Public Transport / Private / Permit / Microlight...
Hi Chuck,
If you want to charge for anything in the UK flying world you need a commercial licence of some sort. If you want to do any training, you will need an instructor rating of some sort. Obviously with more advanced instructor / examiner ratings you can do more. I find it safer not to charge anyone for anything.
The CRI is a relatively accessible instructor qualification for a humble pilot such as myself. Entry requirements are a minimum of three hundred hours of flight time and a current PPL. The course consists of three hours of flight instruction and twenty-five hours of ground / self-study. The check ride is with an Instructor Examiner.
The category of the aircraft is another minefield. Most training has to be done on a Public Transport category aircraft. There has been much discussion about training people in their own (Private Category) aircraft. Yet another can of worms gets opened up when you have aircraft which are operating on an LAA Permit to Fly (similar to Experimental Category). Microlight aircraft over here operate on a different system again, this time administered by the British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA). Microlight flying instructors have their own ratings, which allow remunerated instruction without a commercial pilot’s licence. As you can see it’s all a bit of a muddle. Bose-x will be along in a moment to explain it much better than I’ve done.
Safe Flying,
Richard W.
Ps.
Steve,
The remuneration for PPL instructors sounds interesting. I’ve heard vague rumours from various sources, but would be interested to hear more. Will catch up at the AOPA MWG if you are going.
Cheers,
Richard W.