FCL.915 General prerequisites and requirements for instructors

ANNEX I (Part-FCL) · Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 · EAR revision 25 Nov 2025

IRImplementing rule

FCL.915General prerequisites and requirements for instructors

(a)General. Applicants for the issue of an instructor certificate shall be at least 18 years of age.

(b)Additional requirements for instructors that provide flight instruction in aircraft. Applicants for the issue of or holders of an instructor certificate with privileges to conduct flight instruction in an aircraft shall:

(1)for licence training, hold at least the licence or, in the case of point FCL.900(c), the equivalent licence, for which flight instruction is to be given;

(2)for a rating training, hold the relevant rating or, in the case of point FCL.900(c), the equivalent rating, for which flight instruction is to be given;

(3)except in the case of flight test instructors (FTIs), have:

(i)completed at least 15 hours of flight time as pilots of the class or type of aircraft on which flight instruction is to be given, of which a maximum of 7 hours may be in an FSTD representing the class or type of aircraft, if applicable; or

(ii)passed an assessment of competence for the relevant category of instructor on that class or type of aircraft;

(4)be entitled to act as PIC in the aircraft during such flight instruction; and

(5)when providing flight instruction in a variant of the SEP aeroplane class with a particular type of engine referred to in Article 2, point (8c), of this Regulation, have complied with one of the following conditions:

(i)completed at least 5 hours of flight time as pilots in that variant;

(ii)passed an assessment of competence for the relevant category of instructor in that variant.

(c)Credit towards further instructor certificates and for the purpose of revalidation:

(1)Full credit towards the teaching and learning skills may be granted to:

(i)holders of an instructor certificate who apply for further instructor certificates; and

(ii)applicants for an instructor certificate who already hold an instructor certificate issued in accordance with Annex III (Part-BFCL) to Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/395 or with Annex III (Part-SFCL) to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1976.

(2)Hours flown as an examiner during skill tests or proficiency checks shall be credited in full towards revalidation requirements for all instructor certificates held.

(d)Credit for extension to further types shall take into account the relevant elements as defined in the operational suitability data established in accordance with Annex I (Part-21) to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012 (OSD).

(e)Additional requirements for instructing in a training course in accordance with FCL.745.A:

(1)In addition to (b), before acting as instructors for a training course according to FCL.745.A, holders of an instructor certificate shall:

(i)have at least 500 hours of flight time as pilots of aeroplanes, including 200 hours of flight instruction;

(ii)after complying with the experience requirements in point (e)(1)(i), have completed a UPRT instructor training course at an ATO, during which the competence of applicants shall have been assessed continuously; and

(iii)upon completion of the course, have been issued with a certificate of course completion by the ATO, whose Head of Training (HT) shall have entered the privileges specified in point (e)(1) in the logbook of the applicants.

(2)The privileges referred to in point (e)(1) shall only be exercised if instructors have, during the last year, received refresher training at an ATO during which the competence required to instruct on a course in accordance with point FCL.745.A is assessed to the satisfaction of the HT.

(3)Instructors holding the privileges specified in point (e)(1) may act as instructors for a course as specified in point (e)(1)(ii), provided that they:

(i)have 25 hours of flight instruction experience during training according to FCL.745.A;

(ii)have completed an assessment of competence for this privilege; and

(iii)comply with the recency requirements in point (e)(2).

(4)These privileges shall be entered in the logbook of the instructors and signed by the examiner.

IR · FCL.915 — Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 · Regulation (EU) 2024/2076 · Aircrew Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 25 Nov 2025

AMCAcceptable means of compliance

AMC1 FCL.915(e)General prerequisites and requirements for instructors

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ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTRUCTING IN A TRAINING COURSE IN ACCORDANCE WITH FCL.745.A — GENERAL

(a)The objective of the course required by point FCL.915(e)(1) is to train instructors to deliver training on the advanced UPRT course according to point FCL.745.A using the train-to-proficiency concept.

