I’m a Class 4 instructor right now.
I know that I am not allowed to do Freelance Flight Instruction, but I’ve always been curious about freelance ground instruction.
I would develop my own syllabus, follow the required material as well as log everything as per the CARS. I know in an FTU, anyone can teach it as long as they are appointed by the CFI.
Any input would be appreciated!
Can Class 4 Instructors do Freelance GROUND Instruction?
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, Right Seat Captain, lilfssister, North Shore
Re: Can Class 4 Instructors do Freelance GROUND Instruction?
There is no standard that says who ground school has to be taught by. Only that if taught at an FTU the CFI has to approve the instructors.
This is my interpretation of the rule (CAR Standard 421.13(3)) about a letter of recommendation being required to sit the ground exam for (eg) the PPL:
The letter of recommendation for the PPL written exam must be provided "from the Flight Training Unit or from the flight instructor who is responsible for the training of the applicant". Since a Class IV instructor outside an FTU cannot be responsible for "training" an applicant, you would not be eligible to provide such a letter, so you couldn't "self-certify" your own groundschool. But if the FTU or Class-3-or-better freelance instructor who is responsible for training the student approves of your ground school and will provide a letter of recommendation for your student then that's fine.
This is my interpretation of the rule (CAR Standard 421.13(3)) about a letter of recommendation being required to sit the ground exam for (eg) the PPL:
The letter of recommendation for the PPL written exam must be provided "from the Flight Training Unit or from the flight instructor who is responsible for the training of the applicant". Since a Class IV instructor outside an FTU cannot be responsible for "training" an applicant, you would not be eligible to provide such a letter, so you couldn't "self-certify" your own groundschool. But if the FTU or Class-3-or-better freelance instructor who is responsible for training the student approves of your ground school and will provide a letter of recommendation for your student then that's fine.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
Re: Can Class 4 Instructors do Freelance GROUND Instruction?
I more or less agree with this although the idea the Class IV can't provide the letter since he/she is "outside the FTU" is not correct in practice since we have online ground schools like Harv's Air who provide the letter to recommend even when they have never provided any of the "training" outside of the online ground school.
The current rules are written from the days before we had online ground schools.
With online ground schools, there really is no "FTU" that is "responsible for the training"; there are multiple FTU's that are jointly responsible for the training.
Or I suppose that we could have one FTU do a ground school only, and then years later the student goes to a new, different FTU and polishes off the flight training and the new FTU issues the recommend to sit the PPAER having never done the ground school. In this case I would assume the new FTU would offer up a diagnostic exam upon which the recommend could be justified. Again it would be a joint responsibility thing.
Bottom line for the student would be to get all of the ground school wherever taken properly entered and signed into their PTR, which would have to be from a certified FTU or freelance Class 3 or higher.
I wonder if the USA system is better, where I understand they have a system of independent certification of ground school instructors (who don't have to necessarily also be flight instructors) who themselves can issue recommends for writtens.
The current rules are written from the days before we had online ground schools.
With online ground schools, there really is no "FTU" that is "responsible for the training"; there are multiple FTU's that are jointly responsible for the training.
Or I suppose that we could have one FTU do a ground school only, and then years later the student goes to a new, different FTU and polishes off the flight training and the new FTU issues the recommend to sit the PPAER having never done the ground school. In this case I would assume the new FTU would offer up a diagnostic exam upon which the recommend could be justified. Again it would be a joint responsibility thing.
Bottom line for the student would be to get all of the ground school wherever taken properly entered and signed into their PTR, which would have to be from a certified FTU or freelance Class 3 or higher.
I wonder if the USA system is better, where I understand they have a system of independent certification of ground school instructors (who don't have to necessarily also be flight instructors) who themselves can issue recommends for writtens.
