One of the ways to pursue a career in General Aviation is to become a Flying Instructor. This may represent a career option in itself or simply a stepping-stone to other career options such as Airline flying.

Your initial goal is to obtain a Grade 3 Instructor Rating, which will allow you to teach most exercises up to Commercial Pilot Licence level. To do this you must have already completed a Commercial Pilot Licence as well as a Night VFR or Instrument Rating.

The Grade 3 Instructor Rating course is a challenging and rewarding phase of training in your flying career covering many new and interesting aspects of flight. The course consists of:

• 12 hours of Principles & Method of Instruction
• Approximately 50 hours of briefing covering demonstration pre-flight briefings and preparation/presentation of pre-flight briefings.
• 50 hours flight time of which 30 hours will be dual instruction and 20 hours of mutual practice with a fellow instructor trainee.

Upon successful completion of the course and a flight test, your will be issued with a Grade 3 Instructor Rating. You will operate under the direct supervision of a senior Instructor for the first 100 hours, as obviously there is a great deal still to be learnt! With increased experience, both flight hours and time, your will progress to and hopefully achieve your Grade 2 then Grade 1 Instructor Ratings which will allow you to teach more advanced aspects of flying and possibly even trainee instructors like yourself.

Prior to commencing the Instructor rating course it is recommended that a fair degree of preparation is conducted. This should include revision of all prior knowledge gained through your CPL theory courses, along with clear and through knowledge of the aircraft that you will fly during your training.