Renewal Ripoff

[juggernaut]

The old instructors renewal is coming up and i've just found out that the flight test charges have gone up from £150 to £190 for no apparent reason. Add on to this the cost of hiring the aircraft. Bearing in mind the seminar is in excess of £200 plus accomodation and travel, there seems to be little consideration given to the fact that most instructors earn a pittance and find it difficult to afford such charges. Who sets these charges? How can they justify an increase like this without consultation of the candidates? Answers on a postcard please.
P.S. as I am over 40 I also get hit for the 6 monthly medical at £120 a go and am fed up paying top dollar to people who are in well paid professional positions. What do you lot think?

[Chrisdahut1]

I instruct in the U.S. I would'nt say things are as bad (I only pay about 35 UKP for my medical every 3 years and $100 for CFI renewl), But I have noticed that checkride fees have gone up. I took my Commercial multi ride 2 years ago and it cost $250. Now it's steadily gone up to $300. The product (checkride itself) remains unchanged, but the price has gone up. I'd like an explanation for this too. Considering the examiner does on average 3 hours of work, he's getting paid $100 an hour. Why should he get paid 10 times more then me when he barely even does anything??! Hell, I'm the one giving the checkride recommendation!

Enough ranting for tonight.:mad:

[essouira]

Juggernaut - I'm with you on this one. I only instruct part-time now and it is getting to the stage when it costs me more to keep my licence than I can earn. Especially considering how many days I lose during the winter due wx and how much I spend on fuel getting to the airfield. The medical costs are barmy when you are over 40 and now all the renewal costs have gone up. I guess a lot of people like me will have to give up eventually, which will be a real problem for future students.

[BlueLine]

The fees are determined by the examiners themselves at an annual meeting. They are not bound to keep to them however, the self employed examiners consider that that is what their skills are worth.

[BEagle]

BlueLine is indeed correct in his statement regarding the 'setting of prices' by the FIEs.

You may be interested to know that this worthy body have also been instrumental in bringing about a forthcoming amendment to the JAR/FCL FI revalidation requirements; this will mean that the old '2 out of 3' option will change - and a FI flight test will become mandatory in every other Rating validity period. In other words, every FI will need to do a FI flight test at least at 6 yearly intervals.....which should prove not a lot! Plus, of course, it is the FIEs who will also stand to gain financially from this change to the regulations.

[Stan Evil]

An FI revalidation, done properly, takes a full day. Given that the examiners' fees for most other professional tests which only take half a day range from £100 to £250 I'd say that £190 was pretty reasonable. It is, after all, only a once in 3 years requirement. Actually they rose from £170 to £190 this year.

[essouira]

Can you run me through how it takes a full day ? That hasn't been my experience. Thanks

[StrateandLevel]

Arrive at 1000 Sandwich at 1300, go home at 1700. Looks like a full day to me. Once took 3 hours Brief, Fly Aural.

[excrab]

Whilst the (re)introduction of the instructor test may well benefit the FIEs don't forget that it might also benefit the students.

As things stand after completing the initial FI test one can complete 100 hours instructing and get signed off as an FI and then instruct for the next 50 years with no check on ones competence ever again - just doze at the back of a seminar and complete the required number of hours.

In commercial operations ( and in the military ) pilots are retested on a regular basis, why should flying instructors be any different.

By the way I am not an FIE and have no financial interest in the matter - but I far prefer to revalidate my instructor rating by flight test as it gives me a chance to receive constructive critisism of what I am subjecting my students to.

[juggernaut]

You seem to be missing the point. I have no problem with doing the test, indeed this is probably the tenth one I have done and it is the cost that I think is above what it should be. I frequently spend a lot of time lecturing, flying and debriefing my students as this is how I earn my living, rest assured like most of you out there I do not get paid very well and £390 which is the cost of aircraft hire plus test fee is excessive. Don't forget the £240 a year in medicals. There cant be many professions that have to pay up in order to remain in employment. P.S. I have not yet attended a seminar.