Microlight Instructor

[larzabell]

Hi,

Let me introduce myself. I work for a large failing bank and I...love it. It looks like redundancy will soon be on the cards and I have been thinking that this may be a good thing- it will motivate me to do what I want to do instead of working in an office for the rest of my life.

You guessed it - I want to be a microlight instructor.

I have worked out that I will get an AFI rating first. I have a few questions -

What exactly can an Assistant FI do and what are the limitations?

Am I right in saying that an AFI can't send a student solo? If so... this means I would have to work for another flying club to get enough experience to get a QFI rating?

What is the average pay of a micro instructor?

Finally, is it hard to get a job with an AFI rating? Even better, does anybody know any clubs that would be interested ?


your help and comments are greatly appreciated

Thanks a lot:ok:

[A Very Civil Pilot]

LASORS (http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=1591) Secion H for instructor ratings information.

You don't say if you have a PPL(M) yet, but if not Section C6.

[xrayalpha]

You asked:

"What exactly can an Assistant FI do and what are the limitations?"

*******

Make people's dreams come true! You also teach people to fly, under the supervision of a FI (Flying Instructor, formerly known as a Qualified Flying Instructor or QFI)

The key limitation is that you are under the supervision of a FI who is in the vicinity of the airfield - ie on the ground in the classroom, clubhouse or in the circuit.

Supervision and what it means is set out in the BMAA Instructor and Examiner Guide - buy online at BMAA Pilot Training (http://www.bmaashop.org/acatalog/Pilot_Training.html)

The AFIs I have supervised have me sitting in on briefs (always fun trying not to explain to a student that their instructor has never done this for real in front of a paying customer before!), watching start-ups, taxying, approaches and landings and shutdowns and paperwork like a hawk in the early hours especially (can't see what is going on in the air), having instructors "talk through" lesson plans with me, having them fly with me, and flying with their students to see how they are progressing too!

Even looking at "non-core" areas like customer care, anger management and relaxation techniques are important to me as a flying school operator.

*****

Am I right in saying that an AFI can't send a student solo? If so... this means I would have to work for another flying club to get enough experience to get a QFI rating?

*****

As an AFI you have to be under the direct supervision of an FI, see above. So yes, you'd need to fly with another club to gain the experience.
And yes, you can't send a student on their "first solo", but you can send them on subsequent solos, although since you are still under the supervision of an FI, you really still need their permission.
And you can't send them off on their first cross-country either.

*******

What is the average pay of a micro instructor?

*******

About the same a the length of a piece of string!
As an FI, you can buy your own aircraft and run your own flying school. Or you can work for a school or club that lets you use theirs, or pays you more if you use your own.
As an AFI, you might even have to pay a school to let you fly (so I have heard) due to the work involved.

********

Finally, is it hard to get a job with an AFI rating? Even better, does anybody know any clubs that would be interested ?

********

Probably. But depends where you are. In Scotland, the club at Perth were advertising for an FI last summer, and offering a subsidy to one!
Marcus at Balado is now advertsing for an FI.
So maybe Scotland is fertile territory!
(I did once sponsor an AFI to get the right chap for the job)

Very best of luck.

Here is a note of the requirments from the BMAA site:




Microlight Instructors and Examiners
BMAA May 2007

Microlight Instructors
AFI - Assistant Flying Instructor.
Qualifying requirements are:

• Must have held a valid PPL with a SEP or Microlights rating for a minimum period of eight
months before starting the AFI course. If a Microlight rating it must be without operational
limitations at the start of the course.
• Must have 100hrs as pilot in command (PIC) of which 60hrs is in microlights and must
include at least 5hrs as PIC on type to be used on the course.
• Must pass a pre-entry written examination and a flight test conducted by a Microlight
Flying Instructor Examiner (FIE) or Flying Instructor Course instructor (FIC) in the
6months immediately preceding the course commencement date.

Course requirements are:

• The minimum training requirement comprises of not less than 40hrs ground school and
15hrs flight training conducted by a microlight FIC instructor at an approved Flying
Training Organisation.
• On completion of training the Candidate must pass an AFI Rating Flight Test and Ground
Examination conducted by an FIE.

