Free Course Eases Disruption for Instructors

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is offering its electronic Flight Instructor Refresher Course (eFIRC) free to members affected by the apparent closure of AceCFI. The FAA approval for AceCFI’s FIRC expired on September 30, 2025, leaving some instructors unable to complete their renewals.

“Within hours, AOPA started hearing from many AceCFI customers. For many, this happened right in the middle of their renewal, which is tough—and depending on how close you are to your expiration date, incredibly stressful,” said AOPA FIRC Program Manager Mary Kuehn.

“The proceeds from this course typically fund the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s pilot education and safety initiatives but given how disruptive this has been to many instructors, offering the eFIRC to our affected members at absolutely no cost was an easy decision,” said AOPA President and CEO Darren Pleasance.

AOPA’s updated eFIRC, releasing November 1, will include new content such as a module focused on understanding recent and upcoming changes from MOSAIC.

Kuehn added that the course is regularly updated to reflect new laws and regulations affecting flight instruction, with insight from AOPA’s government affairs and pilot support teams to ensure instructors’ needs are addressed.