#10 I've only instructed in centerline thrust multiengine aircraft for the military (F-15, T-38, T-37, F-14, F-18, A-10, etc). Will they give me Airplane Multiengine on my new Flight Instructor Certificate, and if so will it be restricted to centerline thrust aircraft? No, they won't give you Airplane Multiengine on your new Flight Instructor certificate. They also won't give you Airplane Single Engine because a centerline thrust airplane is still a multiengine airplane, not single engine. But they will give you an Instrument airplane rating on your flight instructor certificate.

FAA will not issue "Airplane Multiengine" on a flight instructor certificate to a military IP who only instructed in centerline thrust airplanes. Click here for a copy of the June 10th FAA memo on this subject. They also won't issue "Airplane Single Engine" to a centerline thrust multiengine only IP because a centerline thrust multiengine airplane is still multiengine, not single engine.

The good news is that Military Competency to Flight Instructor is still a great deal, even if the only rating you get on your Flight Instructor certificate is Instrument Airplane. The golden part of this regulatory change to allow military competency to a Flight Instructor certificate has always been that it allows military IPs to "clep" out of the dreaded Initial Instructor check ride that has to be done with an FAA Inspector (not a designated examiner), has a 6+ hour ground eval, a 2+ hour check ride, and has a 66% initial failure rate. By getting any Flight Instructor certificate (including Instrument Airplane) for just doing a short written test, a person "cleps" out of the Initial Instructor checkride... and therefore every rating after that which a person wants to add to their Flight Instructor certificate is accomplished thru a simple added rating checkride instead (flown with a designated examiner.... so shorter ground eval, shorter check ride, etc). So you're still getting a CFII Certificate to put on your resume, you're still clepping out of the Initial Instructor check ride, and you will still have to fly check rides for anything else you want to add to the certificate. All things considered, it's still a very good deal.

Once you have your flight instructor certificate with an Instrument Airplane rating on it, you can add airplane single engine or airplane multiengine in one of two ways: 1) if you get IP qualified in another military aircraft that is multiengine, non-centerline thrust or if you get IP qualified in a single engine airplane, you can add those ratings by just taking in your qualification paperwork (form 8, NATOPS form, etc). 2) you can take the FIA test (Flight Instructor Airplane) and then fly an added rating checkride with a designated examiner.

This FAA interpretation for centerline thrust does not in any way affect helicopter IPs, it does not affect people who were IPs in single engine airplanes, and it does not affect IPs who taught in non-centerline thrust aircraft. It only affects the issuance of Airplane Multiengine on the flight instructor certificate of someone whose only multiengine IP time in the military was in a centerline thrust aircraft.

The following aircraft are considered centerline thrust aircraft (ref. 8900.1 Vol 5, Chap 1, Sec 4):

a) T-2B/C Rockwell Buckeye.

b) T-37 Cessna 318.

c) T-38 Northrop Talon.

d) F-4 McDonnell-Douglas Phantom.

e) F-111 General Dynamics F-111.

f) F-18 Northrop-McDonnell-Douglas Hornet

g) A6-E Grumman American Intruder.

h) A-10 Fairchild Republic Thunderbolt II.

i) F-15 McDonnell-Douglas Eagle.

j) F-14 Grumman F-14.

k) F-117 Lockheed Stealth.

I) F-22 Boeing/McDonnell F-22.

Alternatively, AC 61-89E defines the following aircraft as Center Thrust limited:

Cessna 336/337, T-37

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt

General Dynamics F-111

Grumman A6-E Intruder

McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom

McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle

Northrop/McDonnell-Douglas F-18A Hornet

Northrop T-38 Talon

Rockwell International T2 Buckeye