Service Instructor Qualifications

[Longstick]

Fellow instructors......

just trying to get to the bottom of a little discussion at work......wondering if you may be able to help....

We are often told that our Central Flying School A2 Qualified Flying Instructor Category is the only civilian recognised qualification that we can get.

With an element of research, it only appears that for it, you gain a full exemption for FI(A) single pilot, single engine. All the other quals, B1 and B2, only alter the conditions of gaining the FI qual. So in a sense they are all recognised.

My question is, for employability reasons, how are military qualifications viewed in the civilian sector? Is an A2 actually necessary or is a certain level not important?

Many thanks

[Speed Twelve]

Surprised that only A2 is considered a 'direct' equivalent of civilian FI ticket for ex-service QFIs.

As someone who has come in the other direction, civvy FI now with a B1 ticket instructing EFT, the B1 standards course I did at DEFTS was way in advance of that required for an initial JAA FI(R) rating.

I'm surprised that anyone who'd received in instructor cat or CtoI from CFS wouldn't automatically be granted JAA FI privileges.

[BEagle]

See LASORS Section H1.7:

a. CFS Category B2 will equate to a FI(A) with all
restrictions as per JAR-FCL 1.325. For details of
these restrictions and their removal please refer
to Section H1.4.

b. CFS Category B1, with at least 200 hours flight
instruction, will equate to a FI(A) without the
Supervisory Restriction. All other restrictions will
be endorsed and to remove the restrictions
please refer to Section H1.4.

c. CFS Categories A1 and A2 will equate to a FI(A)
with no restrictions other than single pilot, single
engine aeroplanes.

Note that these are CFS QFI annotations and do NOT refer to Qualified Gliding Instructors.

[Blakey]

Longstick,

For your sake (as I see one of your previous posts refers to the Tucano), and others reading this thread, beware that the "valid category" to which LASORS refer for QFIs are specifically for SEP QFIs only. It seems that those on Tucanos and Hawks now have to write to the CAA for an assessment. I have known the results that come from such consultations to vary in the past.

Even those on SEPs should beware as it requires a CFS check within the last 12 months whilst the A2, from memory, is valid for 18 months. Therefore pick your time to apply carefully otherwise you may find that "the computer says no".

As far as your question about how military qualifications are regarded. From my experience, in general military QFIs get a great deal of respect in the civilian instructing world as long as they remember that in a civilian school they are dealing with customers and not "Bloggs".

[Dan Winterland]

And if the computer does say no, in my case because my last CFS check had expired, you have to do enough flying to satisfy an examiner you have refreshed yourself suffiectly on the whole syllabus and take the test. In my case, about 7 hours.

Incidently, an A2 also used to give you some credit points for an OU degree. Not sure if it's still so.