(b)Training should be both theoretical and practical. Practical elements should include the development of specific instructor skills, particularly in the area of teaching upset recovery techniques and strategies, whilst exploring the associated physiological and psychological aspects.

(c)Within 6 months preceding the start of the course, the instructor should have completed a pre-course assessment with an instructor holding the privilege in accordance with FCL.915(e)(1) to assess their ability to undertake the course.

(d)The training course should comprise:

(1)theoretical knowledge instruction on the theoretical knowledge elements presented in the advanced UPRT course and the additional elements required for an instructor to deliver effective training;

(2)flight instruction on the exercises used in the advanced UPRT course; and

(3)flight instruction on recovery from upsets that could result from students mis-handling the aircraft during the advanced UPRT course including spin recovery.

(e)The content of the theoretical knowledge and flight instruction should be tailored to the competence of the applicant as demonstrated during both pre-course and continuous assessment.

(f)Successful completion of the course requires that the instructor:

(1)demonstrates the resilience to be able to recover from any feasible upset in the aircraft to be used for training;

(2)demonstrates the ability to provide instruction to achieve the objectives of the advanced UPRT course to a wide range of trainees; and

(3)manages the physiological and psychological well-being of students during training.

(g)The instructor should be issued with a certificate following successful completion of the course.

AMC · AMC1 FCL.915(e) — Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 · ED Decision 2019/005/R · Aircrew Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 25 Nov 2025

AMCAcceptable means of compliance

AMC2 FCL.915(e)General prerequisites and requirements for instructors

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ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTRUCTING IN A TRAINING COURSE IN ACCORDANCE WITH FCL.745.A – SYLLABUS The following tables contain theoretical knowledge (Table 1) and practical training exercises (Table 2) that should be taught in the context of the advanced UPRT course as per point FCL.745.A.

TABLE 1: THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE
1.	Completion of a flight risk assessment
2.	Resilience-building strategies, managing startle and surprise
3	The limitations and type-specific characteristics of the aeroplane used for training
4	The importance of adhering to the scenarios that have been validated by the training programme developer
5.	Instructor techniques to induce and manage startle and surprise
6.	Upset recognition and recovery strategies
7.	Disorientation
8.	Distraction
9.	Immediate recognition of student pilot errors
10.	Intervention strategies
11.	Delivery of the theoretical knowledge instruction of the advanced UPRT course

TABLE 2: PRACTICAL TRAINING EXERCISES
SECTION 1 — PRE-FLIGHT PREPARATION
1.1	Correct completion of a flight risk assessment (such as weather, terrain, traffic density, student’s experience level and capabilities)
1.2	Safety briefing
SECTION 2 — FLIGHT
2.1	Selection of suitable airspace for the conduct of recovery exercises
2.2	Accurate execution of all of the manoeuvres required for the advanced UPRT course
2.3.	Recovery from upsets that could result from the student or instructor mishandling the aeroplane including: – timely and appropriate intervention; – accelerated stall; – secondary stall; – incipient spin; – fully developed spin; and – Spiral dive.
2.4	Delivery of all of the training exercises in the advanced UPRT course
2.5	Anticipating and immediately recognising incorrect student inputs which might exceed aeroplane limitations and acting swiftly and appropriately to maintain the necessary margins of safety
2.6	Exercises to surprise the student
2.7	Adapt the training programme to take account of the physiological and psychological state of the student
2.8	Ensure the safety of the operation during training by maintaining awareness of the operating environment
2.9	Assess the competence of the student
SECTION 3 — POST-FLIGHT
3.1	Provide effective instructor feedback to the student and plan subsequent training details
3.2	Avoid negative transfer of training

AMC · AMC2 FCL.915(e) — Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 · ED Decision 2019/005/R · Aircrew Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 25 Nov 2025

GMGuidance material

GM1 FCL.915(e)General prerequisites and requirements for instructors

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TRAINING ON SPIN AVOIDANCE AND SPIN RECOVERY

(a)While the purpose of advanced UPRT course is to expose students to psychological and physiological effects, students’ responses and actions on controls may take any conceivable variations, including some which can initiate spin entry or, most importantly, can highly aggravate the upset or loss-of-control they are supposed to recover from.

