On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 18:53:55 -0800, "C J Campbell"
wrote:

but
it sure gets treated as a pilot certificate for all other purposes.

"All?" I have never seen even one FAR that =does= treat a CFI
certificate as a pilot certificate.

From a pure regulation standpoint, the FAR treats instructor
certificates separately from pilot certificates. Staring with

==============================
§ 61.1 Applicability and definitions.
(a) This part prescribes:
(1) The requirements for issuing =pilot, flight instructor, and ground
instructor certificates= and ratings; the conditions under which those
certificates and ratings are necessary; and the privileges and
limitations of those certificates and ratings.
(2) The requirements for issuing =pilot, flight instructor, and ground
instructor= authorizations; the conditions under which those
authorizations are necessary; and the privileges and limitations of
those authorizations.
(3) The requirements for issuing =pilot, flight instructor, and ground
instructor= certificates and ratings for persons who have taken
courses approved by the Administrator under other parts of this
chapter.
==============================

The differentiation continues throughout the FAR and general FAA
policy with amazing consistency, from medical certificate requirements
(a CFI doesn't need one unless he's also acting as PIC) to the
requirement to have each certificate available when exercising that
certificate's privileges to the requirement that, in order to teach in
an aircraft, a CFI must have both "A pilot certificate =and= flight
instructor certificate with the applicable category and class rating"
(61.195(b)(1).

There may be an FAR that =does= treat the flight instructor
certificate as a pilot certificate, but so far anyway, I haven't seen
one.