As of July 1, 2024, the Bahamas Customs & Excise Department has imposed substantial and egregious fees on pilots flying General Aviation aircraft on recreational flights. Pilots should be mindful of these new and additional fees before considering flying to the Bahamas. Read More
Get extra lift from AOPA. Start your free membership trial today! Click here

5 tips to help you renew your CFI certificate

Some flight instructor refresher courses can be dry, monotonous, tedious, and downright painful—but not the Air Safety Institute’s eFIRC. Here’s why:

1. Air Safety Institute courses count toward your certificate renewal. Have you taken an Air Safety Institute online course? If so, you could easily be on your way to completing the requirements for your certificate renewal. These Air Safety Institute courses, if completed within the two years prior to your CFI expiration date, will count as credit toward your renewal: IFR Insights: Cockpit Weather, Public Benefit Flying: Balancing Safety and Compassion, and Mountain Flying.

2. You can customize the course. The FAA requires some core topics to be covered as part of the FIRC. After you cover the core topics, why not finish your refresher course with topics that interest you personally? The eFIRC allows you to customize your CFI renewal experience with elective courses that are pertinent to your needs. Choose six of these elective lessons: Customer Service and Student Retention, Decision Making, Human Factors, Loss of Control Accidents, Runway Safety, Survival, IFR Insights: Cockpit Weather, Public Benefit Flying: Balancing Safety and Compassion, and Mountain Flying.

3. It’s tablet-friendly. Technology has afforded you the luxury of taking the eFIRC at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home or anywhere you have internet connection. The eFIRC can be accessed from your tablet or smartphone so you can work on completing your study and tests when you have time in your schedule.

4. It’s lively and interactive. Most FIRCs are text-intensive courses, which can make the processes tedious. The eFIRC brings you a high-quality multimedia experience with video and visual animations. You’ll access video from aviation experts so you can learn from the best of the best. Many lessons provide visuals that are interactive, enhancing your learning experience.

5. The paperwork process is easy. You can easily fill in the information on the FAA's virtual 8710 form through the IACRA system and upload a copy of your government-issued photo ID and CFI card to AOPA. AOPA sends a graduation certificate/temporary certificate once they validate your info and confirm you passed the course which you can print and use as your temporary certificate. 

Have more questions? Access the FIRC frequently asked questions here.

Start your eFIRC today! 

Topics: AOPA Air Safety Institute, Training and Safety, AOPA

Related Articles