A new direct to final rule issued Sept. 16 by the FAA introduces a subtle but substantive change for CFI candidates, and according to NAFI chairman of the board Robert Meder, "This is a good thing." The new rule considers practical tests flown for the issuance of a flight instructor certificate, or renewal of a flight instructor certificate, or the addition of a rating to a flight instructor certificate, or reinstatement of the certificate, as meeting 24-calendar month flight review (BFR) requirements. Without specific conditions, they previously did not. The rule goes into effect Nov. 15, and until then, practical test rides for flight instructor candidates will continue to be treated as different from other ratings. It will not automatically satisfy the requirements of the BFR. AVweb spoke with Meder Thursday, and he was optimistic about the change.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/faa-on-the-cfi-practical-as-bfr