Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Instructor Flight Engineer

🎯 Role Definition

The Instructor Flight Engineer (IFE) is a senior training professional responsible for delivering, developing, and maintaining high-quality flight engineer and systems training for flight crews and technical personnel. The role combines classroom instruction, simulator-based training (FFS/FNPT), line-oriented flight training (LOFT), and assessment activities to ensure crew proficiency, regulatory compliance, and continuous safety improvement. The IFE coaches and evaluates trainees on aircraft systems operations, emergency procedures, fuel and electrical management, flight data interpretation, human factors, crew resource management (CRM), and company standard operating procedures (SOPs).

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Former operational Flight Engineer or Systems Technician with line experience on widebody/turboprop fleets.
Military Flight Engineer or Aircrew Technician transitioning to civil aviation training.
Simulator Instructor or Type Rating Instructor who cross-trains into Flight Engineer training.

Advancement To:

Lead/Chief Instructor Flight Engineer or Training Manager for Flight Ops.
Director of Training or Head of Simulator Operations.
Safety Manager or Standards & Compliance Manager with focus on crew training and qualification.

Lateral Moves:

Type Rating Instructor (TRI) — expanding into pilot type-rating instruction.
Crew Resource Management (CRM) facilitator or human factors specialist.
Technical Standards / Procedures author within Flight Operations.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, deliver and maintain comprehensive classroom and simulator-based training modules for flight engineers, including systems theory, normal and abnormal procedures, environmental controls, fuel systems, pressurization, electrical generation and distribution, pneumatics, hydraulics, and auxiliary power unit (APU) operations to meet regulatory and operator standards.
Conduct full mission simulator (FFS) and flight training device (FTD/FNPT) sessions to teach and evaluate flight engineer tasks, emergency checklists, non-normal procedures, and multi-crew coordination, using realistic scenarios and up-to-date aircraft-specific profiles.
Design, update and validate training syllabi, lesson plans, scenario libraries and assessment rubrics to align with company SOPs, regulatory requirements (FAA/EASA/ICAO), manufacturer bulletins, and safety management system (SMS) directives.
Perform proficiency checks, line checks and competency assessments for flight engineers and crews, document results in the training record system, and provide actionable feedback and remedial training plans when standards are not met.
Lead scenario-based LOFT and CRM sessions focused on human factors, decision-making, communication, task-sharing and situational awareness to enhance teamwork between flight engineers, pilots and cabin crew.
Mentor and coach junior instructors and newly qualified flight engineers, providing structured on-the-job training (OJT), shadow lessons, and periodic standardization to maintain high instructor quality and consistency across the training department.
Conduct formal briefings and debriefings for each training event, leveraging flight data monitoring (FDM) and simulator playback to identify performance gaps and reinforce best practices with measurable improvement targets.
Maintain and operate training aids, systems and courseware including Learning Management Systems (LMS), e-learning modules, computer-based training (CBT), and virtual/augmented reality content used to supplement classroom and simulator instruction.
Monitor regulatory and manufacturer changes, airworthiness directives, and safety bulletins; incorporate relevant updates promptly into training content and communicate critical changes to flight crew and operational stakeholders.
Coordinate regular instructor standardization sessions and participate in audit activities to ensure training delivery meets national and international regulatory auditability and internal quality assurance requirements.
Prepare and maintain accurate training records, course reports, session logs and audit trails in compliance with company policy and aviation authority requirements, ensuring confidentiality and data integrity.
Support recurrent, transitional and initial type-rating programs for flight engineers migrating to new aircraft types, including hands-on system walkthroughs, fault isolation procedures and systems troubleshooting workshops.
Perform equipment/system fault simulations and failure injection during simulator runs to test and reinforce troubleshooting logic, cross-check procedures, and emergency checklist execution under high-stress, time-critical conditions.
Provide subject matter expertise for operator procedure development, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and technical manuals by contributing practical insights from training observations and fleet operations.
Lead investigations into training-related incidents or automation surprises, developing corrective training actions, safety notices and follow-up assessment programs to mitigate recurrence.
Deliver multimodal instruction for mixed audience groups, adapting content for pilots, maintenance personnel, and engineering staff to ensure consistent understanding of system limitations and operational impacts.
Liaise with engineering, maintenance and flight operations departments to clarify system malfunctions observed in service, support root-cause discussions and translate technical outcomes into training lessons and preventative actions.
Participate in flight tests, ferry flights or demonstration sorties (where operationally required and authorized) to validate procedure changes, gather empirical data for training updates, and provide in-flight instruction for non-standard system behaviors.
Develop and implement evaluation instruments such as written exams, practical assessments, simulator-based pass/fail criteria and remedial training pathways, ensuring fairness, repeatability, and defensibility of assessment outcomes.
Ensure compliance with fatigue management, human performance, and occupational health requirements within the training schedule to maintain instructor and trainee well-being and operational effectiveness.
Act as a point of contact during operational irregularities and crises to coordinate immediate training interventions, rapid refresher sessions, and targeted remediation for affected crews.
Support the procurement, validation and recurrency requirements for synthetic training devices, ensuring devices are qualified, configured correctly and traceable to aircraft performance for training fidelity.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives by analyzing training effectiveness metrics, trainee pass rates, FDM trends, and incident reports to propose curriculum enhancements, technology adoption and instructor performance improvements.

