A Qualified Flying Instructor is someone who is qualified to conduct flight training for pilots. They may also have other roles in aviation, such as aircraft certification and flight reviews, depending on the jurisdiction. Every country has its own rules and regulations as regards the qualification process. Below are some examples.

Australia

In Australia there are separate classifications for regular flight instructors and simulator only instructors. A flight instructor rating requires one of the following: a private pilot licence (PPL); a commercial pilot licence (CPL); or an air transport pilot licence. In addition, a candidate must meet educational requirements, complete training, and pass a flight test for at least one training endorsement.

United Kingdom

The UK's military aviation forces train Qualified Flying Instructors to teach flying training to new pilots. The QFI Course can vary from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the complexity of the aircraft involved.

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

QFIs are entitled to the

post nominals Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

'QFI'. Rotary wing aviators qualify as Qualified Helicopter Instructors, or QHIs. QFIs assigned to squadrons are rostered to fly widely with Squadron pilots, ensuring that updated techniques and standardisation is carried out at frontline units as well as training ones. The QFI accreditation is analogous to the

Qualified Weapons Instructor Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI) (''queue-why'') is a qualification given to graduates of the Royal Air Force or Royal Navy Qualified Weapons Instructor courses. It is the equivalent to the United States Air Force Weapons School Course or US Na ...

(QWI) qualification, but focused much more on basic flying skills of the aircraft as opposed to tactics and operational usage that the QWI course focuses on.

India

Qualified Flying Instructor (abbr. QFI) is a term mainly used for pilots of

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

who have passed the appropriate course before being allowed to instruct flying an aircraft. The pilots are trained at Flying Instructors School of the

Flying Instructors School

QFI instructional categories is awarded by the Flying Instructors School (FIS) of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

Flying Instructors School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...

is based at Air Force Station Tambaram and trains operational pilots of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

, and

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

Alumni

* Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, former Chief of Air Staff of the

is Cat A Qualified Flying Instructor. * Squadron Leader Shalija Dhami is the first women QFI of the

References

{{Reflist Flight training Indian Air Force Royal Air Force