Flight Instructing with just a PPL (UK/EU)

[delay256]

I have known for sometime now that in the UK, A PPL holder can become Class Rating Instructor (CRI) and teach students depending on certain conditions!

An applicant for the issue of a CRI (SPA) rating for single-engine aeroplanes shall
have:

a. A valid SEP (Land), SET (Land), TMG Class Rating or a Single-Pilot Single
Engine Type Rating.
b. Completed at least 300 hours flight time as pilot of aeroplanes.
c. Completed at least 30 hours as PIC on the applicable type or class of aeroplane
prior to commencing the course.
d. Completed an approved course at an approved FTO or TRTO of at least three
hours flight instruction on the aeroplane or a flight simulator given by an instructor
approved for this purpose.
e. Passed the relevant elements of a FI Skill Test in a single pilot, single engine
aeroplanes with a suitably qualified FIE (A).

A CRI can provide all training beyond initial licence training, such as
differences training for tail wheel ratings, complex ratings such as turbochargers,
retractable gear and constant speed propeller.
A CRI may carry out training for the issue of class rating including the multi-engine
rating after doing the CRI (ME) rating, with the addition of an IR instructor rating the
IMCR and IR may be taught. A CRI may also carry out the two-year flight and sign
the logbook accordingly and where appropriately sponsored a CRI may also become
a SEP Revalidation Examiner. It is also worth remembering this is a JAA rating and
as such is valid across Europe.

Just wondering what your thoughts were on this?!

[Pratt X 3]

Just wondering what your thoughts were on this?!

UK air regs are just as tedious to read as Canadian air regs.

[Colonel Sanders]

Getting a CPL is so massively expensive in Europe that
they either do this, or just make it official and entirely
get rid of what little General Aviation they have left.

Similarly, I fear for the future of non-vocational GA in
Canada. No one gives a rat's @ss about it. It is
prohibitively expensive and has incredible regulatory
overhead that has absolutely nothing to do with safety.

[Big Pistons Forever]

As the Colonel said the drive towards the PPL flight instructor is a reflection of the massively expensive and complex CPL syllabus for the European licenses. A program designed for someone going straight to the right seat of an Airbus with 250 hours and is massive overkill for someone who wants to teach basic flying. Canada has the opposite extreme. The CPL is a total joke with a flight test that is just a repeat of the PPL test to a slightly higher standard and anyone who has 300 hours TT has probably already got more than half of the CPL prerequisites done. If any Canadian wants to do the the kinds of instructing the UK CRI is set up for they can just get a CPL and will not have to do any further instructing training they can just teach on the basis of the CPL.

[xysn]

Similarly, I fear for the future of non-vocational GA in Canada. No one gives a rat's @ss about it. It is prohibitively expensive and has incredible regulatory overhead that has absolutely nothing to do with safety.

I am (mostly) enjoying my non-vocational PPL training but I do wonder how much longer my bank account can keep up after I finish.

As a bit of a policy wonk I am curious though what kind of reforms are needed to bring the cost of GA down.

Gas is maybe $20 on a $130 / hour rental plane ... so there must be something else. Insurance? Maintenance? Financing?

Isn't COPA working on this?

[Colonel Sanders]

what kind of reforms are needed to bring the cost of GA down

See "homebuilt aircraft" and the immense popularity
of the RV series of aircraft.

When you purchase a new GA aircraft, included in the
price is $30k to $40k to cover the cost of you suing
the company - product liability insurance.

Parts cost for GA aircraft is similarly insane, with both
regulatory and liability costs. You know the click-type
stall warning indicator switch? $2500. No typo.

[Shiny Side Up]

Gas is maybe $20 on a $130 / hour rental plane ... so there must be something else. Insurance? Maintenance? Financing?

Not sure where you figure that (or where you're getting your fuel from). Right now the 172s run us about $43/hr for fuel. The 152 would run about $30/hr. Both of those would be given typical rental aircraft actual fuel burns. By weight of comparrison maintenance costs (including taking into account a reserve fund) for our planes are running at approximately $50 to $60 per hour. Insurance is tougher to factor in an hourly rate but it accounts for about $8-$10/per hour, tie down hangarage costs are running about $2-$3/hour. Those last two of course depend on how many revenue hours the airplanes fly per year and month respectively. So in all, out of the rental rate of $140/hr, operations costs for a typical 172 eat up about $103-$116/hr.

[ahramin]

Note that you can't teach students how to fly with that instructor rating, you can only teach for tailwheel ratings, constant speed ratings, and other things that aren't ratings in Canada so there is no need for an instructor anyway.

The big differences are that a CRI in the EU can teach instrument and night ratings while in Canada you must have a commercial licence.

[xysn]

Gas is maybe $20 on a $130 / hour rental plane ... so there must be something else. Insurance? Maintenance? Financing?

Not sure where you figure that (or where you're getting your fuel from). Right now the 172s run us about $43/hr for fuel. The 152 would run about $30/hr. Both of those would be given typical rental aircraft actual fuel burns. By weight of comparison maintenance costs (including taking into account a reserve fund) for our planes are running at approximately $50 to $60 per hour. Insurance is tougher to factor in an hourly rate but it accounts for about $8-$10/per hour, tie down hangarage costs are running about $2-$3/hour. Those last two of course depend on how many revenue hours the airplanes fly per year and month respectively. So in all, out of the rental rate of $140/hr, operations costs for a typical 172 eat up about $103-$116/hr.

Mogas is about $3.50 a gallon (At least at a gas station, maybe this is wrong) and a DV20 is 4.4 gph at cruise per POH (This is also probably unrealistic I guess)

[Shiny Side Up]

Mogas is about $3.50 a gallon (At least at a gas station, maybe this is wrong) and a DV20 is 4.4 gph at cruise per POH (This is also probably unrealistic I guess)

The Diamond trainers while more efficient on fuel, tend to run higher on their maintenance costs. I would say that a school or airplane rental would be lucky to be getting a burn of 4.4 gph. The simple fact is many of the flight excersises the airplane runs at its higher fuel burn rates, since its not being run at cruise power, and often the mixture is run rich for these. Renters are particularly bad for fuel burn expenses, since they often treat the airplane like the proverbial rented mule. Makes a lot of difference how much you bring that throttle back when you're cruising around, though carelessness often plays a part as well. One renter had his primer half way out for a flight so one poor 172 pumped about 14 gph out the stack.

Mogas around here is running about $4.12/gal (US) at the pumps here. Avgas bulk is around $6.05/gal.

[Talex]

You should be aware that the United Kingdom regulations for flight crew are largely prescribed by JAR-FCL but only until 17th September 2012 whereupon the relevant regulation covering CRIs will be Part-FCL of the Aircrew Regulation. Within the context of the UK you can refer to UK CAA guidance material in CAP 804.

The requirements you've specified remain the same under Part-FCL however the "acceptance" of pilot licences which are not considered to be EASA Part-FCL licences will be more limiting - details in Annex III to the Aircrew Regulation, and in CAP 804. I imagine you are interested in converting your licence instead so see the requirements detailed towards the end of Annex III. If you're under the age of 31 you're quite entitled to make use of the Youth Mobility arrangement in force between UK & Canada to live and work for up to 24 months.

The "Aircrew Regulation" means Commission Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 of 03/11/2011 laying down technical requirements and administrative procedures related to civil aviation aircrew pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Part-FCL is Annex 1 to the Aircrew Regulation. The English edition is here, http://easa.europa.eu/regulations/fligh ... -rules.php The French edition is under the orange 'translations' button to the right.