A fast-paced, highly interactive certificated flight instructor refresher course developed jointly by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation and industry pilot education leader Jeppesen is now available online.
The innovative 16-hour online course is fully FAA approved and can be used to renew all valid and current FAA flight instructor certificates and ratings. (Flight instructor certificates, unlike other pilot certificates, expire every two years). In addition, the new ASF/Jeppesen course allows chief instructors for FAA-approved flight schools to renew their designation yearly.
"Instructors know that experience counts, and this innovative AOPA Air Safety Foundation and Jeppesen online course reflects 110-plus years of combined expertise in pilot education," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "Supported by up-to-the-minute technology, it's a must-have not only for CFIs, but for those planning to become instructors."
The new $149 course features bright, targeted graphics, short video and audio clips, and concise modules explaining a variety of topics within each of the 16 required subject areas. Interactive exercises reinforce the knowledge presented, and links within modules point to other Web sites with additional information.
The ASF/Jeppesen Flight Instructor Renewal Course Online is the latest option for continuing CFI education, supplementing ASF's longstanding live weekend clinics, which will continue. Like the live presentations, the online course offers instructors real-world advice on subject areas such as:
- Teaching Flight Safety
- Why CFIs Fail Checkrides
- Using GPS
- Weather for Pilots
- Airport Operations, including a just-developed module on avoiding runway incursions
Within each area, a range of topics explores various facets of the subject. After a participant completes all topics within a subject area, a 10-question multiple-choice quiz becomes available. A score of 70 percent or better allows advancement to the next subject. After all 16 modules and quizzes are completed, the ASF/Jeppesen participant completes and prints an online FAA Application for Certificate or Rating (FAA Form 8710-1), provides identifying documents, exam scores, and an affadavit of "unassisted completion," and submits the documents via U.S. mail or an express courier.
A temporary FAA flight instructor certificate is then issued, valid for 120 days or until receipt of the permanent certificate from the FAA. There is no additional charge for issuance of the temporary certificate.
"It's convenient, innovative, comprehensive, easy, and affordable," said Landsberg. "This ASF/Jeppesen online course is a combination of bright new multimedia, the teaching techniques of ASF's live clinics, and the superior graphics content of Jeppesen's pilot training materials."
A free trial lesson is available, allowing CFIs to experience firsthand how new technology can make CFI certificate renewal a rewarding experience.
Flight instructors renewing their certificates may enroll at any time but must complete the course prior to expiration of their FAA flight instructor certificate. To keep the same CFI certificate expiration month, course completion must be no earlier than three calendar months prior to the certificate expiration month.
For more information or to enroll, go to www.cfirenewalonline.com or call 800/621-5377.
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation was founded in 1950 to promote general aviation safety through research and pilot education. It has offered fast-paced, informative live Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics since 1976, helping more than 7,500 CFIs per year revalidate their teaching certificates.
Jeppesen is recognized as the world's leading provider of flight information, flight planning services, aviation weather services, maintenance information, and pilot training systems. In 1989, Jeppesen was the first to introduce a home-study course for flight instructor renewal, with video and printed material organized in an easy-to-use format.
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