This is something that has been on my mind for a while. The gist of 61.3(d) is that if a flight instructor is exercising the privileges of his CFI certificate while in the airplane, he must have that certificate on board with him. This is what I don't understand, when do you ever exercise your CFI privileges in an airplane? As far as I understand things, the act of giving instruction is not a privilege in an of itself. You can give instruction as a commercial pilot without a CFI, it just won't count towards a certificate or rating. The only privilege a CFI certificate gives you is the ability to sign your name in the student's logbook and 8710 form, which you always do on the ground, outside the plane.
Lets say you're a CFI and you're about to embark on a flight with a friend of yours who is a Private pilot who happens to be working on his instrument rating. The way I guess the regulation is intended to mean is that if you're planning on giving this student instruction, and having it count towards his instrument rating, you must have that certificate on board with you. But if you're just flying for fun, then you don't need your CFI certificate onboard with you because you won't be using that certificate.
Here lies the problem: If you were ramp checked, how is the FAA supposed to determine which situation is about to occur; friendly CFI/pilot flight where no instruction is given, or pilot instruction? The act of making the instruction "official" (and therefore requireing the CFI certificate) occurs after the flight when the CFI signs the student's logbook. It seems like the FAA has no way of enforcing this regulation. What are some of your thoughts on this?
Lets say you're a CFI and you're about to embark on a flight with a friend of yours who is a Private pilot who happens to be working on his instrument rating. The way I guess the regulation is intended to mean is that if you're planning on giving this student instruction, and having it count towards his instrument rating, you must have that certificate on board with you. But if you're just flying for fun, then you don't need your CFI certificate onboard with you because you won't be using that certificate.
Here lies the problem: If you were ramp checked, how is the FAA supposed to determine which situation is about to occur; friendly CFI/pilot flight where no instruction is given, or pilot instruction? The act of making the instruction "official" (and therefore requireing the CFI certificate) occurs after the flight when the CFI signs the student's logbook. It seems like the FAA has no way of enforcing this regulation. What are some of your thoughts on this?