How to become a PPL Instructor?

[Tricky Woo]

Hi All,

I'm 35, with about 200 hours, UK CAA PPL, IMC.

What do I have to do to become a paid PPL-level Instructor? What courses? In which order? How much?

Believe it or not I have a strong vocational desire to teach people to fly light aircraft. Am I mad? I want to be just like you lot.

[BlueLine]

You will have to take and pass the JAR-FCL CPL examinations which now involves completing a 200 hour modular ground school course. The UK CPL exams are stillavailable but not for much longer. At the moment there are no JAR-FCL CPL theoretical knowledge courses available, but there should be in a few months. You will then need to complete a modular CPL course (25 hours flying) and pass the CPL Skill Test. Next you will have to complete a 30 hour FI Course with 128 hours of groundschool and passs the FI Test.

With the hours you already have, you could complete the FI course before the CPL course if you wanted, but either way you would have to pass the ground exams first. You can add the FI rating to your PPL but cannot be remunerated as a PPL holder.

[BEagle]

Blue Line - not that you and I support the idea, but are AOPA considering any simpler instructor requirements for those who would be teaching their proposed 'National'PPL?

[GASH !]

Blueline, I thought under JAR, you had to have the CPL issued before you could commence the instructors course, is this not correct ?

[Tricky Woo]

BlueLine,

Thanks for the info.

Does anyone have any idea as to the costs?

CPL + FI = ?

[Potter1]

Forgive me guys but I’ve always been under the impression that you needed the CPL ground exams, at the moment you can only take the ATPL exams, and then the FI ticket.
I though there was no need to do a modular CPL flying course & CPL Skill Test.

Maybe I’ve miss read the FCL documentation.

I’ve always budgeted
1) ATPL correspondence course - £3000
2) FI course approx. £5000

[BlueLine]

Quite right you require the CPL ground exams, currently only the National ones are available, but as soon as there is a CPL theoretical course up and running I hear the exams will be available.

You do not need a CPL to instruct, only a PPL ( and Class 2 medical) but you cannot be remunerated. And of course after 36 months the exams you have spent all that effort on are no longer valid to complete the CPL.

As Beagle says the NIPPLL is on the way, the Nationally Invented PPL, lower hours, lower standards all round but I am told you will still have to have CPL level knowledge to instruct!!! I am lead to believe that this has not yet got beyond the proposal stage and might take a long time coming if it ever does.

[actionman]

Sorry guys this has confused me a little...not hard I know. Please can you clarify the following.

Can I instruct, not for renumeration, with a UK PPL having completed a FI course ?

Will I be allowed to complete a FI course without having done the CPL writtens etc ?

And where should I look to find out all of the info ????

[BEagle]

As far as I'm aware, to become a FI:

1. You will need to do 'commercial level knowledge' exams. Until the nonsense of JARs sorts itself out, this means the temporary national CPL exams or the full daft EuroATPL exams.

2. You will need to do the FI(R) course.

3. To instruct for remuneration you will need to complete a commercial licence AND get a JAA Class I medical - at the Belgrano. If you want to instruct unremunerated, your PPL and JAA Class II medical will suffice.

There are better ways of reducing training costs than the safety-eroding NIPPL. These have been presented to both Ron Elder of the CAA and to AOPA's Martin Robinson. The chief villains are fuel cost and the stupidity of ditching the BCPL/FI(R) self-improver route. A National Variance to JARs could easily restore the level of 'commercial knowledge' practically needed to instruct at PPL level IN THE UK for remuneration (as well as the UK Class II medical which still exists for balloonatics etc - but which the CAA won't allow you to hold for a current BCPL any more) - I hope that someone will see sense as otherwise there will be few UK PPL instructors left in a few years' time

[actionman]

Thanks Beagle - is there any chance of the BCPL being reinstated and/or is anyone taking this on ?

If the BCPL fitted the bill then it would be the ideal qual for the CAA to keep inside, or outside, of the JAR and for the sole use of PPL/FIs.

Any more advice greatly appreciated.

[Mark 1]

To T W

I'm in a similar situation to you, but a bit further progressed. So here's my summary:

Entry requirements before starting the course (see AIC 105/1998 - White 325):
Experience (ok)
CPL knowledge, as stated above you can do the UK CPL exams if you get in quick (November first sitting and pass by next June). I'm doing this to save the cost of a ground school, I have previously qualified as an AOPA ground instructor (GIC) and haven't found the studying too heavy. So if your reasonably up to speed, this may be worth a try - about £250 for the books and £550 for the exams, but you only have a few weeks left to enter the exams. I'll let you know how I do.

There is an assessment flight prior to starting the FIC(A) course. This shouldn't be a problem from what I'm told.

It seems you can do either the UK or JAR-FCL 1 course if you intend instructing in the UK. More of the establishments are switching to JAR which involves a bit more flying but has fewer restrictions afterwards. Not everyone on the CAA list of approved schools seems to be offering the course, so its worth shopping around.

I don't have the time to do the course full time, but several schools can accommodate this from what I'm told.

[Tricky Woo]

Mark 1,
Thanks for the reply (and everyone else too).

Whatever happens, I'll be missing the CAA CPL deadline, so I guess I'll have to think about JAR ATPL or JAR CPL if it ever turns up. Whatever, it all has to wait until next year due to the inevitable work commitments...

Good luck on your courses.

Do me a favour and keep me posted from time to time?

[BAK]

4 Forces Aviation are now offering the JAR CPL course combined with the JAR FI course, total costs I believe are around £12,000.

[slider]

The 4 forces course seems good but still requires huge swathes of time to complete. I understand the flying element requires a 2 month long blocks but the writrtens would be best dealt with by correspondence. That is if you have a job to keep down. Is anyone offering correspondence JAR CPL writtens yet?? I wonder if any school is planning to offer them. That way I could remain in my day job and begin part time instructing.