I doubt they would go after the signing CFI on a first or second fail. The FAA has pushed for such strict adherence to the PTS (particularly during the oral) so failures are expected. It's those who show up for repeated attempts whom will certainly draw attention to the signing CFI.
I can confirm that there is such a rumor, fueled by an article in the March 2008 NAFI Mentor. I'm working with AFS-800 to find out whether there's any truth to it. Even the article says that the one (and only one) case discussed involved a candidate who was "woefully (or was it 'dreadfully'? can't find the copy right now) underprepared."
"failed miserably" was the term I remember.
Not so. One can get an initial CFI ticket with any rating (ASE, AME, IA, whatever) but any way you do it, you get a CFI ticket -- you just have your choice of what rating to go for initially. Note also that the privileges of a CFI-IA with no other ratings are extremely limited. However, many folks want to minimize their exposure to the FSDO inspectors, and since the initial CFI-IA check is less comprehensive than the initial CFI-ASE check, they choose go for the CFI-IA first and add the ASE rating with a DPE later.
Thanks Ron. You explained it much better than I. I left out entirely the difference between the Certificate and the Rating privileges it provides for.
Though I've not experienced it, I've heard from other CFIs the FSDO is that much more difficult. It's an incentive to be that much better prepared.
Since they would likely be teaching a certificated pilot in a plane that pilot would be rated for, the instrument student would be PIC.
No more than teaching for the Instrument Rating.
I've heard it has happen but given how taxing the CFI initial can be after just the oral, I doubt it would be the best plan. My CFI oral was 4.5 hours. I've heard of them lasting as long as eight hours with FSDO inspectors with typical orals by a DPE around five hours.
In theory, no. However, the myth persists that DPE's are somehow less demanding than FSDO Inspectors. I have not seen evidence to support that. In fact, the FSDO's are very careful about which DPE's they allow to do CFI checks.
One would hope so, but I think many people don't care how they pass as long as they pass. I think you'll find these same people arguing that the airworthiness of the plane they rent is the FBO's responsibility and not theirs, etc.
The FAA Chief Counsel has said that the holder of a CFI-IA may give instrument flight training in any aircraft for which he holds the requisite category/class/type ratings on his/her pilot certificate even if s/he doesn't have the requisite category/class ratings on his/her CFI ticket. Personally, I think that's absurd, but that's what they ruled. And yes, the instructor may log PIC time because s/he is an "authorized instructor...acting as an authorized instructor." Likewise, acting as PIC is strictly a pilot certificate, not CFI ticket, issue.
The hooded training a primary student receives is (by FAA Chief Counsel interpretation) "flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments," not "instrument training," so as I read it, a CFI-IA (only) would not be authorized to give that training. As far as I can tell, the only FAA-required flight training a CFI-IA (only) can give is the 15 hours of instrument flight training for the IR, the 10 hours of instrument flight training for CPL (usually covered by the applicant's prior IR training), and an IPC. In addition, the CFI-IA (only) can give instrument ground training (including the sign-off for the instrument written), and instrument training in a flight simulation device. AFAIK, that's it.
Never heard of it, but it's not against the rules, just common sense -- I gotta figure that an initial CFI with both ratings would be a full 2-day affair.
