FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)Planning Instructional Activity and Instructor ResponsibilitiesHard
A flight instructor has already given 7.5 hours of dual flight instruction to three different students since 0600. At 1800 the same day, a fourth student requests an additional 1-hour lesson before dark. According to 14 CFR 61.195, may the instructor conduct this additional lesson?
- AYes, because the 8-hour limit applies separately to each individual student
- BNo, because the total flight training would exceed the 8-hour limit allowed in any 24-consecutive-hour period
- CNo, because flight instructors may not exceed 6 hours of flight training per calendar day
- DYes, because instructors may exceed 8 hours as long as a rest break was taken
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. No, because the total flight training would exceed the 8-hour limit allowed in any 24-consecutive-hour period
Under 14 CFR 61.195(a), a flight instructor may not conduct more than 8 hours of flight training in any 24-consecutive-hour period, regardless of how many different students are involved. Adding the requested 1-hour lesson to the 7.5 hours already given (7.5 + 1 = 8.5 hours) would exceed the 8-hour limit, so the instructor may not legally conduct it.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The limit applies to total flight training given by the instructor, not per student.
- C. The regulatory limit is 8 hours in 24 hours, not 6 hours per calendar day.
- D. No rest-break exception exists that allows exceeding the 8-hour total.
61.195(a) Instructor Flight Time Limitation
A flight instructor may not conduct more than 8 hours of flight training in any 24-consecutive-hour period, regardless of the number of students trained.
- Limit is 8 hours of flight training in any 24-consecutive-hour period.
- Applies to total hours given, not per individual student.
- Designed to prevent instructor fatigue during flight instruction.
Memory trick: 8 is the gate — no more flight training hours after that, no matter who's waiting.