Attention Please Flight Instructors

[vossdr1]

All of you flight instructors: Would you take a pay cut (from, say $45,000 to $21,000) if you thought it would further your career (flying right seat in a King Air, or PIC in a cargo twin)?

A simple yes or no please (I would have made this a poll if the option still existed).

Finally, how much money would you have to make to stay a career flight instructor-never leave flight instruction (not necessarily the institution at which you are now employed)?

 

[I.P. Freley]

I dunno what I did wrong, but I didn't make $45k as a CFI.

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

There are a lot of left seat King Air guys that don't make 45k.

Do what will make you happy.

 

[minitour]

All of you flight instructors: Would you take a pay cut (from, say $45,000 to $21,000) if you thought it would further your career (flying right seat in a King Air, or PIC in a cargo twin)?

A simple yes or no please (I would have made this a poll if the option still existed).

Finally, how much money would you have to make to stay a career flight instructor-never leave flight instruction (not necessarily the institution at which you are now employed)?

Simple? No. That's because I've got to worry about paying back loans, I want kids, a house, a family, stuff like that. In a few years after the loans are paid off, might my answer change? I'd say so.

How much money? It depends. How many hours am I working vs. flying? In other words, am I at the airport from 8-8 M-F to fly 6 hours a day, or do I show up at 10 and leave around 2 with 3.8-4 hours of flying? If it is a 8-8 for 6 hours kind of job, I'd have to say a bunch. I'm not really keen on working 12 hours to get "paid" for 6...even if it is a sallary position...I can do more with my time than just sitting around at an airport waiting for students.

Having said that....it's probably what I'm going to be doing for the next 6 mos-2 years trying to get to minimums, make ends meet, etc.

I guess it just depends on what you want to do...one man's trash...

-mini

 

[Daveman]

PIC cargo twin. But, 45k is some chesse. Good luck.

 

[pavelump]

If you quit, can I have your old job?

45k is about 3x what I make as a CFI.

 

[ParrotheadPilot]

45K is more than 3 times what I'm making as a CFI now. Do what makes you happy. I'd personally say go for it. Most want a shot at flying the heavy iron, right? So do everything to further your career.

 

[bobbysamd]

Should I stay or should I go?

All of you flight instructors: Would you take a pay cut (from, say $45,000 to $21,000) if you thought it would further your career (flying right seat in a King Air, or PIC in a cargo twin)?

A simple yes or no please . . . .

Pilots have been confronted with this issue forever. The answer used to be simple when aviation was doing better, e.g., commuter captains who give up pay to join the majors. These days, the answer is not as simple as it might appear.

A lot would depend on the job. If your decision entails giving up $24K plus benies, and the benefits include such things as health insurance, probably not. You also have to consider the current hiring times. Review of the interview board indicates that though some airlines are hiring, times still aren't flush, and you might find yourself in this new job, at less pay, for longer than you had planned. How long can you afford to stay in the job? Might you get a pay raise? Finally, how much does the job in question comport with your goals? It had better comport with them well if you are giving up $24K a year for it.

[H]ow much money would you have to make to stay a career flight instructor-never leave flight instruction (not necessarily the institution at which you are now employed)?

I, personally, never entered aviation for the money, or lack thereof. My only concern was making enough money to be comfortable and to pay my bills. I instructed at ERAU and, for a time, was a stage check pilot. I was paid a salary that was comparable to commuter captain pay of the day. Considering that at that time I was making more money as a pilot than I ever did in nineteen years in broadcasting, I was delighted. To this day, I tell people that my first instructing job, at ERAU, was my best aviation job.

I gather from the tone of your comments that you are making decent money as a flight instructor and might also enjoy it. Therefore, given aviation's uncertainties, why leave something that pays well and might be enjoyable for something that's less sure?

Hope that assists your thinking.

 

[350DRIVER]

All of you flight instructors: Would you take a pay cut (from, say $45,000 to $21,000) if you thought it would further your career (flying right seat in a King Air, or PIC in a cargo twin)?

A simple yes or no please (I would have made this a poll if the option still existed).

Finally, how much money would you have to make to stay a career flight instructor-never leave flight instruction (not necessarily the institution at which you are now employed)?

It depends on where you see yourself a year to two years down the line. Sometimes in this business you must sacrifice a little to get a little back in return, make sense?. I could think of many different situations where one would have to take a pay cut to better themselves and to be able to add more credentials to a resume. I wouldn't look at this as a short term issue but more so a long the lines of whether or not a move and a pay cut will help you at some point in the near future.

It is somewhat difficult to get on with a respectable part 91/135 department without any substantial flight experience in multi-engine turbine equipment. A boat load of CFI time won't satisfy insurance reqt's most of the times. Most all insurance companies that I am aware of and that I have experience with want X amount of hours in make and model, X amount of turbine time, etc, etc.

Do what is going to be in your best interest and look at the picture both long term and short term.

Multi-engine turbine time is somewhat hard to come by, you could always find a cfi gig somewhere should you make a move and not be overly happy with the choice.

Don't give some opportunity up only to be kicking yourself..

good luck,

3 5 0

 

[JediNein]

Answer: No.

I need to be making $70,000 to make this CFI thing a career. I have a lifestyle to which I want to become acustomed and minimum wage just ain't doing it.

Plus I'm going to need a company car, full paid-for benefits, 401K AND a retirement pension, golden parachute, bonuses for staying on with the company, and... naw, that would make me an airline executive and I'd have to spend most of the time complaining about how much labor is costing the airline.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[350DRIVER]

There are a lot of left seat King Air guys that don't make 45k.

Do what will make you happy.

I found that somewhat comical and ironic that you mentioned that. . . A pilot I know has been with one specific company for close to 8 years now as a King Air 350 and C90B captain and he just got his third or so raise and he is now up to a spectacular $40,000 a year. Things that should make one go hmmm.... The sad part of this is that he has interviewed with quite a few regionals/fracs and they all have turned him away due to a 1,000 or so hours logged as sic time in aircraft that were certified for single pilot ops and a 135 cert. where the ops specs didn't require a sic to be onboard. I could never imagine someone having 8 years or so and only bringing in 40K a year, pretty disgusting if you ask me.


3 5 0

 

[Goose Egg]

In a word, no, not for that substantial of a pay cut (especially if I could make $45k as a flight instructor!)

Fortunately, I'll never have to make that decision. If you have enough time, and they paid equally, I'd go for the turbine SIC or cargo/freight PIC.

Just out of curiosity, why do you ask? Do you have a CFI job that pays $45K?

-Goose

 

[JRSLim]

A simple yes or no? how about Maybe?

Right now I am working a night job to 'allow' me to instruct. Common story, but like has already been said, $45K as a flight instructor? Show me where.
I'd be real happy.. to live where I live and have a nice middle class existance teaching people not to hit the ground.
To answer the question though, it would depend if I would take a 'pay cut' for a job other than instructing. I enjoy instructing quite a lot, but would like to have something flying a Baron or King Air that paid the bills and had a nice consistant schedule. I wouldn't take a pay cut to fly right seat in a plane that didn't need it, thats almost PFT there.