FIRC Instructions

Gleim now offers two ACR processing services to choose from. Paperless ACR Service or Traditional Mail-in ACR Service You may also want to learn how to Keep Your Expiration Date.

Paperless ACR Service

1. Purchase the Gleim Paperless ACR service for $25.00. If you have not yet purchased this additional service, you may do so from your FIRC Dashboard at any time. To keep the same expiration month on your CFI certificate, you must complete the course and send in your paperwork NO EARLIER than 3 calendar months before the expiration month of your CFI certificate. See the Keeping Your Expiration Date section for more information.
2. Submit your 8710 Application in IACRA.
3. Provide your IACRA information to Gleim. You will submit your FTN number and electronic copies of your CFI certificate and ID.
4. Complete the Gleim Flight Instructor Refresher Course if you have not already done so.
5. Receive access to your temporary certificate. You will be sent an email as soon as your certificate is available. It will be provided in a convenient PDF format that can be printed and/or saved.

You will typically receive your temporary certificate within 2 business days. In many cases it may be available the same day. However if you do not give us at least 2 business days we cannot guarantee your certificate will be renewed. Please call or email us through our Online Support Email Form if it has been more than three business days since all items have been received by Gleim, and you have not yet received your temporary certificate.

Traditional Mail-in ACR Processing Information

1. Purchase the Gleim ACR processing service for $25.00. If you have not yet purchased this additional service, you may do so from your FIRC Dashboard at any time.
   To keep the same expiration month on your CFI certificate, you must complete the course and send in your paperwork NO EARLIER than 3 calendar months before the expiration month of your CFI certificate. See the Keeping Your Expiration Date section for more information.
2. Complete and submit the FAA Form 8710-1: After you have purchased the ACR service, you will be required to fill out an FAA Form 8710-1 online, which is accessible from the “Certificate Renewal Service” link that will appear at the bottom of each FIRC screen, the “View Forms” button in the ACR Processing Summary on the Dashboard, or the “Certificate Renewal Process” link on the Dashboard navigation bar.
   • First, review the FAA’s specific instructions for filling out your FAA Form 8710-1. These instructions will appear at the top of the FAA Form 8710-1 online. The Gleim user-friendly Form 8710-1 interface lets you fill out all the information required with ease.
     1. You must be sure to select all the ratings that appear on your CFI certificate.
     2. In section IV of the FAA Form 8710-1, failure and/or problems with the FIRC do not constitute a “yes” response.
   • When you have finished answering each of the questions, you will be prompted to review your information as it appears on the FAA Form 8710-1. If you would like to change anything, click the BACK button on your browser and change the appropriate field. You will then need to review your information as it appears on the FAA Form 8710-1 one last time before submitting it.
   • Once your form is submitted, you will receive a confirmation that your information was received and stored. If there were warnings about any of the values you entered, these will appear after the confirmation. You must address all warnings by entering correct information before you will be allowed to print the filled-out PDF file of your Form 8710-1. You may complete your Form 8710 at any time during the course; however, Gleim Publications recommends that you get your Form 8710-1 filled out and sent in as soon as possible to allow the maximum amount of time to process your request and to contact you about any problems that may arise.
3. Print the PDF files: After Gleim has received your Form 8710-1 information you will be able to print out your filled-out Form 8710-1 and Official Identification document. Due to the FAA’s policy of microfilming all applications, you must print these files on white paper using only black ink. The forms must be legible. Any applications that do not meet these standards will be returned.
4. Sign and notarize your documents. Sign and date your FAA Form 8710-1 in Section V, on the first page. This must be an original signature, signed in ink. The FAA will NOT accept digital signatures. Take the Official Identification Document to a notary, and have your signature witnessed and notarized. For overseas applicants, the Official Identification Document must be completed by either a notary public, a consular official of the U.S. State Department, or (if you are an airman) your U.S. Armed Forces Commanding Officer. Note: You will be required to present a picture ID when having your Official Identification Document notarized. Please do not fill in any information that we have not requested you to fill in. Do not write in the name of Approved Course, etc., as this information must be removed from the 8710 and may require CFIs to resend the document.
5. Mail the required ACR documents and your CFI card to Gleim Publications, Inc.: Before you mail these documents, please make a copy of your notarized Official Identification Document and both the front and the back of your current CFI certificate. These copies will serve as proof of your qualifications until you receive your temporary CFI certificate from Gleim. Collect the following materials and mail them to Gleim to complete the ACR renewal process:
   1. An original signed, dated, and notarized Official Identification Document (1 page).
   2. An original, filled out, signed, and dated FAA Form 8710-1 (2 pages).
   3. Your valid and current flight instructor certificate (1 page).

   Allow enough time before your expiration date for these documents to arrive at Gleim. Our mailing address and street address (for overnight carriers) are printed below. Gleim Publications is not responsible if the above items (FAA Form 8710-1, Official Identification Document, and CFI certificate) are delayed or lost in the U.S. mail or by an overnight carrier, e.g., UPS, FedEx, etc. All of these items must be received by Gleim prior to or on the last day of your expiration month, and you must successfully complete the FIRC prior to or on the last day of your expiration month or your CFI certificate CANNOT be renewed. Any FIRC user whose application for renewal is late or is not approved is entitled only to a refund of the cost of the Gleim ACR service. Please note that we have experienced reliability problems with the U.S. Postal overnight service in the past.

