This is the rating that can take you to an elevated level in aviation. This rating earns a lot of respect among your aviation peers. It allows you to begin teaching people what you have learned in your aviation career. It allows you to be the instructor that is promoting safety and knowledge in aviation. Instructing also allows you to see how other people fly and while you teach them you learn even more about what is going on in your cockpit. By teaching people about the errors in their flying you will learn more about your flying than you realize. It also increases your level of comfort with how other people are flying the airplane you are in. This is recognized in aviation to make better pilots, better Captains, and safer pilots. Flight instructors are more accredited than many other aviation professionals because of what they have done and seen. This rating is also important because the majority of professional pilots in the field today began as instructors. In order to do many jobs in aviation the FAA requires a certain amount of logged flight time and experience. They set minimums for jobs like 500 hours, 1000 hours, and 1500 hours. As you reach these points in your flight time you automatically qualify for more jobs. The best way to reach those points in the beginning is to instruct. Your initial flight instructor rating will allow you to teach students in single engine aircraft under VFR conditions. Instructors holding this rating are allowed to teach Sport Pilots, Recreational pilots, Private Pilots and Commercial Pilots as long as they are licensed in the aircraft that is being used. They can also give biennial flight reviews. As an instructor adds instructor ratings to his/her license they are enabled to do even more. In this course Pilots obtain instructional knowledge in:

• The learning Process

• Elements of Effective Teaching

• Student Evaluation and Training

• Course Development

• Lesson Planning

• Classroom Training Techniques

• Safety Procedures/Techniques

• Aircraft Spin Maneuvers

• Common Student Errors

Flight Instructor Student Requirements:

• Be at least 18 years of Age

• Hold at least a Commercial Pilot license

• Hold an Instrument Rating

• 1st – 3rd Class Medical Certificate

• Be able to read, write, and speak English

Flight Instructor Pilot Requirements:

• Complete the Fundamentals Of Instructing written exam

• Complete the Flight Instructor written exam

• Complete 15 hours of flight training

• Complete FAA Practical Exam Other Considerations: At this stage in training each student pilot may have different background and hold different ratings. When considering which training is right for you a flight instructor should be consulted. The instructor may be able eliminate certain requirements based on your own personal experience and logged flight time.