EASA FI Rating & Brexit
 

Tried giving this a quick search and couldn't find much on these forums. I have read through the document released by the CAA (ORS4 No 1469) and another article regarding the same topic but I feel my certain situation isn't quite covered/ clear. I changed my SOLI from UK to IAA mid 2020 and at the time held a UK CPL IR (fATPL). After receiving my IAA license and then undertook an EASA FI course in the UK which was completed mid December 2020. Due Covid, I could not complete the AoC until 6th March 2021 and this date is my FI rating issue date.


Can I instruct students working towards a UK PPL?


Any help or a point in the right direction to some further information would be greatly appreciated! I did email the UK CAA asking the same question but I haven't had a response in 2 weeks.


Cheers!

No. ORS4 1469 does not cover your situation so there is no permission for you to use your EASA FI which wasn’t on your UK licence previously. You do have a couple of options:

a. Submit a request to the CAA using an SRG2137 to request an exemption to permit use of your instructor rating until you transfer back your licence to the UK. I have successfully done this with support (considerable amount of!) from my Head of Training. Admittedly I did have the instructor rating previously in the UK but I also fall outside 1469 and so I also had to get my EASA licence validated first but that’s not an issue for you.

b. Travel outside of the UK and apply to the UK for an approval under FCL.900(c) to instruct for a UK PPL outside the territory of the UK. I have colleagues who have done this in reverse based on their UK licence to instruct for EASA in the UK.

Hope that helps.

Sadly because it was completed after Brexit you can't instruct in the UK.
Was your FI Examiner also a UK FIE? If so you might be able to get them to fill in the forms for UK instructor, an FI is not a rating but a certificate, you could then apply for a UK Instructors certificate.

Unfortunately following any change there will always be unintended but also some surprising consequences. As Donald Rumsfeld put it, there are: "known unknowns and there are also unknown unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know".

I also learnt early in life to never ask a question of the unknown if there is any possibility that you will not like the answer. I agree with Edgington. I presume you will be taking up the current offer from the UK CAA to have a UK licence and ratings issued for licenses that were SOLI'd and if so; simply apply for the instructor rating certificate to be issued at the same time. Don't raise an issue unnecessarily.

Actually your FI will just get transferred as part of the transfer even though it wasn’t there before. Have a reference somewhere if you need it,