Becoming a Ground Instructor

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bigblockz8

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I was wondering if there are any ground instructors that could help me out here. I want to become a BGI in order to get my FOI out of the way (I intend to be a CFI later) as well as to expand my knowledge base and stay close to what I love. I understand what needs to be done in order to get the cert but I am worried about what it is like to not even be a pp-asel and be an instructor.

I am almost 17 and I want to study and over-study and go to the FSDO at 18 for my certificate. I am very concerned about my potential instructional quality though. As someone who doesn't hasn't even soloed aren't I basically a student pilot with a passed written and a certificate that says that I am able to teach you?

Any BGI's,IGI's, or AGI's out there that are not pilots or that do not hold the rating that they teach? The others that are, what's your take on non-pilot instructors?

I will more than likely (99.9% chance) never use the actually ground instructor rating. The FOI will be useful in the future though. What about the 0.01% chance that I find someone willing to let me instruct, I am worried about that, actually using it. I am worried about this because A. I am a student pilot, B. I am still a kid.

I know some people work on commercial and CFI ratings before turning 18 and I've had a 20 year old CFI but I am still a bit uneasy about that. FAA tests= minimum standard.

A side note, I am taking my written soon, hence the "aren't I basically a student pilot with a passed written and a certificate that says that I am able to teach you?"


 
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You're not eligible yet.


§ 61.213 Eligibility requirements


http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/tex...5&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.1.2&idno=14#PartTop (a) To be eligible for a ground instructor certificate or rating a person must:
(1) Be at least 18 years of age;


I'll let you look up the rest of the requirements yourself, as an instructional exercise! :)
It sounds as if you grasp the difference between the legal authority to do something and the ability to do something well. It is NOT required that a ground instructor be a pilot. That said, one of the criteria of being an effective instructor is being able to command the respect of the student and demonstrate that you are an "authority figure." As a young person you are at a disadvantage. There are many good CFIs who are young. Some of them are on this board! You are at a further disadvantage, however, not being a pilot and therefore not having "the chops." They are not required in order to teach effectively! However, they do make it easier in gaining the respect of the student and being able to impart some meaningful knowledge that is not contained in the typical textbook. Somehow, I suspect that, should you decide to exercise that ground instructor certificate, you want to be a good one. So this is just some stuff to keep in mind.


And yes, I have my AGI and IGI, and really haven't used either of them. I taught one aviation weather course prior to getting them, and have taught numerous non-aviation courses since earning them.
 
gprellwitz said:
You're not eligible yet.


§ 61.213 Eligibility requirements


(a) To be eligible for a ground instructor certificate or rating a person must:
(1) Be at least 18 years of age;


I'll let you look up the rest of the requirements yourself, as an instructional exercise! :)
It sounds as if you grasp the difference between the legal authority to do something and the ability to do something well. It is NOT required that a ground instructor be a pilot. That said, one of the criteria of being an effective instructor is being able to command the respect of the student and demonstrate that you are an "authority figure." As a young person you are at a disadvantage. There are many good CFIs who are young. Some of them are on this board! You are at a further disadvantage, however, not being a pilot and therefore not having "the chops." They are not required in order to teach effectively! However, they do make it easier in gaining the respect of the student and being able to impart some meaningful knowledge that is not contained in the typical textbook. Somehow, I suspect that, should you decide to exercise that ground instructor certificate, you want to be a good one. So this is just some stuff to keep in mind.


And yes, I have my AGI and IGI, and really haven't used either of them. I taught one aviation weather course prior to getting them, and have taught numerous non-aviation courses since earning them.
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I could still study and take the FOI and knowledge tests correct? Walk in on my 18th birthday and get it? I think I might use it once I have a couple 100hrs as a CFI, I should at least be proficient by then. Many many years down the road.
 
bigblockz8 said:
I could still study and take the FOI and knowledge tests correct? Walk in on my 18th birthday and get it? I think I might use it once I have a couple 100hrs as a CFI, I should at least be proficient by then. Many many years down the road.
Click to expand...
IIRC, there are no age restrictions on the test, or even signoffs necessary to take them. It's been a few years, though, and I want to encourage you to delve into the intricacies of the FARs, so I'm going to refrain from researching them on your behalf. (That's how an educator say's "I'm feeling lazy right now!" :)) And I don't think that a couple hundred hours of CFI time would be necessary. I think you have some "props" after a couple hundred hours of piloting time, presuming you're getting out of the pattern and doing some real trips. You want a) to have some real experience that you can pass along and b) to be able to impress them. Trips far away and outside the country help cover both of those.
 
Take the FOI and the appropriate tests, bring the results to the FSDO, collect your certificate.

A BGI is a completely USELESS certificate. You can teach but you can't sign anything off.

Take the FOI and the AGI and get your AGI. Take the IGI and add the instrument.
 
gprellwitz said:
IIRC, there are no age restrictions on the test, or even signoffs necessary to take them.
Click to expand...

For the AGI/BGI/IGI and FOI tests, the minimum age is 16 due to the 24 calendar month expiration (to meet the age 18 requirement).

Study up and take the AGI, don't bother with the BGI. The AGI has the same test bank as the FIA written exam. I took the AGI/IGI/FOI before my 18th birthday and then brought it to the FSDO when I turned 18. It hasn't done anything for me yet but it probably looks good on a resume and I believe you need a ground instructor certificate to get a gold seal CFI.
 
HPNPilot1200 said:
For the AGI/BGI/IGI and FOI tests, the minimum age to be used for a certificate is 16 due to the 24 calendar month expiration (to meet the age 18 requirement).

Study up and take the AGI, don't bother with the BGI. The AGI has the same test bank as the FIA written exam. I took the AGI/IGI/FOI before my 18th birthday and then brought it to the FSDO when I turned 18. It hasn't done anything for me yet but it probably looks good on a resume and I believe you need a ground instructor certificate to get a gold seal CFI.
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FTFY. I'm pretty sure they won't stop you from taking them before your 16th birthday, but all they'll be good for is bragging rights and a chance to pay $150 each just for practice tests! It's a moot point anyways since the OP is "basically" 17. (Though, what "basically" 17 is kind of escapes me! :dunno:)

Edit: Being "pretty sure" isn't the same as being right! As Jason points out in the next post, CATS establishes a minimum age to take the test.
 
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flyingron said:
Take the FOI and the appropriate tests, bring the results to the FSDO, collect your certificate.

A BGI is a completely USELESS certificate. You can teach but you can't sign anything off.

Take the FOI and the AGI and get your AGI. Take the IGI and add the instrument.
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I thought that BGI's could sign students off to take the knowledge test?
 
Why don't you read the regs and tell us :)
You need to be very good at finding regs as an instructor.
 
gprellwitz said:
It's a moot point anyways since the OP is "basically" 17. (Though, what "basically" 17 is kind of escapes me! :dunno:)
.
Click to expand...

Basically as in one more month to go. I'll study for the AGI though. I want to get that at some point and it wouldn't hurt to know enough to "teach" others for the certificate that I want.
 
ajstoner21 said:
Why don't you read the regs and tell us :)
You need to be very good at finding regs as an instructor.
Click to expand...

I initially read 61.211,61.213, and 61.125. Just wanted to verify my interpretation.
 
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