The only difference will be that a temporary certificate will no longer be issued.
One significant difference and advantage for instructors is that under the current system, if an instructor falls out of compliance with FAR part 61.197(a)(2), the only way for them to renew their Flight Instructor Certification is to revalidate with a checkride or take a checkride for a new instructor certificate. Under the New Final Rule, Flight instructors will have up to 3 months past their “recent experience” date to take an FAA-approved FIRC and maintain their Flight Instructor Certification. That’s right, an instructor can exceed their “recent experience” date by up to three months, take a FIRC, and they will not have to take a checkride to keep their CFI.
The FAA will add the “recent experience” date to the pilot information page on their “Airmen Inquiry” page. This information will be recorded directly from the 8710. Confirmation of “recent experience” date can also be obtained and confirmed by calling the Airman Certification Branch of the FAA in Oklahoma City.
The final part of the New Rule addresses the signature line instructors use when signing off a student for an endorsement or checkride.
The instructor will issue the same signature block as they do now.
However, for those instructors who do not have an expiration date on their instructor certificate, they will add “RED” (Recent Experience End Date) instead of “EXP.” (As of the time of this printing, the FAA advised that they may change “RED” to another acronym.
Example:
CFI: ___________________ Date: __________
CFI No: ____________ RED: _____________
CFI Name (Print): __________________________________
