Module 01 — Role of the TRI & Instructional Mindset

Duration: ~2.0 hours
Competency focus (TRI candidate): Professional Standards · Leadership & Teamwork · Communication

Learning objectives

By the end of this module the TRI candidate will be able to:

State the purpose of the TRI within type training, recurrent training, and organisational safety.
Distinguish the expert-pilot role from the instructor-facilitator role.
Describe professional standards expected of a MaxFli / airline TRI (fairness, preparation, confidentiality, modelling).
Identify when to instruct, when to facilitate, and when to intervene for safety or session integrity.

1. Why the TRI exists

The Type Rating Instructor is not primarily a “checker who also teaches.” The TRI:

Develops pilots to operate the type safely and to standard under normal, abnormal, and emergency conditions.
Protects the training system by applying consistent standards and accurate records.
Models professional behaviour: CRM, TEM, SOP discipline, and calm under pressure.
Enables the organisation’s competency and EBT ambitions by generating usable evidence of performance.

On type courses and in recurrent training, the TRI is often the trainee’s most influential contact with company culture. That influence is part of the job.

2. Privileges and boundaries (instructional framing)

Speak to privileges at high level only; always use the current Authority text and ATO OM-D:

TRI privileges typically cover instruction for the issue, revalidation, and renewal of type ratings and related training (scope depends on restriction — e.g. FFS-only).
Assessment of Competence and examiner privileges (TRE/SFE) are separate; do not blur roles in the trainee’s mind.
The TRI remains accountable for training safety in the device and for honest reporting of performance.

MaxFli practice: If unsure whether an exercise sits within your privilege or the approved syllabus, stop and clarify with the Training Manager / Course Coordinator before improvising.

3. From expert pilot to instructor-facilitator

Expert pilot mindset	TRI facilitator mindset
“I know the right answer — I’ll tell them.”	“I’ll create conditions where they find and own the answer.”
Focus on the manoeuvre looking right	Focus on competencies that made the manoeuvre succeed or fail
Intervene early to keep the session tidy	Allow productive struggle within safe margins; intervene for safety or learning collapse
Debrief = list of errors	Debrief = guided review of decisions, TEM, and transferable behaviours
Success = ticks complete	Success = evidenced progress and clear next training need

Neither column is absolute. High-risk or time-critical items still need clear, directive instruction. The skill is choosing the mode deliberately.

4. Professional standards (instructional theme)

Expect and model:

Preparation — syllabus item, device fit, weather/scenario files, trainee background, and competency targets known before the brief.
Punctuality and presence — training time is expensive; respect it.
Fairness — same standard for all; no favouritism; cultural and gender neutrality in language and feedback.
Psychological safety — firm on standards, respectful of the person; no humiliation.
Confidentiality — performance discussed on a need-to-know basis within the training system.
Honesty — do not pass what is not safe or not to standard; do not invent evidence.
Currency of self — maintain own technical and instructional standards; ask for standardisation when needed.

5. Stakeholders the TRI serves

The trainee — learning, confidence calibrated to reality, clear path forward.
The crew pair — balanced attention; avoid training one pilot at the expense of the other without intent.
The Operator / ATO — syllabus integrity, records, and safety outcomes.
The Authority — compliance and competence of licensed training.
Future passengers and cargo — the ultimate stakeholder; keep that frame when standards feel uncomfortable.

6. Instructional decision points (workshop)

Use these scenarios in class discussion:

Trainee repeatedly misses a SOP trigger but flight path remains safe. Facilitate or instruct?
Trainee is overloaded; next syllabus item is complex. Continue, simplify, or freeze and reset learning objective?
Peer TRI asks you to “go easy” on a friend. Response?
Trainee challenges a standard that is written in OM-B. How do you handle authority vs learning?

Capture answers against Professional Standards and Leadership & Teamwork.

7. Key takeaways

The TRI’s product is competent pilots and usable training evidence, not entertainment or friendship.
Shift consciously into the facilitator role; keep directive instruction available when needed.
Professional standards are non-negotiable and are taught by modelling as much as by words.
Know your privilege boundaries; escalate ambiguity.

TEM / CRM in the TRI role (UK SD29 pointer)

Part FCL instructors are expected to teach and assess TEM and CRM in the operational environment (simulator and line context). That is part of being a TRI — not an optional extra. A separate classroom Flight Crew CRMT qualification is an Operator pathway if you will deliver dedicated classroom CRM (SD29 v9.1 §8 vs §6). Details: CAA Standards Document 29 alignment and Module 08.

Instructor notes (for MaxFli delivery)

Open with a short personal story of a TRI who changed your own behaviour (positive or cautionary) — keep it professional.
Pair candidates to rewrite a “directive” debrief into a “facilitative” one.
Link forward to Module 02 (competencies) and Module 04 (brief/debrief).