Flight instructing while in college?

[Luchini]

Anyone have any experience or insight into doing this? Im about 3 years away from my BA and figure this would be a good way to make some extra money and earn flight time. Im working on my PPL right now and would like to build enough time to be eligible for a flying job by the time I get out of college. Are flight schools wary of these kind of instructors? Can someone also give me some insight on free lance flight instructing and how that works? Thanks.

 

[satpak77]

did it

I got my PPL at age 17 and did weekend flying with my buddies when we could put 80 bucks together so 4 of us could take the 172 around town

Hung out at airport, flew as "safety pilot" and "co-pilot" (!!!) for all the local airplane owners, etc. I was also line-boy at FBO as "primary job" from age 18 to 22, also sold newspaper subscriptions and used cars.

Line boy job got my name out there as "that line kid who is now a CFI" sort of thing

Went to college in meantime. Worked 3 jobs and by junior year I had $10,000 put together toward IFR-CFII tickets at a 141 school. In summer, Went into 141 school with all writtens done, about 400 hrs TT, and pretty solid understanding of IFR flying.

Into college senior year, hired back at FBO as the lone CFI, and maybe 1 year after college, I was flying Navajos at a Part 135 operator, age 23

it can be done, but it sucks. My "this is my future wife" girlfriend and I, we broke up, my college GPA was like 2.2, and I really had no college life (partys, girls, ball games) outside of driving tugs, fuel trucks, and trying to build flight time.

Line job was (still is?) considered to be "apprenticeship" towards an aviation career. That was THEN. Now with all the Comair Academy's, "Airline Fasttrack" schools, etc, I wonder how many of those students have climbed a ladder to fuel a Caravan or got shirts permanently stained with 2380. No, thats not a zip code.

Good luck

 

[barnyard]

Agreed with the above post.

I graduated with about 1100 hrs at 22 and started flying freight soonafter. It is very nice to have kind of a head start on most of the guys my age, but other things probably will suffer like the above poster said.

Think long and hard about which flight school in your area will offer you the best qol, and not treat you like a slave-driver. I worked for this one $hithole and had to give up every single day that I wasnt in school to be there, 8-5 even on the $hittiest Wx days and no student days. I was on the schedule for 45 hrs/wk and they still said I was 'part-time' meaning less pay and such. Then stoopid me thinking I'm doing them a favor by telling them I will be quitting after I gradaute... I get 'asked to resign' a week later after they can fill my shoes. With 4 weeks of college remaining and a vacation right after graduation.

Sorry for the run-on's and fragments grammar nazi's!

-barnyard

 

[Groundpounder]

I
Line job was (still is?) considered to be "apprenticeship" towards an aviation career. That was THEN. Now with all the Comair Academy's, "Airline Fasttrack" schools, etc, I wonder how many of those students have climbed a ladder to fuel a Caravan or got shirts permanently stained with 2380. No, thats not a zip code.

Good luck

I've been in line service since I was 16, about 9 years ago, and couldn't agree with you more. I've learned so much working the ramp, stuff I would never learned during my flight training. One of the things I've learned that the guys that treat us like dirt never worked a day of line service in their life. If they knew what we had to do on a day to day basis, perhaps they would treat us a little better. Perhaps in order for someone to get their commercial, they have to work 100 hours on the line

 

[DGdaPilot]

It sure is do-able. I'm starting my 2nd year as a part time CFI for Southern Illinois University. They typically have about 10-15 part-timers on board. It's a good atmosphere and school (but I'm probably biased to that).

 

[unreal]

I just got hired as a part-time CFI at a school here in PRC, while also going to school full-time. I haven't started over there yet, but I'll try to give some insight when I do. Until then, keep the experiences comin'.

 

[wiggsfly]

It can be done. In the Southern Illinois area just about all the flight students instruct at one point or another while finishing their bachelor's. The University hires instructors part-time which is good as they will work around your class schedule. The problem is they still treat you like **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** (worst job I ever had was instructing for SIU). Heck, the University is the only place I've ever seen take the attitude where if the student fails for ANY reason it is the instructors fault, and there isn't a lot of flight time. The FBO's will often get you more time in the air, but the pay sucks and you work around their schedule, not the other way around (can make having a life rather difficult).

 

[Lead Sled]

I was in a slightly different situation. I was attending evening classes at UNLV and flying air tours through the Grand Canyon during the day. I spent most of my layover time at GCN in the back of a Twin Cessna studying for my various college classes. It was the perfect setup up until my senior year - it was hard to schedule some of the classes that I needed to graduate. By that time, I had my flying credendials (3000 TT, ATP, and 2000 ME PIC) pretty much in order so I left Las Vegas and transferred to another school to finish up my degree. At that point, I picked up my CFI so that I could keep current while I finished up. I tried the 141 and flight school route, but there was no way that I was going to work for $5 or $6 an hour. I found a student with a C172 and taught him how to fly. He ended up allowing me to use it for other students as well. I ended up flying the crap out of that airplane for almost 3 years. This was 25 years ago, but back then I was flying as much as I ever wanted to fly and charging $25 to $30 an hour and keeping every cent of it.

Lead Sled

 

[LearLove]

I instructed my senior year in college in a navy flying club. I finished school in Dec97 and stepped right into a 135 flying job because I already had the time. I'd say do it if you can.

 

[de727ups]

Luchini

The most successful of the young guys I've mentored had his CFI and instructed in college. Free-lancing is a great way to go cause you'll be your own boss and can do it and your own pace. Having your own plane helps, but most guys can't afford it. Try to find someone with a trainer that will let you pay the extra insurance and set up a deal with them. You could network at your school for students or maybe even teach a ground school as a non-credit class. Some airport managers and FBO owners will come gunning for you seeing you as unfair competition. Try to be low key at the airport, keep a low profile.

 

[Luchini]

Thanks for the responses guys. By CFI while in college I hope to kill two birds with one stone. Get the degree and have enough flight time to get hired on at a regional. After I finish up my PPL here I dont know if I am going to get all the ratings at my FBO or wait till I finish college and go to a flight academy like ATP 90 days program. Is it hard to get a CFI job? What I like about ATP is that they seem to hire alot of their students as instructors afterwards.

 

[typhoonpilot]

I think it is a very good way to get a headstart. My experience is similar to some of the other posters. I worked the line at an FBO while getting all my ratings and then jumped right into flight instructing. I only took two classes one semester while concentrating on getting ratings. That resulted in the five year college plan but the last two years I worked full time instructing and kept going to school full time. If your college is flexible you can go to school on only Mo, We, Fr then work the other four days. Or better yet go only Tuesday and Thursday and have five days to work. I only managed one semester with the Tu, Th schedule and those were 0800 until 2200 days at school but it was great to be able to take weekend trips ferrying airplanes around and not have to worry about getting back by Monday.

The other nice thing about it is that you can get students quite easily from among your University classmates. Well, if you go to an aviation oriented school anyway. I didn't go home during the summer break I always worked full time and flew about 100 hours per month. When I graduated from college I had an ATP and 2000 total with 165 multi and was hired by a regional within a month.


Typhoonpilot