Flight Instructor Rating

1. Requirements for issue of rating. —

An applicant for a Flight Instructor’s Rating shall satisfy the following requirements—

(a) Age–

He shall be not less than twenty years of age on the date of application.

(b) Knowledge–

He shall pass an oral or written examination in the following subjects in accordance with the prescribed syllabus:—

(i) Techniques of applied Instruction;

(ii) Assessment of student performance in those subjects in which ground instruction is given;

(iii) The learning process;

(iv) Elements of effective teaching;

(v) Student evaluation and testing, training philosophie;

(vi) Training programme development;

(vii) Lesson planning;

(viii) Classroom instructional techniques;

(ix) Use of training aids, including flight simulation training devices as appropriate;

(x) Analysis and correction of student errors;

(xi) Human performance relevant to flight instruction including principles of threat and error management;

(xii) Hazards involved in simulating system failure and malfunctions in the aircraft.

(c) Experience–

He shall produce evidence of having satisfactorily completed as pilot of an aeroplane or a helicopter, as the case may be, on the date of application for the rating—

(i) twenty hours of flight time as pilot-in-command by night during which at least twenty take-offs and twenty landings have been carried out; and

(ii) two hundred hours of flight time on aeroplanes or one hundred hours on helicopters, as the case may be, in the capacity of an Assistant Flight Instructor or Qualified Flight Instructor in the service of Defence Forces; or

(iii) five hundred hours flight time as Pilot-in-Command of an aeroplane or two hundred fifty hours as Pilot-in-Command of a helicopter, as the case may be:

Provided that a pilot from Defence Forces who has successfully completed the Qualified Flight Instructor’s course and also satisfies requirements as laid down in this clause and clause (d), may be considered for the issue of Flight Instructor’s Rating if he has not less than twenty hours of flight time as Flight Instructor within a period of twelve months immediately preceding the date of application.

(d) Other Requirements–

He shall be—

(i) the holder of a current Commercial Pilot’s Licence (Aeroplanes/Helicopters)/ Senior Commercial Pilot’s Licence, Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (Aeroplanes/ Helocopters);

(ii) the holder of a current Instrument Rating.

Note - In the absence of a current Instrument Rating, an applicant will not be permitted to impart instruction in Instrument Flying.

(e) Skill–

He shall have demonstrated his competency as a Flight Instructor by performing procedures and manoeuvres prescribed in the syllabus by day and by night to the satisfaction of an approved Examiner within a period of six months immediately preceding the date of application.

(f) Flight Instruction —

After completing the experience requirement as laid down in clause (c), the applicant shall undergo a Flight Instructor’s Course approved by the Director-General before undergoing the skill test as mentioned in clause (e) and shall provide evidence of —

(i) having received instructions in flight instructional techniques including demonstration, student practices, recognition and correction of common student errors; and

(ii) having practiced instructional techniques in those flight manoeuvres and procedures in which it is intended to provide flight instruction.

2. Validity -

(a) The rating shall be valid for a period of twelve months from the date of issue of the rating.

(b) In the case of renewal, the period of validity of the rating shall be for a period of twelve months which shall commence from the date following the date of expiry of the previous validity subject to the condition that the application for renewal has been submitted within one month preceding the date of expiry and all other requirements for renewal are met on the date of application.

(c)  In cases other than those referred to in clause (b), the validity of renewal of the rating shall commence from the date of renewal of the rating.

3. Renewal —

The Flight Instructor’s Rating may be renewed on receipt of satisfactory evidence of the applicant —

(a) having satisfactorily completed not less than twenty hours of flight time as a Flight Instructor within a period of twelve months immediately preceding the date of application for renewal; or

(b) having satisfactorily completed a Flight Instructor’s refresher course approved by the Director- General and the flying tests within a period of six months immediately preceding the date of the application for renewal as laid down in clause (e) of paragraph 1.

4. Aircraft Rating—

The rating shall indicate the class and the types of aeroplanes/helicopters as the case may be on which the holder is entitled to impart instructions.

5. Extension of aircraft rating—

For extension of aircraft rating to include additional types of aeroplanes/helicopters, as the case may be, having an all-up-weight exceeding five thousand seven hundred Kgs., the applicant shall be required to produce evidence of —

(a) having obtained appropriate aircraft rating for that type on his professional pilot’s licence;

(b) having satisfactorily completed not less than five hundred hours of flight time as Pilot-in- Command on aeroplanes or three hundred hours of flight time as Pilot-in-Command on helicopters, as the case may be; and

(c) having satisfactorily completed the flying tests as laid down in para 1(e) on the type desired to be included in this rating.

Note — Requirements mentioned in (b) and (c) may be varied by the Director-General under special circumstances in the case of an experienced Flight Instructor who has successfully completed a course approved by the Director- General.