The benefit of the old system for FI qualification was that AFIs had to present students for pre first solo checks, this gave some indication of the quality of airmanship and skills being taught. There was a higher experience bar (400 PIC, 200 instruction as I remember) and the FI test. One of the items I remember being covered in the test Q and A was criteria for judging someone fit to go solo.
MJ
You point about the night rating reminds be of an answer given at one of the JAA Instructor seminars regarding the currency of the instructor, particularly when it was the first NR of a new season.
The answer was that you didn't need to have 1 landing in the last 90 days at night, since the student wasn't a passenger but a member of the flight crew!
Last edited by RodgerF; 28th Jul 2003 at 17:30.