   Mailing address:	Physical address: (for overnight mailing)
   Gleim Publications	Gleim Publications
   ATTN: CFI Renewal	ATTN: CFI Renewal
   P.O. Box 12848	4201 NW 95th Blvd.
   Gainesville, FL 32604	Gainesville, FL 32606
   USA	USA
   Fax number
   (888) 375-6940
   (352) 375-6940

6. Complete and pass the Gleim FIRC and electronically sign the Affidavit to receive your Graduation Certificate: Upon successful completion of the FIRC and signing the Affidavit, the Graduation Certificate appears for you to print out. You must sign certifying that you had no assistance in completing the course before it becomes valid.
7. Gleim will issue your temporary certificate: Upon receipt of all of your documents (FAA Form 8710-1, Official Identification Document, flight instructor certificate, and Affidavit and Graduation Certificate), Gleim will review and verify that the documents are in order and that you successfully completed the FIRC. You can check the status of your renewal by logging into the course. The ACR Processing Status screens are updated when documents are received, when a problem is found or solved, and when your temporary certificate has been mailed. If your documents are in order, your renewal is usually processed within 5-7 business days unless it is within the last 10 days of the month as this is Gleim’s busiest time for processing renewals. You will receive an email notification when your temporary certificate has been mailed. Please call or email us through our Online Support Email Form if, within reasonable time for mailing, your documents have not been received by Gleim, or you have not received your temporary certificate.

Keeping Your Expiration Date

For a detailed explanation, see below: The expiration month of a renewed flight instructor certificate shall be 24 calendar months from either 1. or 2. below.

1. The month in which you present your valid and current flight instructor certificate and your valid Gleim Internet FIRC Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO Inspector.
   1. The Graduation Certificate expires 3 calendar months from the date it is issued. The examples below illustrate when to present the Graduation Certificate to a FSDO and what month of expiration you will be given.
   2. EXAMPLE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR MONTH OF EXPIRATION: Your current flight instructor certificate expires on May 31, 2017. You wish to renew your certificate by presenting your Gleim Internet FIRC Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO in person. Because you know you will be very busy in the months leading to your certificate’s expiration, you elect to renew early (i.e., you are not concerned about retaining the same expiration month). You must successfully complete the Gleim Internet FIRC and present your valid and current flight instructor certificate and your valid Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO during that office’s business hours (Monday through Friday, except legal holidays) in person during the 3 calendar months in which the Graduation Certificate is valid. If you present your valid and current flight instructor certificate and your valid Graduation Certificate before February 1, 2017 (which is the first day of the 3 calendar months preceding the month of expiration. See the table above for help in calculating the 3 calendar months preceding your month of expiration), your new expiration month will be the month in which you presented the Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO Inspector (e.g., if you present the Graduation Certificate on January 12, 2017, your renewed flight instructor certificate will expire on January 31, 2019).
   3. EXAMPLE THAT WILL KEEP YOUR MONTH OF EXPIRATION THE SAME: Your current flight instructor certificate expires on May 31, 2017. You wish to renew your certificate and obtain a new expiration date of May 31, 2019 (same expiration month) by presenting your valid and current flight instructor certificate and your valid Gleim Internet FIRC Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO Inspector in person. You must successfully complete the Gleim Internet FIRC and present your valid and current flight instructor certificate and your valid Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO Inspector in person during the 3 calendar months in which the Graduation Certificate is valid and on or after February 1, 2017 (which is the first day of the 3 calendar months preceding the month of expiration. See the table above for help in calculating the 3 calendar months preceding your month of expiration). This allows you to retain the same month of expiration on your flight instructor certificate.
2. The month in which Gleim processes your renewal and issues you a temporary certificate through the ACR Processing Service.
   1. EXAMPLE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR MONTH OF EXPIRATION: Your current flight instructor certificate expires on May 31, 2017. Because you know you will be very busy in the months leading to your certificate’s expiration, you elect to renew early (i.e., you are not concerned about retaining the same expiration month). You must successfully complete the Gleim Internet FIRC and complete the requirements for the ACR Processing Service by sending in your FAA Form 8710-1, valid and current flight instructor certificate, a notarized Official Identification Document, and your signed Graduation Certificate. If you complete the FIRC and complete the requirements for the ACR Processing Service before February 1, 2017 (which is the first day of the 3 calendar months preceding the month of expiration. See the table above for help in calculating the 3 calendar months preceding your month of expiration), your new expiration month will be the month in which your Graduation Certificate was issued (e.g., if you completed the course and were issued the Graduation Certificate and Gleim has received all of the required documentation, Gleim issues your temporary certificate on January 12, 2017, your renewed flight instructor certificate will expire on January 31, 2019).
   2. EXAMPLE THAT WILL KEEP YOUR MONTH OF EXPIRATION THE SAME: Your current flight instructor certificate expires on May 31, 2017. You wish to renew your certificate and obtain a new expiration date of May 31, 2019 (same expiration month) by using the Gleim ACR processing service. You must successfully complete the Gleim Internet FIRC and complete the requirements for the ACR Processing Service by sending in your FAA Form 8710-1, valid and current flight instructor certificate, and a notarized Official Identification Document on or after February 1, 2017 (which is the first day of the 3 calendar months preceding the month of expiration. See the table above for help in calculating the 3 calendar months preceding your month of expiration). This allows you to retain the same expiration month on your flight instructor certificate.

NOTE: If you present your Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO Inspector or Gleim processes your renewal and issues you a temporary certificate through the ACR Processing Service before the date specified in the table above, your expiration month will CHANGE FROM YOUR ORIGINAL MONTH OF EXPIRATION to the month you present your Graduation Certificate to an FAA FSDO Inspector or, if Gleim processes your renewal, the month in which you graduate from the course.