Every instructor out there usually remembers two aviation moments with great emotion as if they were yesterday: their first solo and their CFI check ride.
That initial time you took to the air, less the weight and training wheels of your instructor, was the first time you became a pilot. It was a glorious moment you likely never could have imagined. And the day you became a flight instructor can be like panting on the other side of the finish line, looking back at a 26-mile journey. They say the last few miles are the hardest, and that could not be more true of the CFI journey, as the CFI check ride is one of the most difficult to pass for any aviator.
Remembering the blood, sweat and tears that went into holding that temporary CFI certificate is why so many instructors continue to renew that certificate, long after moving on from that first full-time instructing job. A 16-hour renewal course is such a small price to pay to keep your credentials current. Whether you actively teach or not, a CFI renewal course keeps active your certificate – and your ability to teach others to fly. It is not a process that should be taken lightly or thought of as merely checking a box.
A Flight Instructor Renewal Course (FIRC) will not only talk about industry updates, but it will knock the cobwebs off information you may not have used for some time. It will put you back into the classroom and remind you of things you might have learned during your first solo. Regardless of the amount of flight experience you have accumulated, a flight instructor certificate grants you the privilege of teaching pilots as well as aviation hopefuls of all levels of experience – that includes the basics! Even if your knowledge of systems and aerodynamics and the air traffic control system is so far beyond the 101 level, as a flight instructor, you are responsible for being able to provide training to that new student that is still trying to reach the 101 level. You need to be able to go back to the basics.
Every month, around 3500 instructors need to renew their CFI certificate, and American Flyers has the pleasure of assisting over half of them, between our classroom courses and our online “FIRC for Life” program. If this is your month to renew, we hope you will enjoy the revisions to our course and use the time to make sure your CFI skills are up to date and rust-free. And if you want a little more one-on-one attention after this year’s FIRC, give us a call and let us design a short course to get you back in the teaching saddle and up in the air with your next student.
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