Sources: EASA PART-FCL, CASA
What are flight Instructor Ratings? There are two types of Instruction
- Flight instruction in aircraft when he/she holds: (Both)
(i) a pilot licence issued or accepted in accordance with the Regulator;
(ii) an instructor certificate appropriate to the instruction given.
2. synthetic flight instruction or MCC instruction when he/she holds an instructor certificate appropriate to the instruction given, issued in accordance with this Subpart.
What is a flight instructor rating?
To obtain a Part 61 flight crew licence, rating or endorsement, pilots need to complete training which is delivered by capable and qualified instructors. Pilots who conduct this training must hold a pilot instructor rating.
Quality training underpins pilot competency – this is why the role of instructors is safety critical.
Instructor Categories.
What are flight Instructor Ratings? There are nine instructor categories.
1. FI (Flight instructor) certificate: aeroplane (FI(A)), helicopter (FI(H)), airship (FI(As)), sailplane (FI(S)) and balloon (FI(B))
2. TRI (Type Rating Instructor) certificate: aeroplane (TRI(A)), helicopter (TRI(H)), powered-lift aircraft (TRI(PL))
3. CRI (Class Rating Instructor) certificate: aeroplane (CRI(A))
4. IRI (Instrument Rating Instructor) certificate: aeroplane (IRI(A)), helicopter (IRI(H)) and airship (IRI(As))
5. SFI (Synthetic Flight Instructor) certificate: aeroplane (SFI(A)), helicopter (SFI(H)) and powered-lift aircraft (SFI(PL))
6. MCCI (Multi-Crew Cooperation Instructor) certificate: aeroplanes (MCCI(A)), helicopters (MCCI(H)), powered-lift aircraft(MCCI(PL)) and airships (MCCI(As))
7. STI (Synthetic Training Instructor) certificate: aeroplane (STI(A)) and helicopter (STI(H))
8. MI (Mountain Rating Instructor) certificate: (MI);
9. FTI (Flight Test instructor) certificate: (FTI).
Do I need a flight instructor rating?
If you want to conduct flight training in an aircraft, you will need to have a flight instructor rating.
A flight instructor rating issued under Part 61 permits the holder to conduct flight training in either an aircraft or a flight simulation training device (FSTD). A simulator instructor rating only authorises training in FSTDs.
To conduct flight training, an instructor must hold a flight instructor rating with at least one training endorsement.
What can a flight instructor do?
Provided they hold the appropriate training endorsement, a flight instructor can conduct flight training for pilot licences, ratings (except for flight examiner ratings) and endorsements (except for flight examiner endorsements).
Flight instructors can also:
- grant design feature and flight activity endorsements to pilot licence holders
- conduct multi-crew cooperation training
- conduct differences training for variants of types of aircraft
- conduct training for general pilot competency
- conduct flight reviews
- approve someone to fly solo
- approve someone to fly an aircraft while receiving flight training for a pilot licence, rating or endorsement.
How do I get a flight instructor rating?
To get a flight instructor rating you must hold a private pilot licence (PPL), commercial pilot licence (CPL) or air transport pilot licence (ATPL). You also need to:
- meet the educational requirements (that means you must either hold a tertiary qualification in teaching or a certificate IV in training and assessment, or complete an approved course of training in principles and methods of instruction)
- meet specified aeronautical experience requirements
- pass the instructor rating aeronautical knowledge examination
- complete a course of training for the rating and at least one training endorsement
- pass a flight test for the rating and at least one training endorsement.
What are the aeronautical experience requirements?
The aeronautical experience requirements must be met in the same aircraft category that will be used in the flight test for the rating. There are different aeronautical experience requirements for helicopters and aeroplanes.
For helicopters, you must have at least 250 hours flight time as pilot and 100 hours flight time as pilot in command.
For aeroplanes, you must have at least 200 hours flight time as pilot and 100 hours flight time as pilot in command.
These aeronautical experience requirements must be met before you start your flight training for a flight instructor rating. However, you do not have to meet these requirements if you can satisfy the following criteria.
For helicopters, that means you must:
- hold a CPL with a helicopter rating completed through an integrated training course and
- hold a low-level rating and a helicopter low-level endorsement and
- hold one of these combinations:
- a night visual flight rules (NVFR) rating and a helicopter NVFR endorsement
- an instrument rating and a single-engine helicopter instrument endorsement
- an instrument rating and a multi-engine helicopter instrument endorsement.
For aeroplanes, you can commence the instructor rating course before being issued with your licence if you have:
- completed your CPL with an aeroplane category rating in an integrated training course and
- passed the flight test for the grant of the licence with an aeroplane category rating.
If you already hold an instructor rating and want to expand your privileges to instruct in an aircraft of another category, you need to have the aeronautical experience above and pass the instructor rating flight test in an aircraft of the second category.
What training can I conduct if I have a PPL and an instructor rating?
If you have a PPL you can hold an instructor rating, however you will be restricted to conducting training for the grant of a design feature or a flight activity endorsement. You cannot conduct training for the grant of a pilot licence, an operational rating or rating endorsements.
