Is getting an Advanced Ground Instructor rating worthwhile?

BigM · March 20, 2006

Hello All,

I am going to be taking my written tests for FOI and CFI in the next week or two, with my CFI checkride following shortly thereafter (I hope!).

My question is, according to the FAR's, and the pilot test preps. the question pools, as well as the information I am studying are the same for the Advanced Ground Instructor rating as they are for the rotorcraft CFI (with a few fixed wing and glider questions thrown in).

I know that the DPE for our operation has an AGI, but I don't know anyone else that has one. I plan on asking my CFI next week what he thinks of it, but could anyone give me some constructive input.

It would seem to make sense to take the AGI test at the same time as your CFI test when you are all studied up, and as you renew your CFI in the future, the AGI would renew along with it. The only negative is that I would have to spend $90 for the initial test and rating.

I am planning on doing instruction for a while after getting my CFI (and double I), so it would seem that the AGI would be a good additional credential to have. In the ASA test prep, it only indicates that you must pass a written test to get the AGI, does anyone else have a AGI rating, and is this true?

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Kwasimoto

delorean · March 20, 2006

All you need to do is take the test.....Take the FOI and AGI test results to the FSDO, and they'll issue you an advanced ground instructor certificate (don't forget to bring it to your CFI checkride as a substitute for your FOI test results!!) Or, if you already hold a CFI, just take AGI results and your CFI certificate to the FSDO.

The "advanced" allows you to sign off commercial students and CFI versus just private students with the "basic" ground instructor. The only advantage of a CGI (basic or advanced) over a CFI......it will allow you to sign off people for knowledge exams in ANY catagory and class versus just the one(s) you hold on your CFI.

Now the instrument ground instructor rating (IGI) is something you should get. It will allow you to instruct in a simulator even if you do not hold an instrument rating or CFII in cat/class or at all.

If you ever get a copy of the Part 61 FAQs that the FAA used to put out, you'll see that they admit that they screwed up when they wrote the whole section on Ground Instructor certification. I think they originally wanted everyone to get their BGI first, then you could apply for the AGI and IGI (or something like that.....)