The multi-engine instructor rating is a class rating added to a flight instructor certificate, and it has two hour requirements that nothing else in the instructor world has. 14 CFR 61.183(j) requires at least 15 hours of pilot in command time in the category and class of aircraft appropriate to the rating sought, which for an MEI means 15 hours of pilot in command time in multi-engine airplanes. 14 CFR 61.195(f) then requires at least 5 hours of pilot in command time in the specific make and model before you may give training in it.
We teach the MEI as part of the $15,400 flight instructor program that covers CFI, CFII and MEI together, which includes eight hours of multi-engine time in Piper Seminole N311EF. For the program as a whole, see our flight instructor (CFI) course in Los Angeles.
What An MEI Is Allowed To Do
An MEI may give the flight training required for the issuance of a multi-engine class rating, for a commercial certificate in a multi-engine airplane, and for the multi-engine portions of an airline transport pilot certificate. In practical terms it is the rating that lets you sit in the right seat of a light twin and get paid for it, which is why it is the most commercially valuable of the three instructor ratings even though it is the least common.
The economics are simple. A multi-engine instructor builds the 50 hours of multi-engine class time that 14 CFR 61.159(a) requires for an ATP while being paid, instead of buying that time at $649 an hour. Our multi-engine time building page sets out what the alternative costs.
The Requirements, In Order
Eligibility for any flight instructor certificate or added instructor rating lives in 14 CFR 61.183. Here is what applies to the multi-engine class rating.
| Paragraph | What it requires |
|---|---|
| 61.183(a) | Be at least 18 years old. |
| 61.183(b) | Read, speak, write and understand English. |
| 61.183(c) | Hold a commercial or airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane category and multi-engine class rating, and an instrument rating or instrument privileges on that certificate. |
| 61.183(d) | Hold a logbook endorsement on the fundamentals of instructing under 61.185. |
| 61.183(e) | Pass the fundamentals of instructing knowledge test — unless you already hold a flight instructor certificate, in which case this does not apply to you. |
| 61.183(f) | Pass a knowledge test on the aeronautical knowledge areas appropriate to the flight instructor rating sought. |
| 61.183(g) | Hold a logbook endorsement covering the areas of operation in 61.187(b) for the rating sought. |
| 61.183(h) | Pass a practical test in an aircraft representative of the rating, or an approved simulator or training device. |
| 61.183(i) | Hold the spin training endorsement for a flight instructor certificate with an airplane rating. |
| 61.183(j) | Log at least 15 hours as pilot in command in the category and class of aircraft appropriate to the rating sought. |
| 61.183(k) | Comply with the other applicable sections of Part 61. |
The 15-Hour Requirement Is The One To Plan Around
Most pilots arrive holding a multi-engine rating earned in eight to twelve hours, which means they are three to seven hours short of 61.183(j) before the MEI course can even finish. Those hours are pilot in command time in multi-engine airplanes, and they cost what twin time costs. If an MEI is in your plan, add every twin hour you can to your logbook early rather than discovering the shortfall in the last week of an instructor course.
The 5-hour make and model requirement in 61.195(f) is separate and sits on top: a flight instructor may not give training required for the issuance of a certificate or rating in a multi-engine airplane unless that instructor has at least 5 flight hours of pilot in command time in the specific make and model. Training in our Seminole and then instructing in our Seminole satisfies it naturally. Moving to a different twin at a different school does not.
How To Get To Fifteen Hours Without Buying Them All
The hours have to be pilot in command time in multi-engine airplanes, and there are cheaper routes to them than writing a check for seven hours of Seminole rental.
- Count what you already have. The eight hours from your multi-engine rating course are pilot in command time as sole manipulator of the controls in an aircraft for which you are rated, under 14 CFR 61.51(e)(1)(i), and they count.
- Fly with a safety pilot. A second multi-engine rated pilot who also needs hours halves the cost of every flight. The rules are set out in full on our multi-engine time building page.
- Make the hours do two jobs. Cross-country flights over 50 nautical miles, night flying and simulated instrument time all count toward other totals at the same time.
- Do the MEI last. Inside the four-week instructor program the MEI comes at the end, which gives you three weeks of scheduling in which to make up any shortfall rather than discovering it in week one.
Bring us your logbook before you enroll and we will tell you exactly how many hours you are short. It is a five-minute calculation and it changes the price of your program.
What The Practical Test Covers
The areas of operation for a multi-engine instructor rating are listed in 14 CFR 61.187(b)(2): fundamentals of instructing; technical subject areas; preflight preparation; a preflight lesson on a maneuver to be performed in flight; preflight procedures; airport and seaplane base operations; takeoffs, landings and go-arounds; fundamentals of flight; performance maneuvers; ground reference maneuvers; slow flight and stalls; basic instrument maneuvers; emergency operations; multiengine operations; and postflight procedures.
Note what is on that list and not on the single-engine one: multiengine operations. Note also what is missing compared with the single-engine list: spins. The Seminole is not approved for intentional spins and you will not do any in it.
Teaching From The Right Seat, With One Engine Out
Everything you already know about instructing applies. What changes is that you are now demonstrating and talking a student through maneuvers in which the airplane is actively trying to depart controlled flight, from the seat with the poorer sight picture, while managing which engine is being simulated as failed and how.
- Simulating engine failures safely. Zero thrust rather than a feathered propeller below a safe altitude, throttle technique that the student cannot read from your hand position, and a briefed hard floor for every exercise.
- The VMC demonstration as an instructor. You have to teach it, demonstrate it, recognize when the student is taking it past the recovery point, and take control cleanly. This is the task that separates MEI candidates who are ready from those who are not.
