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ASEL CFI Add-On from Helicopter CFI

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FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor

I am in the process of adding CFI--ASEL to my helicopter flight instructor certificate. I currently have:

CFI/CFII--Rotorcraft Helicopter;    Commercial--ASEL, AMEL, Heli;    Instrument--Airplane, Heli

The complex airplane that I was going to be using has been down for mtx for several weeks and doesn't look like it will be available soon enough for me to use. Some other CFI's and I came across this in the CFI-Airplane PTS in relation to whether or not I need to use a complex airplane for my CFI checkride:

"When adding an airplane category rating to an existing flight instructor certificate, a complex aircraft is not required if the applicant already holds an airplane category, with either a single-engine or a multiengine class rating"

At first I thought it meant just if you were going from CFI--ASEL or AMEL to the other, but if that were the case it should read "When adding an airplane class rating to an existing..." instead of category. From our interpretation, it seems like I should be able to do my CFI checkride in a non-complex airplane.

Have you ever run into a situation like this? Does it sound like I am alright to do the checkride in a non-complex airplane?

Thank you!

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1 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Mar 28, 2018

    Look at the text for Change 4 at the beginning of the PTS. Here it states:

    “These edits are intended to make clear that a complex aircraft is not required when adding an airplane class rating to an existing flight instructor certificate that already contains an airplane category and class rating. The FAA finds the requirements for the use of a complex airplane are not necessary when the applicant has already satisfactorily demonstrated the takeoff, landing, emergency, and other Tasks contained within this PTS in a complex airplane.”

    It is the intent of the FAA that you demonstrate the appropriate tasks in a complex airplane for the first time you acquire an airplane rating on your flight instructor certificate.

    No inspector or DPE will conduct the test if you show up expecting to accomplish the whole test without a complex airplane. You can however do all the tasks except for those that require a complex airplane in a non-complex airplane. In other words, you could schedule your test, do the ground portion and if you pass that, do the non-complex tasks, get a letter of discontinuance and finish the test with the complex.

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