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3 Answers

CFII currency

Asked by: 11515 views ,
Flight Instructor, Instrument Rating

To act as a CFII in vfr or ifr conditions do you need to be instrument current in order to log dual given and pic?

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3 Answers



  1. Wes Beard on Mar 18, 2011

    To answer this question we need to figure out a couple things.  The instructor can log dual given and PIC time if they are an authorized instructor.  In this case, an authorized instructor is one with category, class and type (if required) with instrument privileges on pilots license, and category, class and instrument privileges on instructor certificate.
     
    Note: This is different from previous years where the instructor only had to have instrument privileges on the flight instructor certificate.  The rules were changed in early 2010.
     
    To fly an aircraft in VFR or IFR requires a pilot in command.  So the question becomes, if the student is current to act as pilot in command under VFR or IFR then the instructor does not have to be current.  If the student is not current, the instructor must be current for the type of operation.  Most likely, if the student is getting an instrument rating they are unable to act as pilot in command under IFR / IMC conditions and then the instructor has to be current.
     
    To sum things up: VFR – CFII does not have to be instrument current.  IFR – CFII has to be instrument current

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  2. Matthew Waugh on Mar 22, 2011

    As always, LOGGING and ACTING as PIC are different.
     
    You do not need to be instrument current to log dual given and PIC.
     
    However somebody has to be ACTING as PIC, and that person does have to be current for the regulations under which the flight is conducted. So if those regulations are IFR, somebody has to be instrument current, but there is no specific requirement that it be the CFI-I.

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  3. Micah on Mar 22, 2011

    Both good answers above. The CFI certificate has been a common question here so it may be useful to understand what it is and how/why it is different from the pilot certificate.
     
    Despite being told that earning your PPL is really a “license to learn,” the CFI certificate is quite literally a “certificate to teach.” This is an FAA authorization to provide instruction. This certificate has an expiration (must be renewed) unlike the pilot certificate which remains valid unless revoked (the pilot certificate is valid even if you are not current, but that doesn’t mean that you can legally fly if you are not current). 
     
    So what is your question then? What does a CFII need in order to (1) instruct, using instructor privileges on the instructor certificate, (2) act as pilot using one of the appropriate pilot privileges on a pilot certificate, or (3) log flight/dual given/pic time per the regulations that apply to logging time?
     
    Think through that (with the help of the regs and good answers like those above) and see if the answer to your question is more clear.
     
    A helpful comment is that the instructor may frequently have the privilege of logging PIC time (and do so legitimately) when that instructor is not acting as PIC (and not making any such representation.) This distinction is described above. Also, Matthew aptly tweaks Wes’s answer. An IFR student (receiving the -IA rating) will not qualify for PIC under IFR rules, but an -IA rated pilot receiving recurrent training can act as PIC and any instructor providing training to that “student”/pilot is not required to be current and act as PIC so long as the pilot receiving instruction is current and acting as PIC.

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