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3 Answers

Instructor pressure

Asked by: 2144 views , , , , , ,
Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, Student Pilot

I have a commercial pilots licence with an instrument rating. I don't have a current medical. I just got checked out by a CFI the other day in a C172. This CFI is an owner of a new flight school. He has a lot of students and no instructors. I am still very rusty. He keeps asking me to fly with his student pilots and also asked me to get an instructor ready to fly again who hasn't flown in over 20 years. Is this safe, and more importantly legal? He hasn't checked to see if I have a medical at least. He asks me to teach his students to land, and even asked me to train an instructor to be a CFI again who hasn't flown in over 20 years. I have explained to him that this is unsafe, but he keeps bugging me to fly with his students. He doesn't want to turn down students. Are there any repercussions for what he wants, this way I can make him understand? Thanks!

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3 Answers



  1. Russ Roslewski on Oct 28, 2019

    Do I read this correctly? You are not a CFI, but the school owner wants you to act as one and teach his students?

    Repercussions? Absolutely! You could get your pilot’s certificate revoked, get sued or even end up in jail if an incident or accident were to happen based on your unqualified instruction.

    Is there even really a question here? Not only should you say no, you should also question whether you want to fly in those planes at all. If he’s that cavalier about the big rules, how is he on the little ones (like preventive maintenance requirements)?

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  2. LTCTerry on Oct 28, 2019

    “Is this safe, and more importantly legal?”

    Well, it might be safe since you “got checked out” the other day. Is it legal?

    You are a commercial pilot. You are not an instructor. Instructors have students. Commercial pilots have passengers. The owners “students” are your passengers. Are you legal to carry passengers? What is required to carry passengers?

    -Current flight review – “still very rusty” doesn’t imply much currency. Do you have a current flight review?

    -Current medical/Basic Med/Light Sport drivers license – you’ve acknowledged you don’t have this

    -three takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days in the same category/class? Probably.

    The first two are required for solo flight. The last one is additional to carry passengers.

    Any legal pilot may let anyone take the controls. Any pilot may show people how to do things in an airplane, including t/o, landing, etc. Any pilot may let someone do that. However, for any of that to count towards any rating, it must be done with/by an “authorized instructor” – a term the FAA has defined. You ain’t one.

    I would think a commercial pilot would know these things.

    So, IMHO as a glider flight instructor working on ME Commercial and MEI, you are flying illegally. You are illegally carrying passengers. Your flight school owner is charging people for something they are not getting – think that’s called fraud.

    Is this post actually for real?

    If you want to instruct, get the school to fund your CFI training; you’ll actually be current by then. Go get a medical. You can exercise private pilot privileges with Basic Med. You can instruct with Basic Med.

    But, please do not get in an airplane as PIC until you are legal to do so. You risk your cetificates. You probably risk your employers certificates. You are cheating your “students” out of money. The $200/hour they are spending counts for zip, zero, nada towards their Part 61 requirements. Guess who’s gonna be really pissed at someone.

    I’m appalled that an instrument rated commercial pilot would do this and admit it. Just stop until you get yourself straight!

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  3. KDS on Oct 28, 2019

    I’m having a hard time getting my head around the idea that any flight school would be that desperate for flight instructors.

    As far as the safe and legal questions, that depends on the details. If the other pilot is certificated to carry a passenger and you are not acting as PIC or safety pilot, then it is legal. Safe can run the spectrum of possibilities. However, I’d also have to think twice about what his maintenance status is. It all sounds so off the wall that I would be hesitant to get in one of his aircraft regardless of who was at the controls if that is his standard of excellence and adherence to the rules.

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