AFI Course for retired ATPL Advice please

[earnesteric]

Hi

I'm a retired airline pilot with about 13k hrs and about 10k command.

I'd like to spend some time as an assistant FI. Advice on what I'll need to do and where to do it would be much appreciated in order to get an Assistant FI rating on my ATPL. Provided I get a JAA qual I'm not fussy where I do the course.

Many thanks

[mad_jock]

These days they have done away with AFI's.

But all is not lost.

You can do a course and become a Restricted FI intially. After jumping through some hoops you can become unrestricted

Instructor | Examiner | Commercial Pilot Licence| Seaplane | Full and Part-Time courses (http://ontrackaviation.com/)

Is one of the better known providers but there are several around the UK.

The run down of the current course is on this page

Instructor Training | Flying Instructor | Flight Instructor | Full or Part-Time Instructor Courses with On-Track Aviation (http://ontrackaviation.com/fi-r.htm)

[Duchess_Driver]

Decide what it is you actually want to do with your "AFI" rating.

If you've no interest in PPL instruction you may be better served with doing a CRI course initially. It may give you a little bit more flexibility!

[Genghis the Engineer]

Decide what it is you actually want to do with your "AFI" rating.

If you've no interest in PPL instruction you may be better served with doing a CRI course initially. It may give you a little bit more flexibility!

It worked for me, with about 1/10th your hours (still a lot by light aeroplane standards) I did a CRI course and have done quite a lot of instruction since, getting a lot from it, and being able to hopefully offer something to my students.

Despite being a shorter and cheaper course than FI(R), CRI gives you independence from any legal requirement for a supervising FI (doesn't mean I haven't taken and used advice where available!). Downside is that you can't teach ab-initio, upsie is that you can teach just about everything else (biennials, tailwheel, complex, NPPL upgrades, currency checks, club checkouts...)

G

[BEagle]

Although experience is desirable, after many years of flying and with around 10000 hrs on a variety of (mainly military) aircraft, I decided to stop instructing and examining. Partly because of the ever-increasing expense, but also because I thought it was time to let the youngsters get a look in...

So these days, I use my experience primarily to navigate a course for others through the Byzantine complexity of €uropean pilot licensing regulations.

Regarding the requirement for a PPL/FI to have passed the CPL exams, this is only necessary if teaching at PPL level. To instruct for the LAPL(A) (but not the LAPL(H)), there is no requirement to have passed the CPL exams. A PPL/FI may receive remuneration for flight instruction whether or not he/she has passed the CPL exams.

A CRI will be able to teach aerobatics for remuneration under part-FCL - provided he/she holds an Aerobatic Rating and has been assessed as competent to teach aerobatics by a suitably qualified FIC instructor. So an ex-RAF pilot who would be bored to death by airline flying could make a few pennies as a PPL/CRI teaching aerobatics - and there is no requirement for a CRI to have passed the CPL exams.

[clkorm3]

Bournemouth commercial flight training. They have great facilities and very very helpful. They are the best as they have one of the best instructors. Speak to lance and he would help you greatly. You wouldn't be disappointed.

[Vortex Thing]

When I did my FI And was looking for PPL SEP/MEP level work a common problem my colleagues and I found was that many schools where we subsequently were looking to work were only interested in taking instructors from 'their own' courses and or specific institutions. So though there may be cheaper deals about be very choosy that where you go either has employment for you or has a national pedigree.

I would argue that once/if you move to MCCI, CRMI, SFI or TRI type work on CPL et al facilities that this would be even more important.

I stand happy to be corrected by FI employers out there and also found that like most qualifications once sufficient experience was gained I.e when I was unrestricted and 500 hrs instruction people mostly stopped caring where I had done my course and cared where I had worked and what I had done. It is Therfore likely that with your level of experience that you will be in safer stead but I would still get the best core course you can get at the biggest and best reknowned course providers over someone locally well know to future proof your instructing career.

Enjoy the course I loved it and still remember my FII fondly.

[earnesteric]

Great advice, thanks to all for taking the time.