Ground instructor only

edessa

edessa

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
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358
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Highland Heights, OH
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Display name:
edessa
Back story:
I am an A&P I.A. going on 28 years and I have my PPL with 110 hours. Lost my job back in May and I just accepted a position with a non profit to be an aviation instructor at a high school. I will be teaching aviation maintenance and flight training. The non profit is paying for all my training through CFI but I have 270 days from hire date to complete the training.
Part of this is that I have to have my ground instructors license within 30 days of hire date so I can start with the students sooner than later.
Question is this: has any one here at one point had only the ground instructors license?
How long did it take you to go through the training and pass the tests?
 
I work with a pilot who has ground instructor but not CFI. I don't know how long it took him, but it seems to me you could do this in a few weeks.
 
I had my Advanced and Instrument ground certificates before my CFI and CFII. If you use Shepard Air’s study program I would think you could pass your FOI, AGI and IGI in less than 10-15 days if you really dive in to it.

As to IR, CPL and CFI in 270 days, that seems aggressive, but doable if the weather and airplane availability works and you can fly 3 days a week.
 
You will have addressed a lot the “Flight” portion with the COMM. You will need to

pass “ Principles of Instruction “ for both Ground & Flight Instructor Cert.

Understanding concepts such as “ Negative Transfer “ is essential.
 
I’m not familiar with it but it’s probably a good idea.
 
I must be confused.

to be a ground instructor, getting paid, I thought first required commercial

Getting flight hours for commercial seems the bigger issue.

am I wrong?
 
No commercial certificate required for ground instructor certificate. You cannot flight instruct or provide loggable instruction in a simulator with a ground instructor certificate.
 
DesertNomad said:
I had my Advanced and Instrument ground certificates before my CFI and CFII.
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Is my memory wrong or did the Advanced Ground Instructor Cert also include the IGI privileges back in the stone age, when I took the tests? [Empahsis added]

I took the Basic and Advanced exams and the Dispatcher exam as a practice for the CFI and ATP Certs. I added my CFI and I-A shortly after...
 
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Currently, AGI and IGI are two separate certificates.

AGI grants BGI privileges, but not IGI.
 
4RNB said:
I must be confused.

to be a ground instructor, getting paid, I thought first required commercial

Getting flight hours for commercial seems the bigger issue.

am I wrong?
Click to expand...

§ 61.215 reads: A person who holds a [Basic/Advanced/Instrument] ground instructor rating is authorized to provide-

No mention of any Pilot certificate needed.
 
DesertNomad said:
I had my Advanced and Instrument ground certificates before my CFI and CFII. If you use Shepard Air’s study program I would think you could pass your FOI, AGI and IGI in less than 10-15 days if you really dive in to it.

As to IR, CPL and CFI in 270 days, that seems aggressive, but doable if the weather and airplane availability works and you can fly 3 days a week.
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Plan is to go South and just knock out each license.
 
IK04 said:
Is my memory wrong or did the Advanced Ground Instructor Cert also include the IGI privileges back in the stone age, when I took the tests? [Empahsis added]

I took the Basic and Advanced exams and the Dispatcher exam as a practice for the CFI and ATP Certs. I added my CFI and I-A shortly after...
Click to expand...

I believe that it used to, not sure exactly when it changed though, probably before 2000.
 
1978 and 2004:
61.215(b): A person who holds an advanced ground instructor rating is authorized to provide:
(1) Ground training in the aeronautical knowledge areas required for the issuance of any certificate or rating under this part;
(2) Ground training required for any flight review; and
(3) A recommendation for a knowledge test required for the issuance of any certificate under this part.

2009:
(b) A person who holds an advanced ground instructor rating is authorized to provide:
(1) Ground training on the aeronautical knowledge areas required for the issuance of any certificate or rating under this part except for the aeronautical knowledge areas required for an instrument rating.
(2) The ground training required for any flight review except for the training required for an instrument rating.
(3) A recommendation for a knowledge test required for the issuance of any certificate or rating under this part except for an instrument rating.

Before 2009, an AGI could "provide ground training required for the issuance" of an instrument rating (probably unintentionally due to poor attention to detail by whomever wrote the original regulation). But could not give an IR knowledge test recommendation (because an instrument rating is not a certificate) or an IPC. Now an AGI can't do anything related to instrument ratings at all and quite explicitly so. So it appears there was never a time where an AGI was equal to BGI+IGI.
 
dmspilot said:
I believe that it used to, not sure exactly when it changed though, probably before 2000.
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Before the mid-90s. That is when I did mine and the AGI covered the BGI, but the IGI was separate.

But never looked that closely as to what you could teach, as I had my CFI and II, so always taught based on that.

I have seen mention of a point in time where the IGI either did not exist or was redundant to the AGI, like the BGI is.
 
As mentioned, 270 days is a short time for Instrument, Commercial, and CFI. 270 days from hire date - I assume you'll be flight training full time, and not doing it and working at the same time?

As far as material, I've used Gleim. But also check out Sporty's.
 
edessa said:
Plan is to go South and just knock out each license.
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How are you going to go away south and also be teaching ground school in Ohio at the same time? 270 days is just shy of 9 months, or one academic year. Even the aggressive pilot puppy mills don't churn out people at that rate.
 
For perspective - instrument rating took as long as ppl.
 
The ground ratings are a joke. Anyone can take a few days, memorize questions, and get the cert. literally ANYONE. No aviation experience necessary. None.

