Ref. G-KEST:
The bit about "Ron Campbell used the concept of "knowledge level indicators" to ensure that a potential instructor... " smacks of AOPA tinkering again.
Let's just consider what if anything is wrong with the current system:
I for on ethink that apart from the Class 1 med. (IMHO it need not be more than Class 2) there isn't anything wrong.
If the cost of obtaining FI(r) status is too much then I do hope that it is a governing feature so that the numbers of instructors do not increase on a "wish" basis and remain on a "need" basis.
That way we may one day have a career instructor market at last.
Ref. Say Again Slowly:
Personnally I think that an instructor should not only understand the theory at a level above the PPL, they should also have the perspective of post PPL flying for pleasure. If such an instructor has many thousands of hours in an airline environment but hardly flies in the post PPL environment then he has little insight into the world of PPL flying.