INITIAL REQUIREMENTS:
For BFA Flight Instructor:
1. Must be a current BFA Member
2. Must hold an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate, Lighter-than-air, Free Balloon
3. Must have a minimum of 75 hours/50 flights
4. Must meet ONE of the following requirements:
a. Passing grade on the Fundamentals of Instruction Knowledge Exam
b. May possess a valid teaching certificate issued by a State Department of Education.
c. May be an FAA Certificated Flight Instructor (category/class immaterial)
d. May be an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner for LTA, Free Balloon
For BFA Master Flight Instructor:
1. Must be a current BFA member.
2. Must have completed 24 months as a BFA Flight Instructor.
3. Must have a minimum of 150 hours/100 flights
4. Must have attended a BFA sanctioned safety seminar within the previous 24 months prior to application.
5. Must have successfully trained a minimum of five (5) pilots to certification, either at the Private or Commercial level, within the previous 36 months.
RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS:
For either BFA Flight Instructor or BFA Master Flight Instructor renewal, any two of the following must be completed
1. Have attended a BFA sanctioned safety seminar within the previous 24 months.
2. Have attended a BFA Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic, or a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) Recurrency Seminar which meets FAA requirements for recertification of a CFI (category/class immaterial), or in the case of an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, have completed the required biennial training.
3. Have successfully trained a minimum of three (3) pilots to certification, either at the Private or Commercial level, within the previous 36 months.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
A request for designation as a BFA Flight Instructor or BFA Master Flight Instructor may be made on the attached application, and forwarded with the appropriate fee ($10 for Flight Instructor, $20 for Master Flight Instructor) to:
Balloon Federation of American
P.O. Box 400
Indianola, Iowa, 50125
PREPARED BY: Dave Sullivan, Committee Chair, Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics
LAST UPDATED: January 3, 2012
The purpose of the BFA Flight Instructor Program is to recognize, with the designation of BFA Flight Instructor, those commercial Lighter-than-Air pilots who are already involved (or desire to become involved) in flight and ground instruction by providing continuing education opportunities. The BFA provides a listing of Flight Instructors/Master Flight Instructors on our web site, supporting those individuals who have made the personal commitment to teach.
