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Advanced Ground Instructor (AGI)
Becoming an AGI is as “simple” as taking two written tests, it does not require a checkride! The two written tests are the:
- Advanced Ground Instructor knowledge test (AGI)
- Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI) (note: check FAR §61.213 (b) to see if you are exempt from taking the FOI, which is likely if you’re a professor, teacher, or a flight instructor)
After taking and passing both written tests, schedule a visit to the regional FSDO to obtain your ground instructor certificate.
Sport CFI
The aeronautical experience requirements to become a sport pilot instructor in a single-engine airplane are much less than those required to become a CFI without a sport pilot rating. In essence, they are:
- 150 hours total time (at least 50 in a single-engine airplane)
- 100 hours PIC (powered aircraft)
- 25 hours of cross-country (at least 10 in a single-engine airplane)
- 15 hours PIC in a light sport aircraft
Resources
Aviation Instructor’s Handbook – This FAA handbook goes over instruction concepts that you can expect to see in the FOI exam.
CFI to CFI Newsletter – AOPA publishes a CFI-centered newsletter. You can read the electronic versions online for free.
Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors (AC 61-65) – Now that you have the ability to give endorsements, you need to know how to write them! This useful Advisory Circular contains all of the endorsements needed for each certificate and rating, and the correct verbiage to use when writing them.
Related & Recommended Books
- The Flight Instructor’s Manual by William K. Kershner
- The Flight Instructor’s Survival Guide by Arlynn McMahon