Finally Getting Paid to Talk About Flying

t0r0nad0

t0r0nad0

Pattern Altitude
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
2,078
Location
Houston, TX
Display Name
Display name:
PJ Gustafson
Well, as I announced a while back I earned my AGI certificate at the end of June. This past Monday I got a job offer from a local flight school that contracts with a local community college to teach classes for its aviation program. So, starting on August 27, I'll be teaching 16 weeks of Aviation Safety for 3 hours a night, one night a week.

According to the course catalog, the Aviation Safety course is:

"A study of the fundamentals essential to the safety
of flight. A survey of the aviation industry including
decision-making factors, accident reporting,
accident investigation, air traffic systems, and aircraft​
technologies."

There is a book that they use, but I'm not sure which one it is yet. I'll be getting it this week and will be building a syllabus around it. I'm pretty excited and I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will be a lot of fun, a great opportunity for me to learn, and I'll be getting paid for it!
 
Congratulations!

Sounds like a blast. I have always wanted to teach... I just haven't decided what I would want to teach yet.
 
PJ, when you get the book and develop the syllabus, see if you can get WINGs credit assigned.

Also check your contract to see if the employer retains rights to what you developed - if not, you can also teach the course elsewhere.
 
PJ, that's a pretty neat gig. Have fun with it.
 
Nothing beats getting paid to babble about what you love!
 
mjburian said:
Congratulations!

Sounds like a blast. I have always wanted to teach... I just haven't decided what I would want to teach yet.
Click to expand...

Thanks. My job used to involve traveling to client facilities and teaching them how to use our company's software. I got promoted so now I'm in the office, developing curricula for our on-site people to use, leading web lessons, developing recorded lessons, but no more classroom stuff. I really missed the teaching part of it (but not the travel). So, this was a good way for me to combine a couple of things that I really enjoy. I always say that the best advice I was ever given was to find something that you love to do and would do for free, then charge money for it. For me, talking about flying qualifies.

TMetzinger said:
PJ, when you get the book and develop the syllabus, see if you can get WINGs credit assigned.
Click to expand...

Wow, good idea, I'll do that!

TMetzinger said:
Also check your contract to see if the employer retains rights to what you developed - if not, you can also teach the course elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I'm not on a contract, I'm actually employed as a ground instructor at the flight school that contracts with the college to teach the course. My understanding as of right now is that the curriculum I develop is mine, and I can take it wherever I want afterwards.

This is also a foot in the door to the flight school, as they also do Private, Instrument, and Commercial ground school through the college, as well as a few other classes. I can also get on the schedule to tutor students who need a little extra help on their ground school subjects as well.

Lance F said:
PJ, that's a pretty neat gig. Have fun with it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but I know one guy who lucked out more than I did into an even cooler one... I think you know him, he lives in your mirror.

AWACSEng said:
Nothing beats getting paid to babble about what you love!
Click to expand...

Amen!
 
Okay, here are a couple of technical questions about AGI-related things:

The FAR's dealing with recent experience requirements for a ground instructor:

§ 61.217 Recent experience requirements.

The holder of a ground instructor certificate may not perform the duties of a ground instructor unless, within the preceding 12 months:
(a) The person has served for at least 3 months as a ground instructor; or
(b) The person has received an endorsement from an authorized ground or flight instructor certifying that the person has demonstrated safisfactory proficiency in the subject areas prescribed in §61.213 (a)(3) and (a)(4), as applicable.
Click to expand...

So, my first question is, does teaching a 16-week Aviation Safety class, which will deal with aeromedical factors, adverse weather, mechanical issues, recommended and proper procedures, and more qualify as "serving for at least 3 months as a ground instructor" mentioned in 61.217(a)?

Second question - I earned my AGI on 6/30/08. I have not served any time as a ground instructor. Do I need to get the endorsement described in 61.217(b) before I can exercise the privilege, or does passing the test and earning my certificate cover me until 6/30/2009?
 
As I see it:

Yes, you're serving as a ground instructor. You should log the time in your logbook, as well as documenting it in class records

No, the clock starts when you get your certificate, same as a BFR applies to a pilot - it's not necessary until you've been certificated more than a year.

This is a really vague reg - how does one "serve" for three months? Is that full time, part time, or what?
 
TMetzinger said:
Yes, you're serving as a ground instructor. You should log the time in your logbook, as well as documenting it in class records
Click to expand...

Is there a specific way I should log this? Should I get a separate "instructor" logbook to track this time separately from my pilot time?

TMetzinger said:
No, the clock starts when you get your certificate, same as a BFR applies to a pilot - it's not necessary until you've been certificated more than a year.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying this.

TMetzinger said:
This is a really vague reg - how does one "serve" for three months? Is that full time, part time, or what?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is very vague. The way I read it is having taught in three separate months within the preceding twelve.
 
t0r0nad0 said:
Is there a specific way I should log this? Should I get a separate "instructor" logbook to track this time separately from my pilot time?
Click to expand...

As a CFI I log all instruction given, including time, date, what, who, where -- the works.

Any logbook that satisfies the recency of experience requirements will suffice, as long as it can be signed.

I track all the data used in the Form 8710 in a spreadsheet.
 
How do you log ground instruction as opposed to flight instruction?
 