FI - Flying Instructor.
x Colloquially known as QFI - Qualified Flying Instructor.
• Must have not less than 250 hrs experience as PIC of which 200 must be on Microlights.
• Must have held an AFI Rating for at least 10 months and have a minimum of 100 hrs
experience instructing on microlights.
• Must have passed a Flight Test and Ground Exam conducted by an FIE.

FIC Instructor - Flying Instructor Course Instructor.
• Must have an FIC recommendation on last Instructor Test.
• Should have 600 instructional hours of which 400 must be on microlights, additionally
should have held a Flying Instructor rating for 3 years.
• Candidate will then be called to BMAA for an interview, and if successful will then have to
pass an FIC Instructor Flight Test with an FIE.
• If successful the Civil Aviation Authority will issue a letter of Approval. Microlight Instructors and Examiners
BMAA May 2007

Microlight Examiners
‘R’ Examiner.

• ‘R’ Examiners can sign Certificates of Experience to maintain a pilot’s rating privileges.

• Must show that there is a need for such appointment.
• Normal minimum requirement is for the Candidate to be a Pilot.
• On recommendation from the BMAA the CAA will issue Approval.

‘GR’ Examiner.

• ‘GR’ Examiners can sign Certificates of Experience to maintain a pilot’s rating privileges
and in addition holds the Ground Examination papers for the grant of the NPPL
Microlights.

• Must show that there is a need for such appointment.
• Normal minimum requirement is for the Candidate to be a Flying Instructor.
• On recommendation from the BMAA the CAA will issue Approval.

‘FE’ Flight Examiner.

• An ‘FE’ can sign Certificates of Experience to maintain a pilot’s rating privileges and holds
the Ground Examination papers for the grant of the NPPL Microlights. In addition they can
conduct the General Skills Tests for the grant and revalidation of a Microlight PPL.

• Must show that there is a need for such appointment.
• Minimum requirements are that the Candidate must have been a Flying Instructor for
• 2 years, have 300 Instructional hours of which 200 should be on microlights.
• Must have been assessed as suitable at last Instructor Test.
x Candidates will then be called for interview and if successful, the BMAA will send
recommendation to the CAA who will issue the approval.
FIE - Flying Instructor Examiner.

• An ‘FE’ can sign Certificates of Experience to maintain a pilot’s rating privileges and holds
the Ground Examination papers for the grant of the NPPL Microlights and conduct the
General Skills Tests for the grant and revalidation of a Microlight PPL. In addition an FIE
can conduct tests for the grant or renewal of a Microlight AFI or FI rating.

• This is an Authority issued by the CAA following successful interviews with the Microlight
Panel of Examiners and the CAA.
• The Authority does not expire until revoked. FIEs also hold FIC Approval as part of their
Authority.
• Qualifying requirements are 1000 Instructional Hours of which 600 should be on
Microlights. The Candidate should also be an FIC Instructor.

[larzabell]

thanks for the replies oh and I have an nppl(m) on fixed wing. Learnt on eurostar and flying a jabiru :)

[larzabell]

does anybody know any microlight school recruiting fixed wing AFIs?


I seem to have tried everywhere:(

[pistondriver]

Does anyone have any experience of the possible route for an SEP FI (with a couple of hundred hours instructing on Cessnas) to become a Microlight Instructor. I'm not interested in instructing candidates towards earning their microlight licence but mostly to fly with microlight licence holders for their 2-yearly check. I have 0 hours on microlights but how different can a tri-axis microlight be to your typical C150?

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

pistondriver. I thought that until I converted to a 3 Axis ML. In a less than 1/2 ton machine, the WX becomes far more significant (as do uneven surfaces) than it ever did in a 2 tonner. Control harmonisation is near non existant and feet suddenly become very useful (nay, essential) for everything.

Try it; you'll love it. An aeroplane that actually needs to be flown.

[pistondriver]

Good to hear that. I'm really excited to give it a go really. The only problem is that I was consulting LASORS and I can't find any info on inclusion of microlight privileges to your FI unless you have loads of hours on microlights. Do you know of any easier route?

[S-Works]

If you hold a valid FI rating on SEP you automatically have embedded ML Instructor privileges as long as you have differences training ML aircraft.

A CRI also has ML privileges, not abinitio but may teach to add a ML rating to the holder of a PPL/NPPL. A CRI may also do the 2 year instructional flight.

A CRE may also do an LST/LPC for a ML pilot under the same terms and may also do the Revalidation by experience signature.