CFI without commercial?

"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...

" With respect to the holding of medical certificates by a flight
instructor, the FAA has determined that the compensation a certificated
flight instructor receives for flight instruction is not compensation for
piloting the aircraft, but rather is compensation for the instruction. A
certificated flight instructor who is acting as pilot in command or as a
required flight crewmember and is receiving compensation for his or her
flight instruction is only exercising the privileges of a private pilot.
A
certificated flight instructor who is acting as pilot in command or as a
required flight crewmember and receiving compensation for his or her
flight
instruction is not carrying passengers or property for compensation or
hire,
nor is he or she, for compensation or hire, acting as pilot in command of
an
aircraft. . . . In this same regard, the FAA has determined that a
certificated flight instructor on board an aircraft for the purpose of
providing flight instruction, who does not act as pilot in command or
function as a required flight crewmember, is not performing or exercising
pilot privileges that would require him or her to possess a valid medical
certificate under the FARs."


Is this the same FAA that deemed "free" flight time to be compensation
itself if it's used to gain another certificate?



ANSWER: An instructor is not necessarily required to act as PIC to give
instruction, but is allowed to log instruction time as PIC per §
61.51(e)(3). The only situations in which an instructor is required to
ACT
as PIC are during training of a student pilot or giving instrument
instruction to a non-instrument rated person while operating under
instrument flight rules (on an activated instrument flight plan)
regardless
of whether it is instrument meteorological or visual meteorological
conditions (IMC or VMC).


How can an instructor log flight time if he isn't flying?