Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

4 Answers

Is an Instrument Rating required for a CFI applicant?

Asked by: 2695 views Flight Instructor, Instrument Rating

I am about to take my CFI check ride (ASEL) (again) and just want to be able to answer this question with confidence if asked. I hold a commercial ASEL with an instrument rating. I have looked at 61.183(c)(2) which states you need either an instrument rating OR privileges on your certificate appropriate to the flight instructor rating sought. The latter part of that limitation is what confuses me. Can anyone explain to me situation for the OR portion of this reg? Thanks!

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

4 Answers



  1. KenW on Nov 07, 2015

    I could be mistaken but I’ve always assumed the “or privileges” statement in 163(c)(2) applies to an applicant who holds an ATP. Once you earn an ATP you no longer have an instrument rating as the ATP itself grants instrument privileges.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. John D Collins on Nov 07, 2015

    I read this simply as requiring that your commercial certificate also have the same ratings that you are applying for as an instructor.

    So don’t apply for a multi engine instructor rating if all you have on your commercial certificate is single engine.

    IOW, if you want to be a dog catcher instructor, you need dog catcher on your pilot certificate.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. KenW on Nov 07, 2015

    John, I agree that is what 183(c)(1) is saying, I read 183(c)(2) as going on to say that you need to have an instrument rating if you hold a commercial license or instrument privileges, which is what you would have if you hold an ATP.

    Thomas, if I had been asked this question during my CFI oral my answer would have been yes in my case since I held a commercial pilot’s license. I would have gone on to say that if I held an ATP the answer would be no since the ATP would have granted me the required instrument privileges.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. thomas johnston on Nov 08, 2015

    Thanks for the clarification. The wording just gets me confused sometimes. Appreciate it!

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.