Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Instructor Pilot

🎯 Role Definition

An Instructor Pilot (also marketed as Flight Instructor, Simulator Instructor, Type Rating Instructor, or TRI/CRI) is responsible for delivering safe, effective, and standards‑based pilot training across ground school, simulator and line‑training environments. The Instructor Pilot develops and delivers training syllabi, evaluates pilot competency against regulatory and operator standards (FAA, EASA or equivalent), conducts proficiency checks and type ratings, and continuously improves training content to support operational safety, regulatory compliance, and crew resource management (CRM) effectiveness. This role requires a highly experienced aviator with certified instructor credentials, strong assessment skills, and a demonstrable commitment to safety and training excellence.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

First Officer / Line Pilot with strong training aptitude and mentoring experience
Qualified Flight Instructor (CFI, TRI, CRI) transitioning from general aviation or regional operators
Simulator Instructor (SFI/CPL) moving into airline/operator training departments

Advancement To:

Chief Instructor / Director of Training
Standards Captain / Check Airman
Training Manager / Head of Flight Operations

Lateral Moves:

Type Rating Examiner (TRE)
Standards & Compliance Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, prepare, and deliver structured ground school lessons, simulator sessions, and line training programs for ab-initio, recurrent, upgrade, and type-rating students using approved syllabi while tailoring content to individual learning styles and regulatory requirements.
Conduct proficiency checks, line checks, skill tests, and type rating assessments in accordance with FAA, EASA, or national aviation authority standards, accurately documenting results, endorsements, and any required corrective actions.
Plan, brief, conduct and debrief full flight simulator (FFS) sessions and simulator‑based scenario training (LOFT), using scenario-based training techniques to evaluate technical flying skills, airmanship, decision making, and CRM/Threat and Error Management (TEM).
Evaluate trainee performance using objective criteria and standardized assessment tools, produce detailed competency reports, remediate deficiencies with targeted training plans, and track progress through learning management systems (LMS).
Author, review and maintain training syllabi, lesson plans, checklists, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and assessment rubrics to ensure alignment with company policies, regulatory changes, safety management system (SMS) findings and human factors best practices.
Deliver CRM, human factors, and non-technical skills training integrated into technical instruction to promote effective communication, teamwork, decision-making and leadership in multi‑crew operations.
Maintain and demonstrate personal currency, certifications and required medical fitness, including adherence to currency requirements for type ratings, instructor authorizations and operator-specific qualifications.
Execute and monitor simulator setup and configuration checks, collaborate with simulator engineers and maintenance teams to ensure FFS fidelity and timely availability for scheduled training events.
Perform PASS/FAIL examinations, provide professional and actionable debriefing with performance evidence, coach pilots through remedial training and sign off on successful completion of standards-based training elements.
Lead standardization sessions and instructor calibration meetings to ensure consistent assessment, uniform application of standards and reduced inter‑instructor variability across the training department.
Liaise with regulatory authorities, external examiners and third‑party training providers to support audits, external checks and compliance activities; prepare documentation and act as operator representative during inspections.
Coordinate scheduling, capacity planning and resource allocation for recurrent and type-rating courses to meet operational training demand while optimizing simulator utilization and instructor workloads.
Investigate training‑related incidents, non-conformances and SMS reports; contribute to root cause analysis, corrective action plans and dissemination of lessons learned across flight operations.
Mentor, coach and develop junior instructors and new type-qualified pilots, providing constructive feedback, career development guidance and support for professional growth within the training organization.
Develop and implement assessment tools, scenario libraries and practical exercises that target identified competency gaps, adverse weather operations, abnormal and emergency procedures and degraded systems management.
Maintain accurate trainee records, certification files, endorsements and training documentation in the LMS and company databases to ensure audit‑ready compliance with regulatory and company recordkeeping requirements.
Participate in the development and continuous improvement of training quality assurance programs, including conducting internal audits, evaluating training effectiveness and recommending enhancements.
Facilitate upgrade and command courses, assessing leadership, judgment and resource management for promotion to senior operational roles (e.g., First Officer to Captain upgrade assessments).
Support recruitment and selection of flight crew by participating in simulator-based assessment days, interview panels and pre-employment flying checks to identify candidates who meet technical and behavioral standards.
Act as a subject matter expert for new aircraft introductions, SOP changes and operational initiatives, delivering train-the-trainer sessions, briefing material and integration support for line crews.
Ensure all training activities adhere to safety policies, SOPs and regulatory guidance—promote safety culture by modeling best practice, reporting hazards and proactively addressing training safety risks.
Deliver recurrent training on emergency, abnormal procedures, systems knowledge and threat mitigation techniques, ensuring crews maintain readiness for high-risk scenarios and complex system failures.
Coordinate with dispatch, crew rostering and operations control to align training outputs with line operations requirements and minimize disruption to flight schedules.
Support performance monitoring programs by collecting and analyzing simulator and line training metrics such as pass rates, remediation trends and human factors incidents to inform strategic training interventions.

