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6 Answers

CFI medical expired/Flight reviews

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Flight Instructor

I have a CFI whose medical has expired and will not be able to get another because of health issues. He would like a Biennial Flight Review. I thought you only needed a BFR if you were going to act as PIC. The only privileges he would exercise would be to give BFR to other pilots who could act as PIC.

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6 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Oct 08, 2015

    Chris,

    A medical is not required to give instruction, however, if the instructor needs to act as the PIC or needs to be a required crew member such as when acting as a safety pilot for another pilot who is simulating instrument conditions, then a medical is required.

    So the instructor may conduct a flight review without a current medical, but not an instrument proficiency check as long as the other pilot is authorized to act as PIC and is doing so during the flight review.

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  2. Chris A. Hook on Oct 09, 2015

    John-
    I appreciate your response. My real question is does my friend need a Biennial Flight Review every 2 years to keep his CFI/Private/Commercial certificate current? I understand he does not need a medical to act as a flight instructor. A pilot has to have a BFR to act as PIC but since he will not be acting as PIC does he still need one. I have never had to do a BFR for someone who did not have a current medical.
    Thanks
    Chris

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  3. Russ Roslewski on Oct 09, 2015

    I don’t see why a CFI would need a Flight Review if he did not have a medical and therefore couldn’t act as PIC anyway.

    Note though, that this does limit him to giving training to pilots who are fully capable of legally acting as PIC. Which means he can only give Flight Reviews to pilots if theirs hasn’t already expired. So if your FR expires July 31, he can do it for you on July 31, but not on August 1.

    Obviously he will not be able to train Private Pilot or Instrument Rating/IPC applicants (can’t act as safety pilot). He will also not be able to train for complex/high performance/tailwheel/high altitude endorsements. Also no actual IMC with pilots who aren’t instrument current. It does get kind of limiting.

    He could still train Commercial applicants and ATPs.

    He will still need to keep his CFI certificate current through the usual means – FIRC, activity, etc.

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  4. Kris Kortokrax on Oct 09, 2015

    Think Sport Pilot. He could give primary training or training for a tailwheel endorsement in a Light Sport airplane. He could act as PIC of that Sport Airplane without a medical certificate, however, he would need a Flight Review in order to act as PIC.

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  5. William Brynjo on Oct 12, 2015

    He couldn’t act as a required pilot or PIC in a light sport plane, because he has a known medical issue that would prevent him from gaining a normal medical certificate.

    FAR 61.53

    (b) Operations that do not require a medical certificate. For operations provided for in § 61.23(b) of this part, a person shall not act as pilot in command, or in any other capacity as a required pilot flight crewmember, while that person knows or has reason to know of any medical condition that would make the person unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner.
    (c) Operations requiring a medical certificate or a U.S. driver\’s license. For operations provided for in § 61.23(c), a person must meet the provisions of—
    (1) Paragraph (a) of this section if that person holds a medical certificate issued underpart 67 of this chapter and does not hold a U.S. driver\’s license.
    (2) Paragraph (b) of this section if that person holds a U.S. driver\’s license.

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  6. Kris Kortokrax on Oct 13, 2015

    You need to read what you have posted. It is paragraph (a) that would not allow him to act as PIC if he has a condition that would prevent him from obtaining a medical certificate.

    Paragraph (b) speaks to a medical condition that would prevent him from operating a given flight as PIC based upon his status at the time of the flight.

    Paragraph (c) directs one to paragraph (b) if one is only required to hold a driver’s license.

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