Your Flight Begins with us
Launch your aviation career with Instructor Rating training that builds the skills, confidence, and qualifications needed to earn your Class 4 Flight Instructor Rating.
Instructor Rating
Course Information
- Minimum aircraft time: 25 hours
- Simulator time: 5 hours
- Additional instructor time: 25 hours
Launch Your Aviation Career with an Instructor Rating
Turn your CPL into a clear path toward teaching, building flight time, and starting your aviation career.
If you already hold a Commercial Pilot Licence and want a real first job in aviation, an Instructor Rating is one of the strongest next steps you can take.
This course helps you move from flying well to teaching well. You will build the skills to brief, demonstrate, coach, and guide new pilots with confidence.
Instructor Rating Requirements in Canada
The course prerequisites include:
- Commercial Pilot Licence
- Minimum age of 18
- Category 1 Medical Certificate issued by Transport Canada
- Working knowledge of English
- Minimum 25 hours of instructor rating ground school
- Minimum 70 percent on the AIRAF written exam
- Minimum 30 hours of dual flight instruction in aeroplanes
- At least 5 hours teaching instrument flight skills
- Up to 5 hours in an approved simulator or flight training device
- Successful completion of the instructor rating flight test
Instructor Rating Cost
Your Instructor Rating is a serious career step, so it helps to understand the training investment before you begin.
All prices are subject to GST. Flight times are based on the use of C172 legacy aircraft, and prices are current as of February 15, 2026.
Your final cost may vary depending on your preparation, progress, effort, and ability. A fuel surcharge may also apply to aircraft rates.
The best next step is to review the course costs, then talk with an instructor. That way, you can confirm what is included, understand the training path, and make a clear plan before you start.
Instructor Rating FAQ
In Canada, this course is focused on the Class 4 Flight Instructor Rating, Aeroplane.
This is the normal entry point for commercial pilots who want to begin teaching. It helps you learn how to explain, demonstrate, brief, debrief, and coach students step by step.
For many commercial pilots, this rating is the bridge between training and a real aviation career.
If your goal is to fly for a living, an Instructor Rating is worth a close look.
It can help you:
- Turn your CPL into a paid aviation path
- Build flight time while working in aviation
- Sharpen your own flying skills
- Learn how to brief, coach, and lead
- Build a stronger foundation for long-term career growth
Teaching asks more from you as a pilot. It pushes you to understand the “why” behind every skill, not just the motion of doing it.
That is what makes this rating so valuable.
To begin this training path, you must meet key requirements.
The course prerequisites include:
- Commercial Pilot Licence
- Minimum age of 18
- Category 1 Medical Certificate issued by Transport Canada
- Working knowledge of English
Transport Canada’s Class 4 aeroplane standard also includes:
- Minimum 25 hours of instructor rating ground school
- Minimum 70 percent on the AIRAF written exam
- Minimum 30 hours of dual flight instruction in aeroplanes
- At least 5 hours teaching instrument flight skills
- Up to 5 hours in an approved simulator or flight training device
- Successful completion of the instructor rating flight test
This is not a casual add-on. It is a professional step that asks you to meet a higher standard in both flying and teaching.
This course is about more than talking while flying.
You will build skill in:
- Teaching techniques
- Lesson planning
- Pre-flight briefings
- In-flight instruction
- Post-flight debriefings
- Theory of flight
- Pilot decision-making
- Transport Canada training standards and guides
A strong Instructor Rating program should do two things.
First, it should raise your own flying standard.
Then, it should teach you how to pass that standard on to someone else.
Yes, there is a written exam for the Instructor Rating.
- 100 multiple-choice questions
- 3-hour time limit
- 70 percent pass mark
The exam covers:
- Air law
- Fundamentals of instructing
- Aeronautical subjects
- Flight test standards
After that, you must pass the instructor rating flight test.
So this rating requires more than strong flying skills. You also need clear knowledge, strong communication, and the ability to teach from the cockpit.
A Class 4 Instructor Rating is the entry point into flight instruction in Canada.
It allows you to begin teaching under the proper supervision structure for new instructors. It is also the first step in the instructor progression path, which can later lead to Class 3, Class 2, and Class 1.
For many commercial pilots, this is one of the clearest ways to move from training into paid aviation work.
The course baseline includes:
- 25 hours aircraft time
- 5 hours simulator time
- 25 hours additional instructor time
- 25 hours ground school
Transport Canada’s standard also requires at least 25 hours of instructor ground school and 30 hours of dual flight instruction in aeroplanes, with up to 5 hours allowed in an approved simulator or flight training device.
Your timeline depends on your schedule, preparation, and progress toward written and flight test standard.
Some pilots move faster with consistent training. Others need more time to build lesson planning, teaching technique, and right-seat instruction skills.
The goal is not just to finish.
The goal is to be ready to teach.
Your Instructor Rating is one of the most career-focused programs you can take after your CPL.
Here, the goal is not only to help you pass. The goal is to help you build the skill, confidence, and teaching standard needed for your aviation career.
The course page also notes that the Pilot Examiner is one of the few in Canada able to provide a flight test for this rating.
That matters when you are planning a serious next step.
If you want an instructor rating in Canada that points toward real aviation work, this course is worth exploring.
Your Instructor Rating is one of the most career-focused programs you can take after your CPL.
Here, the goal is not only to help you pass. The goal is to help you build the skill, confidence, and teaching standard needed for your aviation career.
The course page also notes that the Pilot Examiner is one of the few in Canada able to provide a flight test for this rating.
That matters when you are planning a serious next step.
If you want an instructor rating in Canada that points toward real aviation work, this course is worth exploring.