FIE "Expenses" for Instructor Flight Test

[BlueRobin]

Hi

I was talking to someone the other day who is taking a CRI course. I have by the way just passed my FI(R) exam. We were discussing the cost of the flight test. Mine was the standard £200, which I paid directly to my FIE by cheque and he is posting me an invoice. All above board then.

However my friend's Examiner wants £200, plus incurred expenses (£30 cash if memory serves), presumably for getting to/from the airfield etc.

Surely therefore

1. The examiner is self-employed and will get such costs back from the Revenue?
2. Any unclaimable expenses should be funded from the £200 fee?

Is this expenses lark a common occurence? What gives?



BR

[flybymike]

Why should the Revenue pay his expenses for him? His expenses may well be tax deductible but that is an entirely different matter.

[AlphaMale]

I'm with BR with this one. I know many contractors who get their fuel and food paid for (Father in Engineering and a friends in IT). Just keep the receipts and pass them to your accountact.

My company pay for my fuel to get to/from work.

Interesting topic all the same.

[Duchess_Driver]

My examiner flew in.

I paid the landing fee - happy to. Didn't ask for any other expenses.

[OpenCirrus619]

When I did my FI skill test it was £200 plus expenses. The expenses were a (what seemed to me) reasonable mileage rate for his car.

If I remember correctly I was given the option of taking the aeroplane up to where he was based - but that would:

• Have cost me more
• Meant I was doing my test out of an unfamiliar airfield in an unfamiliar area

so I paid up.

Seems fair to me, since I was asking the guy to spend extra time travelling to the location of my choice, to pay his mileage - it's not as if he was asking for extra for his time.

OC619

[BlueRobin]

Does the examiner bank all of the £200, or is some of it passed onto the CAA?

[TheOddOne]

My examiner flew in (as per Dutchess Driver) and only took the landing fee as deferred expenses. I think £200 is really good value for a test. The whole thing took at least 3 hours including trhe debrief and although I can't quote chapter & verse I do understand that holding an FIE does incur considerable costs, quite apart from the many thousands of £££ it tales to get to where you can be one.

My impression is that the costs are kept to an absolute minimum because the examiners are fully aware that we will only be earning a pittance when we pass.

TheOddOne

[Whopity]

The Exam fee is a figure recommended by the Examiners to be reasonable for a test. If the examiner has to travel then invariably they will charge extra for that. What they actually charge is entirely up to the Examiner.

The Examiner pays the CAA for an Authorisation to conduct tests in accordance with the CAA Scheme of charges and has to revalidate with a CAA Staff Examiner every 3 years.

I believe a Microlight Instructor Test is dearer because the BMAA also make an administrative charge, and a Test with A CAA Staff Examiner is cheaper according to the scheme of charges.

[Treadstone]

Just how much do you pay the CAA to "apply" to become an Examiner?

[horsebox]

Have just applied for a lowly ground examiner authorisation, to set and mark ppl exam papers. CAA charge is circa £240, most expensive A4 certificate ever sold me thinks..

[Whopity]

in the case of an application for appointment or re-appointment as an examiner authorised to conduct tests and sign certificates of test or revalidation for a flight instructor rating, a flight instructor rating (restricted) or an assistant flying instructor rating, a charge of £695;

Plus hire of aircraft and Staff Examiners fee for test.

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/ORS5~219.pdf

[BEagle]

Also, if you wish to become a mere FE(PPL), then every 3 years you must have your approval re-authorised every 3 years. This requires you to fly either an 'observed' or 'dummy' skill test.

Which will cost you around £200 for the FIE, £300 to the CAA and whatever the going rate is for aircraft hire.

So, if the UK IMCR disappears and UK/FE(PPL)s lose the privilege of conducting IMCR tests, that'd be a significant loss of income for you to offset the re-authorisation costs.....

[lady in red]

The FIEs agree the rate for a FI test when they meet each year at their standardisation meeting. Last year they agreed to keep the rate the same as the previous two years, hence it is still £200. It should in fact take most of a day to conduct the test properly as the flying part takes 1.5 hours, the long briefing 45 minutes, then there is the pre-flight briefing and the Q and A which is recommended to be 1.5 hours.
To my mind, having had to pay well over £1000 for the initial course then the reauthorisation every three years, this is a very fair rate for the FIT. In the real world, of course, where you would pay a solicitor over £200 an hour and an accountant a similar rate, it simply does not stack up. Even more unrealistic is the £150 for the PPL Skill test which has not been increased since 1999. For at least 5 to 6 hours work!

[DFC]

However my friend's Examiner wants £200, plus incurred expenses (£30 cash if memory serves), presumably for getting to/from the airfield etc.

In other words, the is person charges a fixed amount of £200 plus a variable amount depending on how far they have to travel to the test.

Very fair.

They can charge what they want.

The fact that the variable amount is depending on the expenses incurred makes no difference...........it is all income as far as the tax man is concerned.

From that income all the expenses incurred are deducted and the remaining is the taxable income - (Gross pay in simple terms for an individual).

Now if we have licensing, ratings, medical and other expenses to add on to the travelling expenses, you will see that the taxable income could be a lot less than £200.

So before you slate someone who is doing you a big favour just remember this-

All of that £235 is expenses that you can add to the cost of travelling and offset against your income...........so where is the problem!

Regards,

DFC