How To Use the FIRC ACR Paperless Renewal ServiceUpdated 4 months ago
For your convenience, Sporty’s is pleased to offer paperless Airmen Certification Representative (ACR) renewal service to process your CFI renewal and issue a temporary CFI certificate. Traditionally a flight instructor would take the graduation certificate to the local FSDO to processes the renewal. Be aware that this process will require an appointment well in advance and require specific identification procedures. With the FAA stretched thin on manpower, be prepared to experience delays with the local FAA inspectors reluctant to perform duties outside their normal routine. Using Sporty's Paperless renewal service alleviates these obstacles and simply requires 3 business days to complete so plan accordingly.
Complete the FIRC
Before purchasing and requesting the paperless renewal you must first complete the Sporty's Pilot Training electronic Flight Instructor Refresher Course (FIRC). Sporty's FIRC is free for any flight instructor and can be access through Sporty's Pilot Training CFI Portal.
Purchase the paperless renewal
You can purchase the paperless renewal at anytime but it will not become active until you have completed the FIRC and requested the graduation certificate. Once the graduation certificate is requested and the ACR service is purchased, the document upload form becomes active.
Complete the IACRA ApplicationComplete and submit the IACRA Flight Instructor Renewal Application before you navigate to the ACR request form and upload the required documents. Be certain that your name in IACRA is your legal name and identical to your current Flight Instructor certificate. Your photo identification should also match this name. PLEASE ENSURE that you have COMPLETED and SIGNED your application on IACRA to prevent any delays.
Submit Documentation
The ACR request form will require your FTN from IACRA as well as a scan of the front and back of your unexpired Flight Instructor Certificate. Also upload a clear picture or scan of a photo ID acceptable to the FAA that we can use to verify your identity. Provide the rest of the required details and submit your request.
Temporary Certificate
Once your documents are submitted, a Sporty's Airmen Certification Representative will be notified and begin to process your request. You will be emailed directly with an attached copy of your temporary flight instructor certificate once the application is complete.
Important Information
Remember that this process takes up to 3 business days. Please submit your request to allow enough time to process before your certificate expires. You can request a flight instructor certificate renewal up to 90 days in advance of your expiration date. Be on the lookout for an email from [email protected] with your temporary instructor certificate attached. If you don't find it after 4 business days, check your SPAM folder first before contacting Sporty's.