Yes! Since the FAA’s IACRA system is paperless, CFI’s traveling or living outside of the U.S., can easily apply for renewal. You must: 1. Complete the American Flyers IACRA checklist; 2. Submit your IACRA application for renewal online at https://iacra.faa.gov and, 3. Make sure our ACR has reviewed and signed your application. Faxing or emailing paperwork is not permitted. We require that you submit your application at least three days before your expiration in order to guarantee renewal.
You complete the American Flyers Flight Instructor Renewal Course and follow the instructions found on your Main Page under “Renewal Details”. The ACR will communicate with you via email and you will be notified when you can download and print your temporary certificate.
You have an opportunity to purchase the ACR Service on your Main Page under “Renewal Details” at any time.
An Airman Certification Representative (ACR) is an individual representing a specific FIRC sponsor who is authorized to accept FAA applications for renewal of valid flight instructor certificates from successful graduates of that sponsor’s program and to issue temporary flight instructor certificates. For your convenience, our ACR can accept your application via IACRA or through the mail and issue you a temporary certificate.
No! You must: 1. Complete the American Flyers IACRA checklist; 2. Submit your IACRA application for renewal online at https://iacra.faa.gov and, 3. Make sure our ACR has reviewed and signed your application. Faxing or emailing paperwork is not permitted. We require that you submit your application at least three days before your expiration in order to guarantee renewal.
Yes, you have enough time. You need to complete the online training and submit your application for renewal on the IACRA website three days before the expiration date on your back of current CFI certificate. If you are mailing your application to our FIRC Department, it must be received on or before the expiration date on the back of your CFI certificate. If you are applying for renewal through a FSDO, you must present your graduation certificate to them on or before the expiration date on the back of your CFI certificate. Be sure to call the FSDO early to make an appointment.
There is no automatic transmission of paperwork. There are three ways to submit paperwork for processing: 1. Through the American Flyers ACR using IACRA’s electronic application system; 2. Through the American Flyers ACR by physically mailing your paperwork to the FIRC Department; or, 3. Through a Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).
If you are unsuccessful at passing both quizzes an alert will be sent to our technical support team to assist you. If you haven’t heard from us within 24 hours, please call 800-268-6198 or email online@americanflyers.com.
There are a total of 2, with 2 additional back-ups. First, a randomized 30 question test and an additional remedial randomized 30 question test after Lesson 6, called a Midcourse and Remedial Midcourse quiz. The second is a comprehensive final 30 question test and an additional comprehensive 30 question remedial test, called a Final and a Remedial Final. Once you have completed the lessons (100% on both the Content and Time progress bars), you will be prompted to take the first quiz.
Once you purchased the program it is yours to use for life; however, if you choose the IACRA or ACR Service for processing your paperwork there is an additional fee each time you use one of these services.
You have to do the whole course online.
Yes, simply log back in to your account, click on the lesson you were in and then click on the “Page-Next” button till it stops you from progressing any further. This will be the spot where you left off when you were called away from your computer.
The FAA is requiring ALL FIRC providers to provide a minimum number of hours of course content. This course is constructed along FAA guidelines to be a “study” course, not a “read” course and is designed not only to refresh your knowledge of what is required of you as a Certificated Flight Instructor, but also enable you to successfully pass the quizzes to graduate from this course. To that end, the FAA now requires ALL FIRC providers to add a timer to their courses so that study time can be verified.
American Flyers has implemented this by having a clock that remains in the background, out of sight and is activated each time you open a lesson. The required study time is shown at the beginning of the lesson by the lesson title. That particular section will stay open and available to you for a selected number of minutes that are appropriate to studying and retaining the information presented. You may then proceed to the next lesson and so on. These “speed bumps” are designed to make sure that you have time to read and review the material before proceeding on.
You may go back at any time to lessons that you have already studied. The content of the course will include links to relevant websites and reports, as well as videos. Time spent on those additional resources will count toward the minimum time for that lesson. If you find you are completing the lessons quicker than the allocated time, we strongly recommend that you make use of those resources for further review. The quizzes will not become available till the Content and Time progress bars reach 100%.
The online FIRC course consists of 13 lessons. There is a quiz after lesson 6 and then again after lesson 13. All quizzes are comprised of random multiple-choice questions about the material contained in the lessons. The Final Quiz at the end of Lesson 13 is cumulative and contains randomly selected questions covering the content from all of the lessons. Pass rate is 70%. After you’ve successfully completed all of the lessons, you must submit an application for renewal.
This can be done through our ACR Service, either using IACRA or the traditional mail-in method or through a FSDO. If you choose to use IACRA you can complete your paperwork online but must submit your application on the IACRA website at least three business days before the expiration date printed on the back of your CFI certificate. This will allow our on-staff FAA ACR’s time to review, approve and sign off on the application and 8710. If you choose to mail your paperwork to our ACR, drop it off at one of our school locations, or take it to a FSDO, we must receive it prior to your expiration date.
Absolutely. Yours or ours, it makes no difference to us; we want flying the aircraft to be familiar and easy for you. You are welcome to use a club or personal aircraft for the training. We’ll have our insurance companies communicate a bit, and we’ll be ready to go. You can even leave your plane here with us between your lessons.