Addendum – EASA Part-FCL & Part-MED — Page 558, Lesson 748

Let's start with the prerequisites for becoming an instructor under EASA Part-FCL. The minimum age is 18. That's the first hard number. Now, the core idea: an instructor must already hold the licence, and where relevant, the rating for which the flight instruction is to be given. In other words, you can't teach what you don't hold. If you're going to instruct for a specific rating, you must possess that rating yourself. Then there are two alternative pathways for the experience requirement. The first: the instructor must have completed at least 15 hours of flight as a pilot on the class or type of aeroplane on which instruction is to be given. Of those 15 hours, a maximum of 7 hours may be in an FSTD — that's a Flight Simulation Training Device, so a simulator or flight training device. So at least 8 of those 15 hours must be actual flight in the aeroplane. The alternative to those 15 hours: the instructor may have passed an assessment of competence for the relevant category of instructor on that class or type of aeroplane. So either you have the 15 hours, or you've passed that assessment. Additionally, the instructor must have the entitlement to act as PIC — Pilot in Command — on the aeroplane during such flight instruction. That's a fundamental requirement: you must be able to act as PIC while giving the instruction. Now, the training course. The applicant must have undertaken theoretical and flight training at an ATO — an Approved Training Organisation — in accordance with Part-FCL. So the training itself must be done at an approved organisation, following the Part-FCL requirements. Next, the assessment of competency. The applicant for an instructor certificate must pass an assessment of competency to instruct a student pilot to the level required for the issue of the relevant licence, rating, or certificate. So the assessment is about proving you can bring a student up to the standard needed for that particular licence, rating, or certificate. Validity: an instructor certificate is valid for 3 years. That's the validity period. Now, specific requirements for a flight instructor — the FI. There are two notable ones here. First, in order to instruct for a CPL — that's the Commercial Pilot Licence — the FI must have completed at least 500 hours of flight time as pilot on that category, including at least 200 hours of flight instruction. So 500 hours total, and of those, at least 200 must be flight instruction — meaning time spent actually instructing. Second, in order to instruct for an IR — the Instrument Rating — the FI must have: - At least 200 hours of flight time under IFR — that's Instrument Flight Rules — of which 50 hours may be instrument ground time. So 200 hours under IFR, and up to 50 of those can be ground time in a simulator or similar. - Completed, as a student pilot, the IR training course and passed the assessment of competence for the IRI certificate. IRI is the Instrument Rating Instructor certificate. So the FI must have gone through the IR course as a student and passed the IRI assessment. - For multi-engine aeroplanes, met the requirements of the issue of a class rating instructor — the CRI certificate. So if instructing on multi-engine, the FI needs the CRI requirements met. Now let's move to the Examiner Certificate for Aeroplanes — the FE(A). This is section 5.21. The general requirements for holders of an examiner certificate. First, they shall hold an equivalent licence, rating, or certificate to the ones for which they are authorized to conduct skills tests, proficiency checks, or assessments of competence — and the privilege to instruct for them. So an examiner must hold the same licence, rating, or certificate that they're examining for, plus the instructing privilege. Second, they must be qualified to act as PIC on the aeroplane during the skills test, proficiency check, or assessment of competence. So again, PIC qualification is required during the examination. Third, they must undertake a standardization course at an ATO or provided by the competent authority. So there's a standardization course requirement — to ensure examiners are consistent in their assessments — and it's done either at an Approved Training Organisation or provided by the competent authority itself. So to summarise the key numbers: minimum age 18, 15 hours flight experience with max 7 in FSTD, certificate valid 3 years, 500 hours for CPL instruction with 200 of instruction, 200 hours IFR for IR instruction with 50 ground time, and the examiner must hold equivalent qualifications, be PIC-qualified, and complete a standardization course.