Instructing Qualifications

[captainmacuk]

Hi people,
I just wanted to find out what exams at commercial level and above do you need to pass to get onto an instructors course,

eg, do you just need to pass the nav and tech exams for the commercial and ATPL or do you need to pass all the theory exams for both,

would like to make a career out of instructing anything above would be amazing
(too competitive up in airline world)

Any instuctors or former instructors have any advise for 18yr old PPL
Cheers guys

Speak to you later

[L J R]

The following is only MY OPINION of instructing.


To be comfortable as an instructor, I believe that you need to be very experienced [ie 5+ years of constant flying]. I know a lot of Instructors who will disagree, - fine.

As an 18 year old, you do not have the experience to talk the truth under pressure while flying accurately and providing confidence to another trainee pilot.

I am first to acknowledge that as a 38 year old, I cannot fully relate to an 18 year old student, and therefore you may, but after 20 odd years of flying I can admit that I am still learning.

Instructing is relating 50% experience 50% books/syllabus, while always striving for 100% accuracy.


You may be a good pilot - develop that further.

Good luck......

[Night Rider]

Captainmasuk,

Being a Flying Instructor is a very enjoyable and rewarding occupation. It is, clearly, a very skillful task, but unfortunately this is not generally reflected in the jobs salary. In order to make a living out of instructing you really need to be working at one of the "major" schools, preferably as a commercial instructor. What L J R is saying is basically correct - to become a commercial flying instructor you need quite a lot of experience. To gain this you may have to work as a PPL instructor for "peanuts" for a few years so be prepared for that.

As regards exams and qualifications, I recommend that you knuckle down and get a JAA ATPL - this can only be a good qualification to have in the long run. The knowledge you will gain will put you in good stead for a career as an instructor. As the saying goes..."train hard, fight easy."

Good luck.

[This message has been edited by Night Rider (edited 23 June 2001).]

[Noggin]

In order to instruct you must have at least a PPL with 150 hours PIC (200 hours total) and have demonstrated knowledge at CPL level i.e you have passed all the CPL written examinations. Under JAR-FCL there is no division of Techs and Navs however, most people elect to take them in those associated groups.

If you take the ATPL exams as many will advise you to do, there is about 3 times as much work, and once taken, they are only valid for 36 months to obtain both a CPL and an IR (Beware!)

[socrates]

If you take the ATPL exams as many will advise you to do, there is about 3 times as much work, and once taken, they are only valid for 36 months to obtain both a CPL and an IR (Beware!)

Not sure what you are advising Noggin, but, from the CAA website:

ATPL(A) EXAMINATION CREDITS


We would like to correct a growing misconception within the aviation industry that the holder of a UK CPL/IR(A) with ‘frozen’ ATPL(A) credits will lose those credits if he/she does not obtain a national ATPL(A) by 30 June 2002. It is true that CAA will not be able to issue a UK CPL(A) or ATPL(A) on or after 1 July 2002 except to a pilot who held that same licence on 30 June 2002 (ANO Article 22(2)(d), which means that a national licence can be renewed but an initial issue cannot be made. However, there is no necessity for a UK licence holder to convert to a JAR-FCL licence by any specific date and national licences can remain valid, so that a UK CPL/IR(A) can be renewed after 1 July 2002 and the ATPL(A) theoretical knowledge credit will be retained. After 1 July 2002, at the point where a national ATPL(A) would have been issued, and provided the pilot meets all the criteria for conversion of a national to JAR-FCL ATPL(A) as detailed in Appendix 1 to JAR-FCL 1.005, the CAA can issue a JAR-FCL ATPL(A). Until such time as EC Directive 91/670/EEC is withdrawn, and there appear to be no plans to do this in the immediate future, a UK national licence can still be validated for use in other EU States.

The only circumstance in which all holders of a UK national licence would be forced to obtain a JAR-FCL licence would be if the EU mandated such a move. The Authority has argued against such a suggestion and intends to continue to do so. However, in such an eventuality CAA would seek amendment to JAR-FCL to ensure that ATPL(A) knowledge credits are retained.

Date 2 February 2000


Apologies if this is not relevant but there are so many people that this concerns it is very important to get the information across.

CAA:
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/mica/monkey1.gif
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/thumbs.gif

[Airprox]

Captainmacup,

Don't listen to people like LJR telling you you're too young. I started at you age and loved instructing The pay isn't good but you'll get more expepience as you go.

LJR shouldn't a good instructor be able to relate to any student not just thoose in his imediate age group? I think they should.
I have taught people to fly ranging from the age of 14 to 80 and I've had no problem with any of them.

Good luck.

------------------
AP

[L J R]

Airprox,

Yes, I agree an instructor has the ability to instruct anybody. Doesn't mean that you can actually 'relate' to them. When I was 18, I didn't have a clue about anything, [or so I felt at the time] Unsure how I passed my basic training.... But Nowerdays, I seea more confident 'youth'. It is this youth that I take my hat off to, and acknowledge the generation gap.

Regardless, [although I acknowledge your comments], I still believe that life's experiences are those which enrich our capabilities.

Being a military QFI, thankfully [for my personality type], I became a QFI after 11 years of flying, but became an A2 about a a year later. Even now after 20 years of flying, I am glad that I really didn't instruct much earlier.

As my initial post suggested, opinions will vary in this regard.

Take and filter all the advise you receive.

Good luck....

[Flandan]

Socrates. Sorry, but Noggin's actually correct. If you obtain JAR ATPL exam passes, you do in fact only have 36 months in which to obtain a CPL/IR. If not, then the exam passes are void. Just read that this morning in a policy change document on the CAA site. That text you've copied up there relates to the UK exams.

[socrates]

Flandan

You and Noggin are both correct. I presume you are referring to the details at:

http://www.srg.caa.co.uk/documents/srg_fcl_PolicyUpdate.pdf

To be honest I have spoken to so many people who had sat the UK ATPL exams and were very concerned about this matter I posted the above as a precautionary measure.

Sorry to have caused any confusion, but hell, thats what the CAA thrives on.

[Flandan]

No worries Socrates, know what you mean. You only have to look at the posting about CAA exam credits on Wannabes to see the extent of the problem.