- Right-seat landings in a heavier airplane. The sight picture is different and the rudder work in a crosswind feels different. Budget hours for this specifically.
- Talking while working. Narrating a single-engine approach at the same time as flying it is a genuine skill and it takes repetition.
The Program At Van Nuys
The flight instructor program is $15,400 and covers all three instructor ratings together: CFI, CFII and MEI. It includes 20 hours of single-engine time, 8 hours of multi-engine time in the Seminole, 2 hours in the full-motion simulator, 30 hours of dual instruction and 50 hours of ground. It runs roughly four weeks full time, built around twelve eight-hour ground days. The payment and financing options are on our CFI training cost and timeline page.
Taking all three together is the sensible order for two reasons. The first is that the initial flight instructor practical test is the hard one, and once you have passed it the add-on rides are shorter and cheaper. The second is that an instructor who holds CFI, CFII and MEI is employable in three lanes rather than one, and can fill a schedule in weather that would ground a single-rating instructor.
When you finish the program we will review you for an instructor position here. That is a review, not a guarantee, and we would rather say so plainly than imply otherwise.
What The Job Actually Looks Like
Multi-engine instructing is a different job from primary instructing, and most new MEIs are surprised by how different.
Your students are already pilots. They hold at least a private certificate, often a commercial one, they have hundreds of hours, and several of them will be more experienced than you. They turn up prepared, they read the flight manual, and they ask hard questions. What they are buying is eight to twelve hours of your attention, compressed into about a week, ending in a checkride. The pace is fast and the margin for a wasted session is small.
The flying is also more demanding on you than primary work. Every engine-out exercise is a maneuver in which the airplane is deliberately being taken toward the edge of controllability by somebody who has not done it before, and you are the only person in the airplane who knows where that edge is. You brief a hard altitude floor, you keep your hand near the throttles, and you take control early rather than late. Instructors who are casual about VMC demonstrations do not stay instructors for long.
The upside is real. Multi-engine instructing pays better than primary instructing at most schools, the hours land in the column airlines look at hardest, and the students finish, which means your schedule is predictable. Our flight instructor salary page covers what instructing pays generally, and flight instructor jobs covers what the work is like here.
If You Already Hold A CFI
Adding the MEI to an existing flight instructor certificate is a shorter path. The fundamentals of instructing test in 61.183(e) does not apply to a person who already holds a flight instructor certificate. Your existing spin training endorsement remains the evidence contemplated by 61.183(i). What you need is the 15 hours of multi-engine pilot in command time, the ground and flight training in the 61.187(b)(2) areas of operation, an endorsement, and a practical test. Call us with your logbook totals and we will tell you how many hours that actually means for you.
One item to confirm with your examiner before you book: 61.183(f) requires a knowledge test on the aeronautical knowledge areas appropriate to the rating sought, and whether your existing flight instructor airplane knowledge test result covers the multi-engine class addition is a question for the examiner and your local Flight Standards office, not for a web page.
Related Reading
- Flight instructor (CFI) course in Los Angeles — the full $15,400 program.
- CFI requirements — the requirements ladder for the initial instructor certificate.
- CFII rating — the instrument instructor rating, the third in the set.
- Multi-engine rating requirements — the rating you need before the MEI.
- Multi-engine time building — what the 15 hours cost if you buy them.
- Flight instructor jobs — what instructing here involves.
MEI Rating FAQ
What Is An MEI?
A multi-engine instructor: a flight instructor certificate carrying an airplane multi-engine class rating. It authorizes you to give the flight training required for a multi-engine class rating and for multi-engine commercial and airline transport pilot training.
How Many Hours Do I Need For An MEI?
At least 15 hours of pilot in command time in multi-engine airplanes under 14 CFR 61.183(j). Separately, 14 CFR 61.195(f) requires at least 5 flight hours of pilot in command time in the specific make and model before you may give training in it.
Do I Need An Instrument Rating For An MEI?
Yes. 14 CFR 61.183(c) requires a commercial or airline transport pilot certificate with the appropriate category and class rating and an instrument rating, or instrument privileges, for an airplane multi-engine instructor rating.
Do I Need To Retake The Fundamentals Of Instructing Test?
No, not if you already hold a flight instructor certificate. 14 CFR 61.183(e) exempts a person who holds a flight instructor certificate from the fundamentals of instructing knowledge test.
Do I Have To Do Spins For The MEI?
Spins are not performed in the Seminole, which is not approved for intentional spins. The spin training endorsement in 14 CFR 61.183(i) is a requirement for a flight instructor certificate with an airplane rating, and the endorsement you received for your initial instructor certificate is the record of it. Our CFI spin endorsement page explains that training.
How Much Does The MEI Cost?
We teach it inside the $15,400 flight instructor program covering CFI, CFII and MEI together, which includes eight hours of Seminole time. Pilots who already hold a CFI should call for a quote based on their logbook totals.
Is The MEI Worth It?
For a career pilot, yes. It is the rating that lets you be paid to accumulate the 50 hours of multi-engine class time that 14 CFR 61.159(a) requires for an ATP, rather than buying those hours at $649 an hour.
How Long Does The MEI Take?
Inside the four-week flight instructor program it is roughly the last week. As a standalone add-on for an existing CFI who already has the 15 hours, plan on several days plus the checkride.
Talk To Us About The MEI
Bring us your logbook totals and we will tell you how far you are from 15 hours of multi-engine pilot in command time and what the rest of the path costs. Book a free consultation or call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9 AM to 9 PM. If you have not flown a light twin yet, a discovery flight at $229 is the easiest way to meet the instructors and see the airplanes. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on Van Nuys Airport.