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4 Answers

Prior CFI Medical pulled — Solo Endorsements

Asked by: 1206 views FAA Regulations

Hypothetical situation--Prior CFI properly endorses a student for solo but then CFI's medical certificate was pulled as a result of a doctor's visit.  Are the endorsements still valid and can the student continue to solo for the remainder of the 90 days?   

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4 Answers



  1. Bryan on Nov 10, 2021

    The medical certificate controls flight privileges, not instructor endorsement privileges. 61.23 doesn’t say anything about instructor endorsements and 61.181 through 61.199 say nothing about medical certificates.

    Consider changing the hypothetical slightly. Suppose the instructor’s certificate expires partway through the 90-day solo endorsement period–would that invalidate the endorsement? No. Unless the FAA does something affirmatively to cancel the actions taken when an instructor was properly certified to issue the endorsement, the endorsement remains valid even if the instructor’s certification ceases to be valid.

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  2. KDS on Nov 10, 2021

    Yes.

    If a flight instructor loses their medical fails to renew their instructor certificate, what they did prior to that is still valid.

    There are cases where certificates were issued fraudulently and then the FAA steps in and makes a decision on what to do with the certificate holders based on the situation. However, that is a whole different matter .

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  3. Mark Kolber on Nov 11, 2021

    A CFI does not require any type of medical certification unless he is acting as the pilot in command or required crewmember in an aircraft which requires a medical certificate. That’s just a long way of saying the basic principle that the loss of a medical does not invalidate a CFI certificate, he is just as much a CFI today as when he endorsed you for solo.

    Your endorsement is still valid. But… I would ask the CFI or flight school. Although the regulations are silent in the subject, there might be school policies about it. And with that pulled medical, you are going too need another CFI anyway. Might as well get started in the process now.

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  4. rcwilbur on Nov 11, 2021

    Thanks very much for both your replies.

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