Grade 3. May instruct for PPL, Night VFR & CPL. Also give endorsements for design features & he or she holds. May not send students solo until gaining at least 100 hours instructing experience and endorsed by the Chief Flying Instructor. Sending students solo is limited to subsequent solos ie may not send a student for a first solo in any lesson.
After 100 hours may also be approved to instruct without the direct supervision of a Grade 1 instructor ie only requires indirect supervision, . That pre- and post-100 hour mark is commonly referred to as Junior & Senior Grade 3, respectively.
Gr. 2: Prerequisite for the flight test: 250 hours teaching from the PPL & CPL syllabus (at least 50 of that must be cross country training) & 6 months as a Gr. 3. May do all that a Grade 3 may do and also send students for a 1st solo. After 400 hours instructing experience may be authorised to give flight reviews. Used to be that a Gr. 2 could also act as a 'pretend student' for Flight Instructor Trainees but I think that privilege may have been broadened in recent years to include a Gr. 3? Indirect supervision from a Grade 1 required.
Gr.1: 750 hours instructing & 1 year as Gr 2. May do all that a Gr. 2 may do plus teach for instrument ratings & instructor ratings. May also be approved to be a Chief Flying Instructor**. May supervise instructors with a lower grade instructor rating.
Multi Engine Training Approval (META): May be added to any grade of instructor rating via a flight test
Instrument rating training approval: May be added to a Gr. 3 or Gr.2 via a flight test. Included with a Gr. 1 rating (care to guess what a Gr.1 test will likely include?)
**Chief Flying Instructor: Must be approved by CASA. Certain minimum hours specified (other than the 750 hours to hold a Gr.1) depending on the level of flying school. More hours needed for an instrument &/or instructor school. Been a long time but I think it was 2000 hours total for an instrument school, and 1200 hours instructing for an instructor school.
Last edited by Tinstaafl; 30th Apr 2013 at 01:13.