Secondary Functions

Assist with the administration of the training department calendar, resource allocation, and simulator slot planning to maximize throughput and minimize operational disruption.
Support recruitment and selection of new instructor candidates by participating in interviews, assessment flights, and instructor qualification checks.
Contribute to the production of training publications, manuals, and quick reference cards (QRCs) and review technical translations where applicable.
Provide occasional line-operations support including briefings for operating crews during periods of high traffic, special missions or when transitioning to a new fleet configuration.
Participate in external audits, regulatory inspections and industry working groups representing the training organization and providing technical input on training standards and best practices.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep operational knowledge of aircraft systems for turbine-powered transport category and legacy widebody aircraft (fuel, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, APU, environmental control and pressurization systems).
Proven experience operating and instructing in full flight simulators (FFS), flight training devices (FTD/FNPT), and simulator instructor operating station (SIOS) tools.
Strong familiarity with regulatory frameworks and training standards (FAA CFR, EASA Part-FCL/Part-142, ICAO Annexes) and competency-based training (CBT) principles.
Demonstrated capability to design, write and update training syllabi, lesson plans, exam content and assessment rubrics in a Learning Management System (LMS).
Flight data monitoring (FDM) interpretation skills and experience using FDM outputs to inform scenario creation and remedial training.
Proficiency with training technology stacks: LMS platforms, CBT development tools, simulator debrief software, Microsoft Office suite and common record-keeping systems.
Robust knowledge of emergency procedures, abnormal checklists, fault isolation logic and troubleshooting methodology for in-flight system failures.
Experience with Crew Resource Management (CRM), Line-Oriented Flight Training (LOFT), threat and error management (TEM) and human factors application in training design.
Ability to validate and maintain simulator configurations, liaise with manufacturers for software updates, and understand fidelity and aerodynamic modelling impacts on training.
Strong assessment design skills including creation of practical, oral and written evaluations, and defensible scoring methodologies for pass/fail decisions.

Soft Skills

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills tailored to adult learning and high-stress debriefing environments.
Strong instructional and coaching presence with the ability to motivate, challenge and remediate trainees constructively.
Analytical mindset with a focus on data-driven training improvements and measurable outcomes.
High emotional intelligence and the ability to manage conflict, deliver difficult feedback and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Team leadership and collaboration skills to work across flight operations, maintenance, safety and regulatory teams.
Adaptability and resilience to manage schedule volatility, simulator outages and operational priorities.
Professional credibility and authority derived from operational experience and demonstrable technical competence.
Time management and organizational skills to coordinate multiple concurrent training programs and documentation deadlines.
Attention to detail and methodical record keeping necessary for audit readiness and regulatory compliance.
Cultural sensitivity and the ability to deliver training to multinational crews in aviation English.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent plus accredited technical training; evidence of significant operational flight engineer experience required.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering, Aviation Science, Flight Technology or related field preferred.
Advanced certifications in instructional methodologies, human factors or safety management are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering
Aviation Technology / Flight Operations
Human Factors / Safety Science
Mechanical or Electrical Engineering with aviation focus

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5 – 15+ years of combined operational flight engineer experience, simulator instructing, or military flight engineer background.

Preferred: Minimum 8–10 years of operational flight engineer experience with at least 2–3 years of formal instructor experience on the subject aircraft type(s), recurrent simulator qualification, or demonstrated instructional portfolio including syllabus development and assessment design.

Required certifications and qualifications may include: current Flight Engineer experience or equivalent experience, instructor qualification on company-approved training devices, valid aviation medical and proof of proficiency in English. Additional requirements often include background checks and evidence of ongoing professional development in training and safety practices.