Flight Instructors

Certification or Licensing

To become a flight instructor, you will need to get FAA flight-instructor certification. To do this, you must have a commercial pilot's certification for the kind of aircraft (single engine, multiengine, instrument, and so on) that matches the flight instructor rating (designation) you want to have. You must have accumulated a certain amount of flying time and have your logbook properly endorsed. You must have completed training that covered topics such as evaluation of student flight performance, lesson planning, and how to properly instruct on stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin-recovery methods. In addition, you will need to pass a test with written and oral sections as well as a flight test. Certification renewal is on a two-year basis.

The National Association of Flight Instructors offers the master flight instructor accreditation, master ground Instructor accreditation, and the associate master flight instructor accreditation. These certifications are voluntary and demonstrate commitment to the profession. To earn these, an instructor must meet certain requirements, such as being a member of the association, having a minimum number of flight instruction hours, having FAA flight instructor certification, and completing a certain amount of continuing education credits or activities. Visit https://www.nafinet.org/about-nafi-mcfi for more information.

Other Requirements

You must pass a physical exam and be certified fit to fly. Naturally, anyone controlling an aircraft needs to have good vision. So you must have eyesight of 20/20 or better in each eye, although you can wear glasses or contact lenses to get this. Good hearing is also a requirement.