The end of the independent CFI?

Unless AOPA succeeds in turning back the latest over the top foolishness
from the (T)oo (S)tupid to pay attention to anything except (A)viation, I
think we may see the end of the freelance CFI. Insurance is already forcing
most out because the cost of giving one BFR a year is the same as a full
load of students. Now they will have to take recurrent security awareness
training and keep records of it even if they don't take on any foreign
students.

It's going to be real tough for outfits like our club that depend on CFI's
that are not beholden to the local FBO's.

--

Roger Long

Hopefully AOPA can reign these TSA nitwits in. Because of idiotic things
like this I can see a lot of independent CFI's stop instructing. I instruct
part time
and I can't imagine having to take "recurrent security classes" and notify
the TSA if I get a student from England. Oh, and make sure I send them his
photo! What crap! Have you ever seen the TSA at the airport? I think THEY
need "recurrent security classes". As their all high fiving each other that
they
found another nail clipper, 6 people just went through with guns. McDonalds
still hasn't recovered from the labor shortage they incurred when the TSA
started hiring....... ; - )


"Roger Long" wrote in message
. ..
Unless AOPA succeeds in turning back the latest over the top foolishness
from the (T)oo (S)tupid to pay attention to anything except (A)viation, I
think we may see the end of the freelance CFI. Insurance is already
forcing
most out because the cost of giving one BFR a year is the same as a full
load of students. Now they will have to take recurrent security awareness
training and keep records of it even if they don't take on any foreign
students.

It's going to be real tough for outfits like our club that depend on CFI's
that are not beholden to the local FBO's.

--

Roger Long

"Roger Long" wrote in message
. ..
Unless AOPA succeeds in turning back the latest over the top foolishness
from the (T)oo (S)tupid to pay attention to anything except (A)viation,

It is not just aviation. Yesterday we went to the Puyallup Fair. They were
searching bags and purses for weapons at the gate. If you did not have any
parcels like that the security guy just asked if you were carrying any
weapons and waved you through if you said "no."

If you said "yes" and showed him a pocket knife he would tell you that you
can't bring it inside the fairgrounds and you had to go through the search.
Of course, they are selling all kinds of knives, chainsaws, tools,
implements, fertilizer and other explosives, and many other items that could
be used as weapons or easily turned into weapons inside the Fair. One vendor
had a line of people while he sharpened their knives for free. Guess all
those people must have lied to the security guy. Oh well.

Weird Al Yankovic was playing last night to a very enthusiastic audience.
Sounds plenty dangerous to me.

"Peter MacPherson" wrote in message
newsP64d.236053$mD.42866@attbi_s02...
Hopefully AOPA can reign these TSA nitwits in. Because of idiotic things
like this I can see a lot of independent CFI's stop instructing. I
instruct
part time
and I can't imagine having to take "recurrent security classes" and notify
the TSA if I get a student from England. Oh, and make sure I send them his
photo! What crap! Have you ever seen the TSA at the airport? I think THEY
need "recurrent security classes". As their all high fiving each other
that
they
found another nail clipper, 6 people just went through with guns.
McDonalds
still hasn't recovered from the labor shortage they incurred when the TSA
started hiring....... ; - )

ROFLMAO

Its insane.... typical that these gov. pinheads want something done they
place the burden on responsible hardworking (underpaid) citizens. Then
of course, they can apply the full blame to GA if anything goes wrong
instead of themselves. What BS.

If the US government was in *ANY* way serious about preventing BAD foreigners
from getting into the country and causing trouble they would OVERHAUL immigration
and secure the borders.... entirely. Let them do a background check on all first
time flight training applicants if they are that freaked out but the burden should
*NOT* be on the CFI or training schools.

I tend to disagree. I'm an independent CFI, and my insurance is only
about $500 per year to teach in non-owned aircraft. Expensive?
Perhaps. But most independent CFIs I know have other careers, and
teach because they want to teach. For us, $500 is an annoyance, but
not one that would cause us to quit teaching. Right now, I might only
teach 4 or 5 students per year (and a few BFRs on top of that), so
essentially I am teaching for less than the $25 an hour I charge,
because the first $500 goes to pay for my CFI insurance, but I do it
because I *want* to, not because I'm getting rich off of it, or
because I have dreams of slogging a 737 around the airways for
Southwest.

I think there will always be a cadre of interested and motivated
independent CFIs. It will be smaller in number if insurance goes up to
$1000 per year, but they will still exist. I also tend to see this
nonsense from the TSA as being the 'thesis' of a dialectic with
reality; the AOPA and practicality will force them into a synthesis
that isn't overly burdensome to general aviation.

Cheers,

Cap


"Roger Long" wrote in message ...
Unless AOPA succeeds in turning back the latest over the top foolishness
from the (T)oo (S)tupid to pay attention to anything except (A)viation, I
think we may see the end of the freelance CFI. Insurance is already forcing
most out because the cost of giving one BFR a year is the same as a full
load of students. Now they will have to take recurrent security awareness
training and keep records of it even if they don't take on any foreign
students.

It's going to be real tough for outfits like our club that depend on CFI's
that are not beholden to the local FBO's.

I sure hope you are right.

--

Roger Long

"C J Campbell" wrote in message ...
"Roger Long" wrote in message
. ..
Unless AOPA succeeds in turning back the latest over the top foolishness
from the (T)oo (S)tupid to pay attention to anything except (A)viation,

It is not just aviation. Yesterday we went to the Puyallup Fair. They were
searching bags and purses for weapons at the gate. If you did not have any
parcels like that the security guy just asked if you were carrying any
weapons and waved you through if you said "no."

If you said "yes" and showed him a pocket knife he would tell you that you
can't bring it inside the fairgrounds and you had to go through the search.
Of course, they are selling all kinds of knives, chainsaws, tools,
implements, fertilizer and other explosives, and many other items that could
be used as weapons or easily turned into weapons inside the Fair. One vendor
had a line of people while he sharpened their knives for free. Guess all
those people must have lied to the security guy. Oh well.

I was stopped because I was wearing a belt buckle that showed a pistol
on it. The reason given?...."It might scare someone...."
Talk about nitwits?

Weird Al Yankovic was playing last night to a very enthusiastic audience.
Sounds plenty dangerous to me.