Public Message Forum
Hi folks,
Is anyone else concerned by the recent email from Jason Blair that seems to indicate that if you renewed your CFI ticket via the Master program then decided to resign from NAFI, your CFI ticket is null and void?
I read the copy of the Letter of Authorization from the FAA to NAFI and the graph below is what seems to indicate that.
Anyone know differently???
Meg
> Therefore, any NAFI Master Instructor that renewed his or her Flight Instructor Certificate on the basis of the NAFI Master Instructor program who relinquishes or fails to maintain either their NAFI membership or NAFI Master Instructor status for the duration of that certificate may be voiding their Flight Instructor certificate.
>
If one reads Jason's letter with care one would note that he said "may", not "shall". If I might refer everyone to the Introduction to every Practical Test Standard, one will find the that the term "may" indicates that the action is desirable or permissive, but not mandatory. Only the terms "shall" and "must" are mandatory.
As Jason is a DPE I would like to think that he is aware of this subtle, though often overlooked distinction, and is trying to use it to create fear and distrust. I sadly feel that Jason is being less than truthful and his writings only stir the pot some more in a very unfortunate situation.
I have taken action to get to the heart of the matter by going directly to the folks at AFS 800, and hope to have a truthful and accurate answer early in the coming week. In the meantime I ask that you do not overreact.
Hopefully this whole sordid affair, which is giving the Master Instructor program a black eye, will come to a proper and honorable conclusion!
The Master Instructor program provided one way to renew the Flight Instructor certificate among the several other methods to renew. I think it rather bold for Jason to state that the certificate may be void if we don't hold a Master Instructor certificate if that was our method of renewing. It was the FAA that renewed my certificate, not NAFI or the Master Instructor program.
I e-mailed Jason Blair about the issue and this was his response.
Jason Blair
to me
While you are correct that the actual renewal is through FAA authority, it is through an approved program that is written and approved as has been submitted and approved by the FAA. The stipulations of that process are what the renewal is based on. If those conditions are not met, it becomes invalid. While the renewal is an FAA approval, it is based on a program with a set of conditions. That is the reason that there is the potential that this could nullify a renewal, based on the conditions that the FAA originally agreed to and signed with NAFI. This is something that we found a few months ago and are working to remedy in the future with some of the proposed administrative and programatic changes we are working on. While it may "not seem right", it is as it was approved by the FAA.
--Jason
It seems as though your renewal was completed on a certain date and that until you need to renew, and if you choose to use the Master CFI method, that you may need to be a member of an organization that allows renewal. You could choose to renew through another method. Its a two year cycle. If you want to renew through the Master CFI means, they you will need to be able to satisfy those conditions. Any method has conditions whether its membership or attendance or participation in a series of activities and results. Let's see what surfaces.
My CFI renewal was not based on the NAFI MCFI method, so I am not that concerned for myself. However, it is going to be interesting to see if this interpretation holds up by the NAFI definition after the FAA takes a stand. I bet it is not going to be easy to get an answer from them either!
What Jason wrote is just one more of the many reasons why SAFE was started in the first place. The FAA wrote those words, and the intended meaning was not as Jason is interpreting it. The FAA would NEVER revoke a certificate if you quit NAFI. Sometimes working at FAA HQ has it's advantages for rumors, and believe me the FAA is quite aware of those statements by NAFI. Hope Jason keeps up the good promotions for SAFE.
Hello All,
We all need to keep our cool throughout this process - and it will be a process. There is a "battle" going on, and things will be said by some that may or may not be based in fact. The other organization has concerns for its programs and for losing members, and is very likely to "infer" (veiled threats) that some things are a certain way when, in fact, they are not.
One thing is for certain. The renewal of the CFI is done BY the FAA, not by any organization or program, and it is an instantaneous act - not a "timed" act. If, for example, one attends a FIRC, one gets a document saying that this has been accomplished (past tense) according to the FAA guidelines, and that document can be used to renew the CFI for the next three months after completion. The same is true of the MASTER designation (either original or renewal). The designation is based on PAST activity, and the Master designation can then be used for three months after it is granted to renew the CFI. What the instructor does in the future (after renewal of the CFI) is relevant only to the next time they come up for certificate renewal (baring any violations, etc., in the meantime, of course), not what has already been certified.
I have not been privy to the actual LOA itself, but I am relatively certain that the FAA would not have language in that document that specifies that in order for the renewal to continue to be valid the person MUST remain a member of said orgainzation for the full two years of that certificate. One would have to be a member of the sponsoring orgainzation at the time of designation or renewal to meet the requirements of gaining the designation or renewal and then using it to renew the CFI - but once renewed, that is past history.
We will likely see more of this kind of thing, and what we all need to do is retain our professional demeanor and not react, or over react, to the threats that will undoubtedly be made. Let's make sure that we distinguish SAFE by our professional responses as we have done so far.
Have a SAFE day!
Alan
I think further proof that NAFI's claim that a CFI certificate can be null and voided if a CFI cancels his/her membership after using the NAFI method to recertify is this: NAFI does not require an instructor to be a member of NAFI to sit in or take one of the NAFI FIRC programs offered. An example being the WIA or Fantasy of Flight events.
I hope this family feud doesn't last forever!