Secondary Functions

Support continuous improvement initiatives by piloting new training technologies, e‑learning modules and blended learning approaches to enhance trainee retention and reduce time-to-competency.
Contribute to curriculum modernization projects, such as incorporating evidence-based training (EBT) principles and competency-based training assessments to better reflect real-world operational challenges.
Provide input to budget planning and resource justification for simulator hours, instructor staffing and training equipment acquisitions.
Serve as an ambassador for the training department in cross-functional meetings with maintenance, safety, and operations to align training priorities with operational needs.
Assist with preparing training-related safety publications, bulletins and newsletters to disseminate operationally relevant learnings across the pilot population.
Participate in instructor development programs, cross-training to other aircraft types and maintaining proficiency in multiple type ratings when required.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Valid Commercial Pilot License (CPL) or Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) with current instructor authorizations (CFI/TRI/CRI/SFI or regional equivalent) and appropriate type ratings for assigned aircraft.
Demonstrated experience delivering type-rating courses, recurrent training and proficiency checks on Full Flight Simulators (FFS Level D preferred) with working knowledge of simulator operations and limitations.
In-depth knowledge of aircraft systems, performance, standard operating procedures (SOPs), abnormal and emergency procedures, and regulatory requirements (FAA, EASA, CASA or equivalent).
Competence with evidence-based training (EBT), threat and error management (TEM), and crew resource management (CRM) methodologies for multi-crew operations.
Strong assessment and evaluation skills, including use of assessment rubrics, objective testing, scenario creation, and remediation planning within an LMS.
Experience with Learning Management Systems (LMS), training recordkeeping, and scheduling tools for course administration and audit readiness.
Familiarity with safety management systems (SMS), incident reporting tools, and basic accident/incident investigation principles.
Proficient in briefing and debriefing techniques, using audio‑visual aids, annotated replay tools and performance feedback methodologies.
Ability to author and revise training syllabi, lesson plans, standardization documentation and exam question banks aligned with regulatory criteria.
Competence in simulator setup coordination, FFS configuration checks and working with simulator engineering to ensure scenario fidelity and reproducibility.
Technical literacy with common office productivity tools (Microsoft Office, PowerPoint), data capture for training metrics, and basic data analysis to measure training outcomes.
Authorization to perform line checks, submits endorsements, and issue instructor sign-offs in accordance with company and regulatory policy.

Soft Skills

Exceptional communication and presentation skills for engaging classroom instruction, clear simulator briefings, and effective debriefs with actionable feedback.
Strong leadership and mentorship capability to develop trainees and junior instructors while promoting professional standards and a safety-first culture.
High situational awareness, sound judgment and decision‑making under pressure; ability to manage learner stress situations and unexpected simulator failures.
Teaching adaptability and patience to coach a broad range of experience levels, learning styles and cultural backgrounds.
Excellent interpersonal skills for collaborative work with operations, maintenance, safety, regulator liaison and third‑party providers.
Strong organizational and time management skills to balance simulator schedules, documentation deadlines and concurrent training cohorts.
Analytical mindset with attention to detail for accurately assessing performance, documenting findings and tracking remediation outcomes.
Resilience and flexibility to operate in a dynamic operational training environment with changing priorities and tight scheduling constraints.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills to manage trainee performance issues and escalate appropriately while maintaining professionalism.
Continuous improvement orientation and curiosity to stay current on best practices, human factors research and evolving regulatory guidance.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; completion of accredited flight training program and required pilot certification.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Aviation, Aeronautical Science, Aerospace Engineering, or related field; advanced degrees or certificates in Training & Assessment, Human Factors or Safety Management considered an asset.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Aviation/Aeronautical Science
Human Factors / Safety Management
Education, Instructional Design or Training Development
Aerospace Engineering
Psychology (applied to training/assessment)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–10+ years of professional pilot experience including a minimum of 1–3 years in formal instruction, simulator instruction, or line training roles; experience will vary by operator size and aircraft complexity.

Preferred:

Prior experience as a Type Rating Instructor (TRI/CRI), Simulator Instructor (SFI), Check Airman or participation in standardization/quality assurance programs for an airline or corporate flight department.
Demonstrated track record of delivering recurrent, upgrade and command courses on transport category aircraft; experience with Level D full flight simulators and evidence-based training is highly desirable.