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Can you become a (remunerated) Flight Instructor with just a Class 2 medical (EASA)?

Suppose you only hold a valid PPL(A) License with a valid Class 2 medical certificate issued in the EU. Can you become a Flight Instructor for PPL(A) with this medical certificate or do you need to hold a Class 1 medical certificate?

As far as I understand it a Class 1 medical certificate is not required, but please correct me if I am wrong.

The reason is that, from the EASA document below, you may either hold a CPL license or hold at least a PPL(A) and have passed the CPL theoretical knowledge exam. Now, the CPL does require a Class 1 Medical certificate, but what about passing the CPL theoretical knowledge exam?

I am asking since, theoretically, with a PPL(A) you are not allowed to be paid for flying. Would then be being an instructor the only exception?

This document states the following requirements: (See SECTION 2: Specific requirements for the flight instructor — FI):

An applicant for an FI certificate shall:

(a) have passed a specific pre-entry flight test with an FI qualified in accordance with FCL.905.FI within the 6 months preceding the start of the course,to assess their ability to undertake the course. This pre-entry flight test shall be based on the proficiency check for class and type ratings as set out in Appendix 9 to this Part;

(b) for FI (A) and FI (H):

  1. have received at least 10 hours of instrument flight instruction on the appropriate aircraft category, of which not more than 5 hours may be instrument ground time in an FSTD;
  2. have completed 20 hours of VFR cross-country flight on the appropriate aircraft category as PIC; and

(c) additionally, for the FI (A):

  1. hold at least a CPL(A); or
  2. hold at least a PPL(A) and have: (i) passed the CPL theoretical knowledge exam, except for an FI providing training for the LAPL(A) only; and (ii) completed at least 200 hours of flight time on aeroplanes or TMGs, of which at least 150 hours shall be completed as PIC;
  3. have completed at least 30 hours on single-engine piston powered aeroplanes of which at least 5 hours shall have been completed during the 6 months preceding the pre-entry flight test set out in (a) above;
  4. have completed a VFR cross-country flight as PIC, including a flight of at least 540 km (300 NM) in the course of which full stop landings at 2 different aerodromes shall be made.

P.D: (For whatever reason numbers start at 2 and I can’t fix it)

Last Edited by Mitor at 11 May 08:23
Spain

Yes, you can get paid (as any kind of instructor: FI, CRI, IRI, …) with a PPL and class 2 medical. That is indeed an exception to the “not getting paid to fly on a PPL” rule.

The Class 1 medical is a prerequisite for issuance of a CPL, not for passing the theoretical exams.

Note that you can still be an FI without CPL knowledge pass, but then you can “only” train students for the LAPL, not the PPL. I expect you still can exercise all privileges of the implicit CRI rating (on any class or type that you have 15h experience on), so you can do PPL revalidations, renewals, etc.

ELLX

FCL.205.A (b) is very clear and what you are looking for:

(b) Notwithstanding the paragraph above, the holder of a PPL(A) with instructor or examiner privileges may receive remuneration for:
(1) the provision of flight instruction for the LAPL(A) or PPL(A);
(2) the conduct of skill tests and proficiency checks for these licences;
(3) the training, testing and checking for the ratings or certificates attached to this licence.

ESSZ, Sweden

Mitor wrote:

the CPL does require a Class 1 Medical certificate

As Ibra says, exercising the privileges of the CPL requires a class 1. The licence still includes PPL privileges for which the class 2 is sufficient.

FCL.305 CPL — Privileges and conditions

(a) Privileges. The privileges of the holder of a CPL are, within the
appropriate aircraft category, to:

(1) exercise all the privileges of the holder of an LAPL and a PPL;

MED.A.030 MED.A.030 — Medical certificates

(c) When exercising the privileges of a:

(2) private pilot licence (PPL), the pilot shall hold at least a valid
class 2 medical certificate;

The text you quoted is out of date. Instead, look up FCL.915.FI in the Easy Access Rules for Aircrew published by EASA (link) or in the consolidated Aircrew Regulation published on EUR-Lex (link). The EUR-Lex version is available in Spanish.

London, United Kingdom

OK, thank you very much for the responses.

Spain

I am a full FI / PPL / class 2.
I haven’t done my CPL TKs. Just can’t face doing those!!

EGKL, United Kingdom

I was going to post a photo of the license but can’t see how :)

I wanted to add that I tried to start a helicopter FI course assuming the rules are the same…. But apparently not, you need a full CPL to be an FI so that’s me out.

EGKL, United Kingdom

In Germany at least (where, historically, one could be a full-fledged FI just just a PPL), at the time JAR-FCL came into effect (end of 2003) all those who where FIs were “grandfathered”, i.e. they retained FI (PPL) privileges, without ever having had a CPL (or even just CPL knowledge).

Other countries had similar schemes.

But nowadays that obviously doesn’t help aspiring FIs.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Yes, the UK grandfathered PPL FIs to BCPL and the one I had, now dead, even taught the IMCR without ever having had any instrument training

Carl – check Posting Tips.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

boscomantico wrote:

In Germany at least (where, historically, one could be a full-fledged FI just just a PPL), at the time JAR-FCL came into effect (end of 2003) all those who where FIs were “grandfathered”, i.e. they retained FI (PPL) privileges, without ever having had a CPL (or even just CPL knowledge).

Other countries had similar schemes.

But nowadays that obviously doesn’t help aspiring FIs.

Do you mean you could be an instructor without no additional requirements other than the PPL? i.e. no instructor course or at the very least some hours flown?

carlmeek wrote:

I was going to post a photo of the license but can’t see how :)

I wanted to add that I tried to start a helicopter FI course assuming the rules are the same…. But apparently not, you need a full CPL to be an FI so that’s me out.

That’s pretty weird that you can be FI (A) with a Class 2 but not FI (H)…

Last Edited by Mitor at 13 May 13:45
Spain
34 Posts
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