My wife, who is terrified to fly even commercial, could be an instrument ground instructor and sign you off for a written next week.
 
What type of high school offers flight training? High schools now don’t even have Drivers Ed. Nice school!
 
sarangan said:
How are you going to go away south and also be teaching ground school in Ohio at the same time? 270 days is just shy of 9 months, or one academic year. Even the aggressive pilot puppy mills don't churn out people at that rate.
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It's part of the job to get my rating so I wont be teaching when away for training.
 
sarangan said:
How are you going to go away south and also be teaching ground school in Ohio at the same time? 270 days is just shy of 9 months, or one academic year. Even the aggressive pilot puppy mills don't churn out people at that rate.
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He’s starting with 110 hours. It shouldn’t be THAT difficult.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
He’s starting with 110 hours. It shouldn’t be THAT difficult.
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He'll need 50 hours of X country for the IR, so hopefully he's close.

edessa said:
It's part of the job to get my rating so I wont be teaching when away for training.
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They are paying you a salary while paying for all of the costs to get you to CFI and you're full-time job now is just getting the training? Is your new employer still hiring? WOW!


Or maybe better yet - is there an age limit to attending this high school that will give me flight training? I'd like to get my commercial and CFI. :)
 
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edessa said:
Back story:
I am an A&P I.A. going on 28 years and I have my PPL with 110 hours. Lost my job back in May and I just accepted a position with a non profit to be an aviation instructor at a high school. I will be teaching aviation maintenance and flight training. The non profit is paying for all my training through CFI but I have 270 days from hire date to complete the training.
Part of this is that I have to have my ground instructors license within 30 days of hire date so I can start with the students sooner than later.
Question is this: has any one here at one point had only the ground instructors license?
How long did it take you to go through the training and pass the tests?
Click to expand...

Shepard Air all day long!!

My story is very similar to yours. Like you I’m also an A&P. I also did my FOI, AGI, IGI first. I later did my CFI, CFII, and MEI.

Like someone else has already said, Take the FOI, AGI, and IGI written exams using the Shepard Air prep software.

After you take and successfully pass all 3 written exams, then you make an appt with your local FAA FSDO. Hopefully the FAA FSDO will allow you to make an appt. If so, they will process the 8710 in IACRA for the ground instructor certificate at no cost to you. I’ve heard they have been deferring all certification issuances to DPE’s, depending on your FSDO.

If you’re at a flight school, then I would also consider working with the DPE the flight school uses. Since you are providing the DPE business, he may just go ahead and do the ground instructor certificate issuance for you instead of using the FAA. I would also use the flight school airplanes to go to knock out all of your ratings. Why go to another school?

Eventually, when you go take your CFI checkride, you will not have to take the FOI exam again. Your ground instructor certificate will suffice as the FOI written requirement when you show up for your CFI Checkride.

When you study for your IGI exam, I would also take the instrument airplane exam and the Flight Instructor Instrument - Airplane (CFII) written exam. All three exams are basically the same written exams.

The same goes for your AGI. When you take the AGI, go ahead and also take the CFI Airplane exam. I believe those 2 are also the same exams.

Good job on getting the IA. I plan to take my IA written this year. Hopefully that is the very last FAA written I will ever have to take.

Good luck!
 
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WDD said:
What type of high school offers flight training? High schools now don’t even have Drivers Ed. Nice school!
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We have an agreement with our local school district. High school juniors and seniors can apply for "Aviation 101," which gives them school credit for private pilot ground school. They do academic classes at their school, and then fly our simulator with our CFIs. They also get an introductory flight lesson, and a trip by air to Oshkosh to tour Fox Valley Technical College, which has a two-year aviation program. Of the roughly two-dozen students each year, three or four will continue with us as private pilot students. If they go on to Fox Valley, they get commercial, instrument, instructor and ME ratings. If they are interested in airline careers, the credits from Fox Valley transfer to UW-Oshkosh for a four-year degree.
 
WDD said:
What type of high school offers flight training? High schools now don’t even have Drivers Ed. Nice school!
Click to expand...

North-Central Texas, medium-sized town - Granbury does. They even have an older 172, but there has been some concern over the perceived abuse of the off-hour use of the plane by an administrator and other school employee through personal flights. They may end up selling the plane and just using the local flight school for actual flight training.
 
Nassau County Fl. Two of the high schools in the district have a private pilot ground school class. The district owns a DA-20 that was donated and the students can do flight lessons at a reduced cost. The local EAA chapter provides a couple of scholarships every year for students to complete their private pilot certificate.
 
Update:
I passed my AGI knowledge test last night and just need the FOI done to be a ground instructor. Hopefully no more than a week.
I am working on getting to start my instrument training in May sometime and then my commercial in June. Both will be at CRAFT at their KCHS location.
I need to fly 130 hours between now and June to be ready for the commercial training. Good thing I have access to a plane where I can build the requirements.
 
Gold Seal is working with about a dozen high schools around the country doing ground school programs. It is definitely becoming a very popular "thing".
 
texasclouds said:
Bruh, you need to go read the FAR AIM. Frfr
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What's a FAR AIM? That publication only exists in the imagination of some money grubbing publishers.
There's the FARs and there's the AIM. You won't find word boo about ground instruction in the AIM.
 
flyingron said:
What's a FAR AIM? That publication only exists in the imagination of some money grubbing publishers.
There's the FARs and there's the AIM. You won't find word boo about ground instruction in the AIM.
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But you will in the FAR.
 
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