FlyingToIST
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2002
- Posts
- 417
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The reason I don't work for a flight school with all my free time is the fact that they charge 40 or 50 bucks an hour and pay instructors 15. SO the world with remain unfortunate in the absence of what I've got to add. It's a sad day. Sniff.
I've seen some places over $50/hr for the instructor. How much do people pay personal trainers? Other professional consultants/trainers? A bunch more.
Most schools make the margin on the CFI and less on the aircraft.
This is the exact issue right there. Everyone needs to change their mindset and realize that instructing needs to be serious business by well qualified individuals.
One last point:
At 30 hrs billed/wk at $25/hr for 50 wks: $37,500
At 40 hrs billed/wk at $25/hr for 50 wks: $50,000
What’s the 1st year FO pay for the best regional?
--Stepping down from the soapbox…
Why not flat out double the costs of what students are charged if today's rates are not viable? No other industry operates at a loss like aviation. If people can't afford it, they'll have to go somewhere else. Sure it would suck and I don't wish it to happen, but flight schools should charge enough to make money and compensate their employees properly.
Flight schools have each have millions of dollars of equipment sitting on their flight lines. They have individuals paying tens of thousands of dollars each for training. They have instructors who have spent years obtaining the certification required to teach. Nobody should look at these as mom and pop operations barely squeezing by just so they can advertise their rental rates are $2/hr cheaper than everyone else.
Flying isn't cheap and it never will be. It shouldn't be on the backs of the employees to make it seem like it is. Cut the crap, realize you're a real business, treat your instuctors like real employees, and charge your customers like they're being offered real services.
So, a comment like 'cut the crap' is not only mature, but also very informatimive.. (/sarcasm)
How many hours would you have to work to bill 30 or 40 hours every week?
One thing that hurts BOTH the CFI and the school is the lost ground time. If the CFI does a brief at the beginning, then preflights with the student (there is always something to discuss), and a post-flight debrief, then there is no reason that a 1.3 hr flight shouldn't get the CFI 2.0 hrs. Many people would only add 0.2 or 0.3. You're just cheating yourself, and the company.
Let's take that example. Let say the CFI does not charge 0.2 hrs/sortie that SHOULD be charged (I'm NOT talking about padding the invoice), flies 4 sorties/day, 5 days/wk, and 50 wks/year...that CFI will lose 200 hours--that's $5000.
It adds up.
IBut, they knew they were getting their money's worth/getting good instruction.