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3 Answers

100 hour inspections and providing flight instruction

Asked by: 4893 views
FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Student Pilot

I am a CFII and I have a friend who is a private pilot and owns his own airplane. If he hires me to give instruction in his airplane towards his instrument or commercial single rating, does the airplane need a 100 hour inspection? If yes, at what point does the 100 hours start ticking? I'm assuming it starts from whatever the tach time is when starting the engine for the first flight for instruction.

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3 Answers



  1. John D Collins on May 27, 2015

    No. You are only providing instruction and not also providing the aircraft, which triggers the 100 Hour inspection requirement for flight trainng in 91.409.

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  2. Mark Kolber on May 28, 2015

    Cole, you are a CFI. What is the applicable regulation? What does it say?

    If your student asks whether he needs to start paying for 100-hour inspections and you give him John’s answer and the student says, “show me where it says that” what will you do?

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  3. Kris Kortokrax on May 28, 2015

    It is also important to note (from a financial standpoint) that 91.409 requires the inspection within the preceding 100 hours “time in service”.

    Neither “flight time” nor “time in service” begin when you start the engine.

    “Time in service” is defined in Part 1 as time from the moment an aircraft leaves the surface of the earth until it touches it at the next point of landing.

    Most helicopters have a Hobbs meter connected to the collective so that time is only accrued when the helicopter is not on the ground.

    Same thing for most twin engine (non trainer) airplanes (weight on wheels switch).

    Cirrus airplanes also have a separate Hobbs meter to track time in service.

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