Becoming a Flight Instructor: Sharing the Passion
Why Become a Flight Instructor?
The Reward of Sharing Knowledge
"The moment a student achieves something they thought was impossible, whether it is their first stable hover or nailing an autorotation, you remember why you became an instructor. Those breakthroughs never get old." - Senior Instructor, HQ Aviation
Hour Building Towards Commercial Operations
A Viable Career Path
Benefits of Becoming an Instructor
- Deep personal satisfaction from helping students achieve their dreams
- Build hours towards commercial operations while earning a salary
- Develop exceptional handling skills through constant practice
- Create lasting relationships within the aviation community
- Multiple career progression opportunities within training and beyond
FI(H) Prerequisites: What You Need Before Training
Licence and Hour Requirements
Hour Requirements Breakdown
The 200-hour requirement should ideally include significant time spent on navigation exercises, varied weather conditions, and operations from different sites. Concentrated experience across these areas makes you a more versatile instructor and better prepared for the questions and situations students will present.
Medical and Language Requirements
Recommended Additional Experience
The FI(H) Course Structure
Ground School: The Foundation of Teaching
Prepare Your Teaching Materials
Start collecting teaching resources during your ground school phase. Building a library of diagrams, mnemonics, and real-world examples will serve you well throughout your instructing career. The best instructors are always adding to their teaching toolkit.
Teaching Techniques: Learning to Explain
Flying Training: Teaching in the Air
Different Seat, Different Perspective
Teaching from the instructor's seat requires developing new handling skills. Everything is reversed, and you must learn to demonstrate manoeuvres accurately from an unfamiliar position while simultaneously monitoring your student and the aircraft. This takes practice to master.
Assessment of Competence
What Makes a Good Instructor?
Patience and Empathy
Communication Skills
Adaptability
Genuine Enthusiasm
Life as a Flight Instructor
A Typical Day
Weather Dependence
Helicopter training is weather dependent, which affects scheduling. Good flying days can be intense with back-to-back lessons, while poor weather might mean a day focused on ground school or administration. Learning to manage this variability is part of adapting to the instructor lifestyle.
Building Student Relationships
Career Progression from FI
Senior Instructor and Examiner Roles
Commercial Operations
Training Management
Career Progression Options
- Senior Instructor and mentoring roles within flight schools
- Flight Instructor Examiner (FIE) conducting assessments
- Commercial operations including offshore, EMS, and charter
- Head of Training and Chief Instructor positions
- Regulatory and safety management roles
HQ Aviation's Instructor Programme
Start the Conversation
If you are considering the instructor path, we encourage you to speak with our training team. We can assess your readiness, discuss the investment involved, and help you plan your route to the right-hand seat. The journey to becoming an instructor begins with a single conversation.
Sharing the Passion
Key Takeaways
- Flight instructing combines technical mastery with the reward of teaching
- Prerequisites include CPL(H) or 200 hours PIC and a Class 2 medical
- The FI(H) course covers 125 hours ground school and 30 hours flying minimum
- Assessment of Competence tests both flying and teaching ability
- Career paths include senior instruction, examining, and commercial operations
- HQ Aviation offers comprehensive instructor training and employment opportunities