Post CPL sign off, every aviator who intends to build a professional career faces a dilemma. How do they begin to accumulate flight hours? The options available to you at this point are largely dependent on what part of the world trained in, your immigration status if relevant, and the cyclical position of the industry at that time.
Universal to wherever you conduct your training is the option to become a flight instructor. A distinctive quirk in aviation is that we get the newly licensed, less experienced members of our profession train newer members of the aviation family. The regulatory requirement to become a flight instructor is to complete a rating. This rating costs anywhere between 10000-12000 USD at the time of this writing. The course to get this rating usually takes 6 months to a year, after which you will complete a written examination along with an in-person evaluation of your teaching skills on the ground and in the air.
In Canada, completing this examination will make you a Class 4 flight instructor; restricted in what modules you can teach and with a requirement to have your students evaluated by a supervising instructor. Once you fulfil the regulatory requirements, you are upgraded to a Class 3 instructor. In order to grow your career as an instructor, you are required to take another written examination and take another in-person evaluation of your teaching skills and techniques. You will upgrade to a Class 2 and finally to a Class 1 if you wish to.
Certified flight instructors are stratified differently depending on which Civil aviation regulatory body you’re working with. As an example, South Africa has a 3-grade system.
In spite of the differing regional progression requirements, being a certified flight instructor requires the same personality traits no matter what part of the world you plan to operate. Every one of these qualities is as important as the other.
In spite of the differing regional progression requirements, being a certified flight instructor requires the same personality traits no matter what part of the world you plan to operate. Every one of these qualities is as important as the other.
Patience is a virtue: Every career educator will tell you this. It is the foundation on which your effectiveness as an educator is built. You must be able to adjust your delivery style for every student, especially those who seem to be experiencing difficulties. The regular sarcasm that entertains your everyday life must be put away.
Willingness to learn: Teaching is the highest form of learning. Every one of your students comes with their unique life experience. I personally make it a point to learn something new from every student I work with. This adds value to what I have to offer as an instructor and as a mentor to my succeeding students. Additionally, you will encounter students who read a paragraph or page in that aviation textbook that you may have missed or skimmed over.
Admitting when you don’t have the answer or provided a wrong answer previously. No one is an unending fount of knowledge. Your job as a flight instructor is not to have all the answers, your job is to know where to find the answers.
Taking a genuine interest in the progress of every one of your students. to be effective as a trainer, you should establish a baseline for each of your students and be able to identify when they perform below that baseline. Armed with this knowledge, you can identify when they are distracted and provide guidance/mentoring as required.
The ability to compartmentalize is important. Especially in situations where you will work with multiple students in the same day. You must ensure you do not allow frustration over one student to bleed over into your lesson with your next student.
The ability to constantly function in a high pressure, fast-paced and dynamic environment, while simultaneously evaluating your student and ensuring they are in the required mental zone for your lesson (Comfort zone vs stretch zone).
Finally, you must have a healthy way to relax and unwind. Living the life of a flight instructor is exhausting; staying at peak mental and emotional alertness for up to fifteen hours in a day takes a toll. Burn out is very common in the flight instructor career. Staying fresh and motivated will benefit you, your colleagues, your students and those in your personal life.
I hope you have gotten some insight into #flightinstructorlife. Unglamorous and underpaid for the most part, our certified flight instructors ensure we have a constant supply of professional aviators in our cockpits and should be appreciated.