Do you enjoy instructing?

[Tram]

Plenty.

 

[Ill Mitch]

As instructing seems the standard path to a professional career in aviation, I'm curious to hear about personal experiences from CFIs.

Did you enjoy it or couldn't wait to be done and on to the next job?
How frightening have the experiences been?
General pros/cons...?

In the end, I would think it's a great experience and ultimately helps to make one a better pilot. Sure everyone seems to be in a rush to "make it" (Airlines, Corp. etc.), but why do so many new, aspiring pilots try and avoid this path? Is it as simple as not wanting to spend the time to pay the dues?

Thanks!

I enjoyed it when I did it. I only had one student who literally tried to kill me in an airplane, and I made decent coin at it. I was one of the few guys in the area that made 35-50 an hour as an independant contractor to the flight school.

 

[Sam Snead]

I don't think I've ever seen a true "career CFI". The people who enjoy instructing in light aircraft, and do it indefinitely (i.e. have no "dash to the regionals" behavior) have other jobs, or also fly corporate, etc.

The reason: A person charging 50 bucks an hour can make $40,000 a year if they work their behinds off. But what self-respecting person wants to top out at that figure?

Heck, all the DPE's have other jobs, and they are the top rung on the CFI ladder, and they charge 3-500 dollars for half a day.

I've seen two basic CFI jobs: one is at a 'flight school' where the owner pays the CFIs 15-20 bucks an hour. The other is the 'club' where students pay the CFI directly, and the going rate in my area is 40-45 bucks an hour.

The 'flight school' people get more hours because the owner provides them people that walk through the door. Mostly, the 'club' CFIs have to poach their own students or wait like vultures for the next walk-in.

The CFI biz is 90% kids who want to fly a 747, but will setlle for an RJ when they get "their hours." It's their choice if they want to phone it in, or be professional.

 

[mayday1]

What about the guys that want to be a career instructor? You guys should should just PFT and leave that profession the hell alone.

You pukes that instruct and use it as merely a obstacle, will do it for nothing, crap on the rest of the guys that work hard to try make a living as an instructor.

Because of this, we now have the worst civil air training ever - in US history.

Congrads!

so, you're saying people who have dropped $40k+ for training should pay another $30k+ for PFT, especially when most didn't have the initial $40k to begin with... all to land that $18k/yr job with the regionals..? Good luck with that sell job.

 

[Goose Egg]

I love the challenge of instructing. Every student is different, and learns differently. I think it's fun trying to figure out what it is that makes that student tick, and then personalizing their lessons accordingly. It is also neat to see them achieve their goals, and be able to assist them in doing so.

Money-wise, it's ok. I do better than a lot of instructors, but sometimes it still feels like I'm just scrapin' by.

Instructing is a lot of fun. Do I want to do it forever? No. (I guess that makes me unprofessional.) Is my next step from here into a "shiny new" RJ? I don't really know, because I don't know what opportunities will be available when I have the experience needed. I think that I'd like corporate flying, but I guess I'll just have to see what works out.

One thing is for sure, I'm not suffering from SJS, and my attitude is not one of "I want to get my time and get the $#@% out of here." I'm fortunate enough to be paid well enough in my current instructing job to be a little picky about where I go next, and I'm not in any huge hurry to get out of here--seniority at an airline isn't really a concern for me. There are a couple local operations here that seem very promising if they are still hiring when the time comes.

-Goose

 

[Ill Mitch]

I don't think I've ever seen a true "career CFI". The people who enjoy instructing in light aircraft, and do it indefinitely (i.e. have no "dash to the regionals" behavior) have other jobs, or also fly corporate, etc.

The reason: A person charging 50 bucks an hour can make $40,000 a year if they work their behinds off. But what self-respecting person wants to top out at that figure?

Heck, all the DPE's have other jobs, and they are the top rung on the CFI ladder, and they charge 3-500 dollars for half a day.

I know of three career CFI's. One is a DPE (his only job), the other two just instruct. The DPE has been doing it for over 30 some odd years. I've known the other two for about 13 years. I thought about going that way, but..I like to fly every now and then instead of sitting there watching someone do it.

40K ain't much anymore, but it is livable.

 

[JediNein]

I enjoy flight instructing. I get to work with other career flight instructors including two that serve as my mentors. We've recently added two new glass cockpit Cirrus to our rental flight line. The 'dirtiest, most beat up, junker' on our rental fleet has a Garmin 530 moving map GPS with traffic, flight director, three-axis autopilot, CD player, seats six, a '10' paint job, impeccably maintained, and cruises around 160-170 knots.

But I don't spend much time in the 'junker', most of my clients bring their own airplanes, from light jets through single engine pistons, most 200 hp and above. My last set of steep turns were a few weeks ago, one set in a Cirrus SR22 with less than 20 hours on it, the next set later that day in a Cessna 421, the controllers asked us for a 360 and the autopilot had a bit of a time with the bank angles.

My clients set my rate. I did an increase not too long ago and no one seemed to notice. When my schedule fills again with folks on a waiting list, it'll be time to increase the rates again. The 421 operator expects to pay his line pilots a lot less than what he pays me on an hourly basis, and he doesn't cover their commute to the airport.

But, I can only flight instruct 8 hours in a day in the air, and really not much more than that on the ground. I've diversified into aircraft management and writing of several GPS checklists. I also help run the flight school. "PFD Flying Made Easy" or something similar is in progress, too.

If I flight instruct, I can really only work with one person at a time and my certificates are at risk. If I give seminars and presentations, I can work with 40 or more people at a time with no certificates or medical required. If I write a book, the number of folks I can instruct becomes limitless and I don't have to even be present to sell a copy and the words will go beyond my death.

I know people that fly for a living and hate their jobs. I know people stuck in a cubicle and hate their jobs. I also know folks that do either and love it. It comes down to what you are willing to accept and what you decide to feel about what you've accepted.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein
Master CFI

 

[moxiepilot]

I don't think I've ever seen a true "career CFI". The people who enjoy instructing in light aircraft, and do it indefinitely (i.e. have no "dash to the regionals" behavior) have other jobs, or also fly corporate, etc.

Lorin Saathoff thumbs through his first log book. The flight instructor has logged 25,000 hours as a teacher in single-engine aircraft. Below: Lorin Saathoff sits in the cockpit of a Cessna 172 on the Tarmac at Riverside Airport. He has sat in cockpits...



from an article in Tulsa World about 12 Apr 2002. Lorin was the coolest 70 year old instructor. He, in his 20's decided he did not want to be a farmer. He has been a flight instructor ever since. He had no other supplimentary job.

They're out, the're just hard to find (and a goldmine when you do)

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