Class Rating Instructor (CRI)

The CRI authorization is governed by FCL.905.CRI (privileges), FCL.915.CRI (prerequisites), FCL.930.CRI (course requirements), and FCL.940.CRI (validity and revalidation) within Commission Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 as amended. The CRI authorization exists because not all instruction on certificated aircraft falls under the Flight Instructor (FI) license or the Type Rating Instructor (TRI) authorisation — a distinct credential is needed for the specific function of class rating instruction, where a pilot who already holds a license and a class rating seeks to add a further class rating (for example, adding MEP to an existing SEP/CPL licence holder, or adding a seaplane class rating). The CRI delivers that specific training and can conduct the associated skill test when holding an additional Class Rating Examiner (CRE) authorization.

The CRI(A) for aeroplanes — the most common variant — divides into two sub-authorizations based on aircraft complexity: CRI(SE) for single-engine aeroplanes (covering the SEP(L) and SEP(S) class ratings, plus single-engine turboprops) and CRI(ME) for multi-engine aeroplanes (covering the MEP(L) class rating and multi-engine turboprops). The distinction matters because holding a CRI(SE) does not automatically authorize instruction on multi-engine aircraft; a separate CRI(ME) authorization and the associated prerequisites apply.

Prerequisites for CRI(A) initial issue are set in FCL.915.CRI. For CRI(ME): the applicant must hold the MEP class rating or a type rating for multi-engine aircraft, have completed at least 500 hours of flight time as a pilot of aeroplanes (of which at least 30 hours must be as PIC on multi-engine aeroplanes), and have completed the CRI course. For CRI(SE): the applicant must hold the SEP class rating, have completed at least 300 hours of flight time as a pilot of aeroplanes, and have completed the CRI course. The CRI course under FCL.930.CRI requires at least 25 hours of theoretical knowledge instruction covering instructional techniques, teaching and learning theory, and the relevant class rating syllabus, plus a minimum of 10 hours of flight instruction — of which at least 5 hours must be on the relevant aircraft class — assessed by a CRE or FIE. An applicant who already holds an FI(A) certificate satisfies the instructional techniques requirement and may complete a shortened course at the ATO's discretion.

The CRI's place in the EASA instructor hierarchy is between the FI(A) and the TRI. The FI(A) covers initial private and commercial training — the FI delivers dual instruction toward the PPL, LAPL, CPL, and the first class or type rating included in an integrated training course. The CRI delivers class-rating addition training to holders of existing licenses — the student already holds a CPL or PPL and is seeking a specific additional class rating. The TRI delivers type rating training on complex single-pilot or multi-pilot aircraft that require a type rating rather than a class rating. A common career path in EASA aviation training is FI → CRI(ME) → TRI(SPA) or TRI(MPA), with each step representing increased aircraft complexity and minimum flight experience requirements.

CRI certificate validity is 3 years under FCL.940.CRI. Revalidation within the validity window requires evidence of at least 3 hours of flight instruction on the relevant class during the preceding 12 months, plus completion of a standardization session with an FIE or Head of Training. An instructor who cannot demonstrate the minimum flight instruction hours within the validity window must renew through reassessment by a CRE rather than simple revalidation. The practical implication: a CRI who holds both CRI(SE) and CRI(ME) authorizations must track the recency requirements for each sub-authorization independently — a CRI who has only conducted MEP instruction in the validity period maintains the CRI(ME) but may lose the CRI(SE) sub-authorization at the next revalidation due to absence of SEP instruction currency.

The FAA does not have a directly equivalent CRI credential. The closest FAA analogue is the MEI (Multi-Engine Instructor) rating — an add-on to the CFI certificate under 14 CFR §61.191 — which authorizes instrument instruction in multi-engine aircraft and class-specific training. However, the FAA MEI rating does not require a separate course approval or minimum flight instruction hour demonstration for issue; it is issued on the basis of a practical test in a multi-engine aircraft with an FAA examiner or Designated Pilot Examiner.

For EASA ATOs and flight schools that primarily deliver CPL and MEP training, the CRI(ME) is the workhorse instructor authorization for multi-engine class rating additions. The standard pathway for a CPL/IR(A) holder wishing to add an MEP class rating is a CRI(ME)-delivered course of approximately 6 hours in the aircraft, with the class rating skill test conducted by a CRE. The bottleneck in most European flight schools is not student demand but CRI(ME) availability — the pool of instructors qualified to deliver MEP training is significantly smaller than the SEP/FI pool, and an ATO with only one or two CRI(ME)-qualified instructors creates a single-point-of-failure risk in its MEP program.

CRI revalidation tracking is an underappreciated compliance risk. Because the CRI authorization is often held by instructors who primarily deliver FI instruction and only occasionally conduct class rating additions, the 3-year validity can expire unnoticed if the ATO does not maintain a centralised instructor authorization register. An expired CRI who delivers an MEP class rating course creates an ORA.ATO.150 violation: the training delivered does not count toward the student's class rating course completion, and the student must repeat the affected sessions with a validly authorized CRI. This is a significant reputational and financial risk for the ATO.

Aviatize's compliance and auditing module maintains each instructor's CRI sub-authorizations — CRI(SE) and CRI(ME) — as distinct tracked credentials with independent expiry dates, revalidation status, and minimum-hour currency counters. The platform automatically tracks how many CRI instruction hours each instructor has logged in the preceding 12 months against the revalidation minimum, sending targeted alerts when an instructor is at risk of failing the recency requirement before the revalidation date. This prevents the common failure mode where an instructor completes their revalidation paperwork but is rejected because the minimum hours were not met within the required window.

For scheduling, the smart planning and booking module enforces CRI authorization as a hard constraint when assigning instructors to MEP or SEP class rating sessions. A scheduler attempting to assign an FI(A)-only instructor to an MEP addition course is blocked at the point of assignment, with a clear indication of which credential is missing and when the nearest CRI(ME)-qualified instructor is available. The training management module also captures the specific aircraft registration used for each CRI instruction session, providing the per-class-rating currency evidence that would be required during an EASA authority audit of the ATO's instructor qualification records.