Training and Proficiency

FAA Drops Expiration Date on CFI Certificate

A renewal based on activities is still required.

Tuesday, October 01, 2024 at 03:43 PM ET

Verified

The agency’s new rule aligning flight instructor certificates with other airman certificates goes into effect December 1. [File Photo/ Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is removing the expiration date for flight instructor certificates, effective December 1, to align them with other non-expiring airman certificates and realize cost savings.
Despite the removal of the expiration date, instructors must still renew their certificate every 24 calendar months through methods such as a Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic (FIRC), acquiring an additional instructor certificate, or specific instructional activity, including successful practical test endorsements.
The new rule introduces a three-month grace period for lapsed instructors to regain privileges via an FIRC, instead of requiring a checkride, and mandates instructors note "recency of experience" in logbooks rather than an expiration date.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The FAA is removing the expiration date of flight instructor certificates, it announced Tuesday.

The agency’s new rule aligning flight instructor certificates with other airman certificates goes into effect December 1.

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.