FI "you don't fly the plane"

[VNA Lotus]

hello everybody,

I talked to a friend, because at the moment I hesitate to do the FI course, I have finished my CPL/IR.
And said me "the problem as an FI you don't fly the plane, you're just in the right sit... it is not like towing gliders, photos, etc so it is not very interesting for companies"
So I don't ask you if it's true or not, because obviously you don't fly the plane, when I was doing my CPL course, my FI just told me "watch your cap , your altitude, what do you see there, and there ?" and I noticed he tells you what you know but what you don't see, it is like a safety pilot in fact...

I mean when you are in the right it is easy to see the errors of the pilot...

But maybe some of you are FI and work in a company.

Can you tell me what others abilities you can get ?

thank you very much for your help.

[Kanu]

You WILL become a better pilot IMO, I did.

[VNA Lotus]

thanks Kanu! what does it mean "IMO" ? (english's my second language)

[Malcolm G O Payne]

Flying Instructor

As a retired FI with quite a few hours behind me, I assure you that you will have difficulty find a flying job that gives you greater job satisfaction. You WILL fly the aircraft, perhaps to a degree of accuracy that you did not expect, and you will have the pleasure of showing your student how to achieve the same standards. It may take a time, but when a retired airline training captain searches you out as the person who sent them on their first solo you will realise it was worth all the effort.

[Kanu]

(in my opinion)

bit drunk so excuse the spelling and grammar.

If you've just finished at one of EU's sausage factories (CPL schools), you will learn a lot about general handling on your FIC course as I did and a few of my friends (we now know what the footrests are for!).

On the other hand, I've been getting frustrated recently with my lack of handling the aircraft. My own fault for teaching my studes so well in the early stages

[llanfairpg]

Its more important to learn how to handle the student rather than the aircraft, many are born to fly, few are born to instruct.

[Contacttower]

many are born to fly, few are born to instruct.

What is it that they say...'good pilots made not born'...I'm sure the same applies for instructors...

[BlueRobin]

Malcolm is right.

I'm doing a FI course at a well-known FTO based at his local airfield. It teaches you to fly again and your flying standard is expected to be to exam standard all the time.

If I have one concern it's that I'm afraid the job will draw me in and I'll find it mentally hard apply for the airlines.

[18greens]

A CPL FI may get less hands on than a PPL FI.

The average FI flies a lot of trial lessons in which you are flying a fair bit and even with students you demonstrate actions for them to practise. Even if you're not hands on you are in command and you do pick up a lot from others mistakes. It will make you understand a lot about how aeroplanes fly.


How much hands on does the average airline pilot get?

[huckleberry58]

Unless you are independently wealthy then you will need to do the FI course to get your hours up. As for handling, that's no big issue, you will get enough.

[Whirlybird]

It's true that when you're teaching students who've done most of the course you don't get to fly much. But there are enough trial lessons and demonstrations of particular manoeuvres to make up for that....so you'll get to fly. Also, as people have said, you'll get to fly WELL, and also to do exciting manoeuvres that you don't get in many other flying jobs, many of which involve flying from A to B.

On the other hand, instructing is at least as much about PEOPLE as it is about flying. You are not teaching flying, you are teaching people to fly. There's a big difference. Unless you actually enjoy working with people, and gain satisfaction from your students' progress, instructing life will be pretty grim for you and you won't be much use as an instructor. llanfairpg put it perfectly - "Its more important to learn how to handle the student rather than the aircraft, many are born to fly, few are born to instruct".

[5150]

How much hands on does the average airline pilot get?

As much or as little as they want. . . !

[llanfairpg]

How much hands on does the average airline pilot get?

Modern airline flying is about monitoring automated systyms, the Biggles era has gone.

[llanfairpg]

What is it that they say...'good pilots made not born'...I'm sure the same applies for instructors...

If you had of employed and taught as many instructors as I have you may not be so sure about that.

[P.Pilcher]

What excellent advice has been posted above. My only addition to it would be that the only instructors who could possibly justify moaning that they don't get enough handling themselves are the good ones. In my experience "pole grabbing" is never the best way to instruct!
I never found that by refraining from "pole grabbing" my own handling skills were impaired.

P.P.

[llanfairpg]

I never found that by refraining from "pole grabbing" my own handling skills were impaired.

You can certainly learn a lot by watching--I regularly watch my wife drive!

[rotorfossil]

It's my experience as an instructor and examiner for a long time, that you become much better at detecting how and when things are happening and when they are about to go pear shaped. You also pick up little tips from the people you fly with that you perhaps hadn't thought of yourself. If you are not careful however, this can lead to a gentle upward drift in what you require as normal standards from your students.
However, although your own awareness standards do improve, unless you are able to mix instructing with other work which involves handling, your own handling skills can degrade, and this particularly applies to examiners sadly.

[BEagle]

EASA's FCL001 is putting the final touches to the Implementing Rules NPA which will allow PPL/FIs to instruct at substantially less cost to themselves than hitherto. Because, to be permitted to receive remuneration for flight instruction, they will require a PPL and a FI Rating. Which will mean:

• NO requirment for 'CPL level knowledge'
• NO requirement to hold a CPL

This will mean that many PPL holders (currently under JAR-FCL they need 200 hrs TT, of which 150 must be PIC), with no interest in becoming airline pilots, will be able to instruct at PPL level. And be paid for it.

Which may well mean that the opportunities for airline wannabees to instruct at PPL level may well reduce......

Maybe airlines will have to re-introduce their own selection and training schemes again?

[Kanu]

may also mean that career instructors lose out

[VNA Lotus]

Hello Guys,

Well, fisrt, I want to thank you for your replies.

I made up my mind, so I guess I will do the FIC the next year.
These my reasons :

- I don't know how to keep current, so the FIC seems to be the best solution to fly without paying. After my CPL/IR course I don't have any more money for flying.
- I hope with money earned as a FI, I will be able to pay a MCC.
- I hope to share my passion of flying with students. Ok, sometimes it will be hard because everybody is different, but it will be a challenge for me.
- I talked to a friend who was FI and now he's flying for a regional company, he told me it is a great experience, because you will know your limits, and meet a lot of people.

However today my worries are :

do you think it is credible to be FI with only a CPL/IR with 200 total time, and I have never towed gliders, I don't have any others experiences...

Well maybe one day a curious student will ask me "what are your experiences young man ?"
"errr...cpl/IR, not airline, not gliders, just from school..."

Did you have problems like that ? (I'm 22 years old only.)

Thanks.