AOPA Air Safety Institute tapped for recurrent CFI training

The 16-hour in-person course coaches instructors through a variety of educational, safety, and decision-making material above and beyond the flight skills and regulations they routinely teach to their students.

Some of the nearly two dozen topics discussed during the mandatory flight instructor refresher course are the NTSB’s hot-button issues of loss of control and runway safety. However, the clinics also present modules on ethics and professionalism, delivering effective flight reviews, using modern technology in the cockpit, and more.

Flight instructors said the real-world discussions were lively and refreshing and brought different points of view into play, a real benefit for those attending the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s in-person clinics.

“With today’s commercial airline pilot shortage, keeping flight instructors qualified is extremely important to the health of our nation’s transportation system,” said AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President George Perry. “We are privileged to have been selected by the state of Arkansas to provide this critically important training to flight instructors.”

The state will pay for the bulk of the training, said Perry, a substantial economic benefit for the instructors who routinely pay for such recurrent training out of their own pockets.

Flight instructors are generally required to complete their training at least every 24 calendar months, with exceptions spelled out in 14 CFR 61.197.

The Air Safety Institute provides over 300 online safety resources, such as videos, courses, and publications, and its programs are used by pilots more than 2 million times annually. An online flight instructor refresher course is also available.