3Dreaming wrote:drseti wrote:3Dreaming wrote:Paul, instructing is not a commercial pilot activity. You are being paid for teaching not flying.
Yes, Tom, I understand that, and agree. By the same token, as a DPE, I am not being paid for flying (in fact, except in cases of an emergency, I am NOT supposed to fly). I am being paid for performing a quality control function for the FAA. So, shouldn't I similarly be able to do so under Basic Med?
Paul, I think you should be able to act as a DPE under BasicMed.
You had just said for the second time in this thread that instructing was a commercial pilot activity. I don't agree with that.
I agree with you 3D. It has always been hammered in my head that any activity of "giving flight instruction" is not a Commercial activity and does not require a Medical Certificate unless they are a REQUIRED CREW MEMBER while instructing.
Now with Basic Med,
my belief is the GAME HAS CHANGED. Since giving flight instruction has been determined by the FAA to be a Non-Commercial Flying Activity, my stance is that any CFI, even when acting as PIC or a Required Crew Member, can fulfill that role with only Basic Med. They are NOT flying for compensation or hire. They are teaching for compensation or hire. If the student were to have a heart attack and die. The pilot would be compliant with all FAR's to fly and land.
I also believe when the dust settles, the FAA will advise DPE's that they only need Basic Med to conduct checkrides. The premise is, the applicant is and always has been the PIC and if they were to croak, the DPE can fly and land, compliant with all FAR's.
When the FAA makes a significant change to the FAR's like this, it's so complex that no one can anticipate the far-reaching effect it has. They can make a change in ink pen color required to complete FAA forms and one of the results may be airliners crashing into mountains because pilots can't see their writing under red cockpit lights. LOL
BE ADVISED: DO NOT call or write the FAA to get an answer. This usually results in their Legal Department writing some binding letter that goes 180 degrees against what the FAR's authors (and often the AOPA) intended the new FAR to allow.
Bryan Cobb
Sport Pilot CFI
Commercial/Instrument Airplane
Commercial Rotorcraft Helicopter
Manufacturing Engineer II, Meggitt Airframe Systems, Fuel Systems & Composites Group
Cartersville, Ga
[email protected]