Definition
Certificated professionals who teach aeronautical knowledge and flight skills to student pilots and other airmen. The category includes ground instructors, flight instructors (CFIs), and instructors who teach at FAA-approved training schools, each holding specific certificates and ratings issued by the FAA that authorize them to provide instruction in particular subjects or aircraft.
Plain English
People who are officially qualified and licensed to teach others how to fly or how to understand the knowledge needed for flying.
Context Anchor
Seen in the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook when discussing the role, duties, teaching methods, and responsibilities of people who train aviation students.
Derivation
Instructor comes from the Latin instruere, meaning to build into or to equip. An aviation instructor, then, is someone who equips a learner with the knowledge and skills needed to fly safely.
Why Pilots Care
They are the primary source of the knowledge and skills that determine whether a student completes training successfully and becomes a safe pilot.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “aviation instructors” means only flight instructors in the airplane. In FAA use, it can also include people who teach aviation knowledge or other aircraft-related skills, depending on the context.
Example Sentence 1
Aviation instructors are responsible for teaching both the technical skills and the sound judgment that pilots rely on every flight.
Example Sentence 2
Good aviation instructors adjust their explanations when a student struggles with a particular maneuver.