Definition
Periodic meetings, sponsored by the FAA, in which flight instructors gather to discuss training issues, share teaching techniques, review regulatory updates, and exchange information on safety, standardization, and instructional methods.
Plain English
Group meetings where flight instructors get together to talk about teaching, safety, rule changes, and what is working in the cockpit.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA guidance about how flight instructors continue improving their knowledge and professionalism after earning their instructor certificate.
Derivation
An 'open forum' comes from the Latin forum, meaning a public meeting place. 'Open' signals that participation and discussion are welcome from anyone attending, not limited to formal presenters.
Why Pilots Care
Participation helps instructors stay current, refine their teaching, and reduce the chance of passing on bad habits or misunderstandings to students.
Intuition Check
Do not read “open forum” as a casual complaint session. In this context, it means a purposeful professional meeting for sharing useful flight-training information.
Example Sentence 1
She attended a Flight Instructor Open Forum at the local FSDO to hear about recent changes in the practical test standards.
Example Sentence 2
Flight instructor open forums often cover recent changes to FAA testing standards before they appear on checkrides.