(b)The advanced UPRT course in accordance with point FCL.745.A is not aerobatic training and only requires training for the incipient spin as well as uncoordinated side slipped stalls which are prone to initiating spins. Full spin training or the development of spin recovery proficiency is reserved for the training course in accordance with point FCL.915(e).

(c)Even though most flights will go exactly as planned without an unanticipated departure from controlled flight, the instructor is responsible for the safety of flight despite anomalies or unexpected student inputs.

(d)Even in a case where an aeroplane is not certified for intentional flat or aggravated or inverted spins, it does not mean that mishandled student recovery avoids placing the aeroplane in such a situation. Some student inputs will take the aeroplane uncontrolled far beyond the normal scope of the aerobatic rating as defined in point FCL.800. Those situations might also have the potential to draw the aeroplane outside its certified flight envelope (e.g. overloads, snap-roll departures above limit speed, spin or inverted spin when not certified for, flat spins, etc.). Most importantly, those resulting situations could startle the instructor.

(e)For the reasons specified in point (d), instructors should:

(1)be trained to the extent of proficiency on the specific type of aircraft they use to deliver the course;

(2)have academic understanding of the factors assisting or deterring spin recoveries (upright and inverted spins), altitude requirements for safe recovery margins, and other operational considerations;

(3)demonstrate that they have the ability to early recognise abnormal situations, timely take action, and safely recover from all the conditions that they may encounter in the delivery of training; and

(4)demonstrate their ability to recover from all spin types, not only from spins entered intentionally, but from spins of unannounced direction of autorotation, and from all potential spin variations, including:

(i)normal (non-aggravated) spins;

(ii)flat spins;

(iii)accelerated spins; and

(iv)transition spins (incorrect recovery resulting in reversal of rotation).

(f)In the context of points (d) and (e), it is recommended that candidates either hold an aerobatic rating for aeroplanes or have equivalent experience.

GM · GM1 FCL.915(e) — Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 · ED Decision 2019/005/R · Aircrew Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 25 Nov 2025

AMCAcceptable means of compliance

AMC1 FCL.915(e)(2)General prerequisites and requirements for instructors

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CONTENT OF THE REFRESHER TRAINING FOR UPRT INSTRUCTIONAL PRIVILEGES

(a)The objective of the refresher training is for the instructor to maintain or to re-obtain, as applicable, the level of competence required for instructing on a training course as per point FCL.745.A.

(b)The content of the refresher training should:

(1)consist of elements from the initial UPRT instructor training course as per point FCL.915(e)(1)(ii); and

(2)be determined by the ATO on a case-by-case basis, considering the needs of the individual instructor and taking into account the following factors:

(i)the experience of the instructor;

(ii)the amount of time elapsed since the instructor provided instruction on a training course as per point FCL.745.A for the last time; and

(iii)the performance of the instructor during a simulated UPRT training session comprising exercises from the advanced UPRT course as per point FCL.745.A. During this simulated training session, another instructor qualified in accordance with point FCL.915(e) should play the role of the student on the advanced UPRT course.

(c)Taking into account the factors listed in (b)(2) above, the ATO may also count the simulated training session as per point (b)(2)(iii) as refresher training without the need for further refresher training sessions, provided that the instructor demonstrates that he or she already possesses the required level of competence.

(d)The completion of the refresher training should be entered in the logbook of the instructor and should be signed by the head of training of the ATO.

AMC · AMC1 FCL.915(e)(2) — Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 · ED Decision 2019/005/R · Aircrew Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 25 Nov 2025

All rules in SUBPART J – INSTRUCTORS

Consolidated from the EASA Easy Access Rules (revision 25 Nov 2025, extracted 17 Aug 2026) for convenience. Not the official publication — verify against the Official Journal of the European Union and the EASA publications before operational use.

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