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Here’s a comment we received today. “As a local designated pilot examiner and independent CFI I’m deeply concerned about the direction the city is taking with their proposed rules.”
If you’re a pilot or aircraft owner, do you ever use independent CFI’s and/or independent A & P’s? Do you feel they should be able to serve the users of the Bend Airport?
My own personal response to this is…
I hear it can be difficult to schedule a check ride with a DPE at times. There aren’t that many, and there’s a lot of people getting licenses and ratings. ANY DPE that wants to serve the Bend Airport should be WELCOME.
As for CFI’s, we have a few independent CFI’s at the airport, and most of them have YEARS of experience. When you take a BFR or get instruction, you’ll get more for your time and buck with a seasoned CFI. Our flight schools have CFI’s, but many of them are relatively new pilots.
As for independent A & P’s (And inspectors), I found it a good practice to have different persons looking at my plane at annual inspection time. Independents expand the list of choices. Also independents are often willing to come to YOUR aircraft for repair work or inspections. Last, you may find an independent to have a lot of specialized experience with your aircraft type and brand.
I routinely use independent instructors and mechanics.
CFI’s I use are all very experienced in multiple types of aircraft including jets and airlines and have many years of real world experience outside of the training ‘bubble’ of Bend. The kind of training I need for BFR’s is highly aircraft specific (Cirrus) and is safety critical that the instructor knows the aircraft and its highly advanced avionics at least as much, but hopefully more than I do. This makes me a safer pilot and provides income opportunities for the instructors. I would not hire any CFI from one of the flight schools that has probably never flown further than Klamath Falls or Portland. I find that younger CFI’s coming out of larger programs tend to have a know-it-all attitude and have something to prove when flying outside of the ‘system’
As said, mechanics provide another set of eyes. Many independent mechanics are specialized in certain aircraft types, especially important for experimental’s and vintage aircraft. Current shops on the field are seeing a mechanic shortage and have a lot of mechanics in training that do not have a great wealth of knowledge or experience.
Another point on this that is somewhat concerning. How do they intend to enforce this policy? Is every airplane with more than one occupant going to be stopped and questioned if there’s an independent CFI on board. Is every person turning a wrench on an airplane going to be stopped and asked who they work for?
To add a piece to this puzzle: Pilots who build their own airplane from scratch often apply for, and receive a mechanic’s certificate, specific to their own aircraft. That gives them the legal authority to do ANY mechanical work on their own airplane. Of course, it would be silly to require that pilot/mechanic to become a full-time mechanic with an established shop, just so he can service his own airplane. That is one of the reasons pilots build their own airplane, to be able to do the mechanical inspections and work themselves.
I believe the way it is written, although not directly stated, an owner/builder is still able to work on their own airplane without restriction. The document does state that if you want anyone else to work on your aircraft they 1. Have to be an employee, 2. Cannot be an ‘independent’ mechanic. Implies that you must take it to a certificated repair station (Leading Edge) to have any work done.
The City doesn’t appear to realize that the Insurance company has more opinion about which flight instructor is suitable to instruct you in your airplane than the FAA does. The City appears to believe that any newly minted flight instructor working for an FBO is sufficient to instruct you in your multi million dollar airplane.
Your insurance company probably will not agree. In my experience, experienced instructors that your Insurance company will like are Independent Flight Instructors.
Chris Shaker
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