FI Jobs Without IR or IMC(UK)

[mustflywillfly]

Hello All,

I have 2 simple (I think) questions for you clever, well informed people:

1) Assuming I had a SEP CPL but no IR and was interested in instructing for a year or so is it realistic to get the FI rating and expect to get employed? My plan is to instruct before I get the IR (I would also be unable to afford an IMC as you may aswell do an IR anyway).

2) Bournemouth Commercial Flying Training is my preferred FTO however they only offer the FI course to those peeps with 10 hours Instrument Flight Time. How can one get 10 hours IFT without an IR or IMC ?

Any help much appreciated.

MFWF :ok:

[thesexypilot]

should be part of PPL CPL courses. I had to do 5 hours instrument for PPL and more for CPL - so you will have it regardless if you ave the CPL.
hope this helps.

[GFYA]

Mustflywillfly,

thesexypilot is quite correct. Your JAA CPL course requires that you have undertaken 10 hours of Instrument Training time therefore if you have a JAA CPL you have the IF time as well.

Several friends of mine instructed using their CPL before taking on the IR, in fact by instructing at a school that teaches IR you may be in a position to get a staff discount on that rediculously expensive rating...

Best of luck.

GFYA

[Superpilot]

I know of several instructors without an IR all employed by reputable and famous flight schools

[Mark 1]

It could even be an advantage, as there is no chance of you disappearing to the airlines without an IR.

You can teach the 3 hours or so of instrument appreciation for the PPL without an instrument qualification or applied instruments endorsement on your FI rating.

[portsharbourflyer]

Remember when instructing PPLs most of the time you will be limited to day VFR conditions anyway; you have to fly in conditions suitable for the student, so if you are instructing from a small airfield with air/ground radio or FISO set up with out any instrument facilities the IR is rarely any use.
However if you were instructing from Bournemouth which has the available facilities an IMC would be useful, as often it is possible on a murky day to climb above the cloud layer and have good visual conditions above the cloud.
Now the 10 hours IR training on the CPL doesn't give you any instrument flying privileges, however it can be credited towards an IMC rating; this in thoery does mean that you only need to complete 5 hours of training to get the IMC. However the 10 hours training on the CPL is non applied instrument flying so it doesn't really cover 10 hours of the IMC course. so I realistically to cover the appoaches section you may still need to do another 10 hours for the IMC.
I know an IMC rating does seem like an unnecessary expense; but it is excellent preparation for the IR course; and money spent on the IMC may well save you time on the IR course. If you are instructing a year before your IR, then just imagine how many times you may get to practice an instrument approach after climbing above cloud layer to get VFR on top in order to teach steep turns, climbing and descending etc.
Also before JAA was introduced there was a requirement to reach 700 hours to get a CPL, as a results eveyone use to instruct on a BCPL (old CAA license type thing) and wouldn't do the IR until they had 700 hours. So prior to JAA it was very common that instructors didn't hold IRs.

[The Otter's Pocket]

I worked as an FI before I had a CPL or an IR.

However I did have an IMC. bloody glad I did too. When the weather craps out and you have to make your way back, being comfortable in not only cloud but in bad viz can cause real stress and you end up having to reduce the lesson content.

You will be expected to launch in not the greatest conditions and at times the best place to find the horizon is above the clouds, and that is one of the best parts of the job.

Also trial lessons may want to see what it is like up there, it is such a great experience.
A good employer may help you gain the IMC.