I haven't been logging it but I should. It has no value as far as the FAA is concerned but would be a good record of experience accumulated while teaching for a future gig in aviation education. I may add a column to Logbook Pro for that very purpose.
 
t0r0nad0 said:
Okay, here are a couple of technical questions about AGI-related things:

So, my first question is, does teaching a 16-week Aviation Safety class, which will deal with aeromedical factors, adverse weather, mechanical issues, recommended and proper procedures, and more qualify as "serving for at least 3 months as a ground instructor" mentioned in 61.217(a)?

Second question - I earned my AGI on 6/30/08. I have not served any time as a ground instructor. Do I need to get the endorsement described in 61.217(b) before I can exercise the privilege, or does passing the test and earning my certificate cover me until 6/30/2009?
Click to expand...

TMetzinger said:
As I see it:

No, the clock starts when you get your certificate, same as a BFR applies to a pilot - it's not necessary until you've been certificated more than a year.

This is a really vague reg - how does one "serve" for three months? Is that full time, part time, or what?
Click to expand...
When I made the mistake of asking the FSDO the same question as I was getting my AGI, they noted that there is no provision in the recency of experience rule for just receiving the certificate. Note that, unlike the various pilot certifications or ratings, this certificate is granted on the basis of a knowledge exam only; no practical examination is necessary. So they said that to exercise the privileges of the certificate, even after just having received it, one would need an endorsement. It wasn't a problem; any ground or flight instructor can sign you off.

So, if you've never gotten an endorsement, get one. That way, there's no question whatsoever.
 
PJ - congrats on the new certificate and part-time gig.

I had a similar scenario - got my AGI, then started teaching a PPL ground school shortly after. I just signed off my first class for their writtens a couple weeks ago.

As far a logging, I just keep a separate notebook with the topics discussed, and number of hours each night. It's not an "official logbook" I suppose, but it is a way of keeping track of what each class was about, and the time to get through the material, and should be sufficient should anyone ask to see what was covered.
 
gprellwitz said:
When I made the mistake of asking the FSDO the same question as I was getting my AGI, they noted that there is no provision in the recency of experience rule for just receiving the certificate. Note that, unlike the various pilot certifications or ratings, this certificate is granted on the basis of a knowledge exam only; no practical examination is necessary. So they said that to exercise the privileges of the certificate, even after just having received it, one would need an endorsement. It wasn't a problem; any ground or flight instructor can sign you off.

So, if you've never gotten an endorsement, get one. That way, there's no question whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Is endorsing another instructor a privilege of the certificate? If so, how did the first instructor ever teach? There'd have been nobody to endorse him!

If not, then two newly-minted AGI's can endorse each other on the way out of the FSDO.
 
Is there a publication with guidelines for the verbage necessary when making such an endorsement or when endorsing someone to take a knowledge exam?
 
TMetzinger said:
Is endorsing another instructor a privilege of the certificate? If so, how did the first instructor ever teach? There'd have been nobody to endorse him!

If not, then two newly-minted AGI's can endorse each other on the way out of the FSDO.
Click to expand...
No, they couldn't, because neither would be current at that point! A CFI doesn't need the initial endorsement, presumably because they went through a practical examination.
 
gprellwitz said:
No, they couldn't, because neither would be current at that point! A CFI doesn't need the initial endorsement, presumably because they went through a practical examination.
Click to expand...


I think that's your FSDO's interpretation.

Paging Cap'n Ron... any insights? Does a newly minted AGI (after walking out of the FSDO), really need a signoff from another "current" instructor to start teaching?
 
t0r0nad0 said:
Well, as I announced a while back I earned my AGI certificate at the end of June. This past Monday I got a job offer from a local flight school that contracts with a local community college to teach classes for its aviation program. So, starting on August 27, I'll be teaching 16 weeks of Aviation Safety for 3 hours a night, one night a week.

According to the course catalog, the Aviation Safety course is:

"A study of the fundamentals essential to the safety
of flight. A survey of the aviation industry including
decision-making factors, accident reporting,
accident investigation, air traffic systems, and aircraft​
technologies."

There is a book that they use, but I'm not sure which one it is yet. I'll be getting it this week and will be building a syllabus around it. I'm pretty excited and I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will be a lot of fun, a great opportunity for me to learn, and I'll be getting paid for it!
Click to expand...

Which school?
 
So here's an update. I just went ahead and got a CFI friend of mine to endorse me... it seemed like the easiest "CYA" method of doing this. I had an extra log book lying around, so I'm going to make that my ground instruction log book. My CFI friend also recommended that I log it in my main pilot log book as well, so I'll do both, I think. I talked to my Regional FAASTeam Manager and asked about WINGS credit, and his response was that we can absolutely do it. I'm still working out the final details of how.

I just need to put the finishing touches on my syllabus (I consulted with a friend of mine who is a math professor at another local university about this) and finish my first lesson plan, and I'll be all set for class to start tomorrow evening. I'm a little nervous, but mostly just really excited about doing this. It should be a lot of fun!
 
TMetzinger said:
I think that's your FSDO's interpretation.
Click to expand...
Nope, it's black-and-white. "The holder may not perform..unless within the preceding 12 months..."

Ther's nothing like that for flight instructors.

It is one of those never enforced or hardly ever heard of regs.

Kinda kike most of us (I did) always thought the FI renewal was good for the Flight Review. Who knew?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top