What is a comfortable student load?

[BoDEAN]

Right now, I am logging 8-10 flight hours a week, with about 6-7 hours of ground per week.

I have about 10 students, and about 5 of them fly 2 or more times a week. My buddy at Mesaba told me I should be flying A LOT more than I am. I am trying, but still learning new ways to recruit more people.

 

[labbats]

Cut and pasted from a previous post of mine....

BoDean. MOVE. Move now!
130 dual given in over 6 months is awful. Seriously. I realize it's winter in the midwest, but even I made 30-40 hours a month at the worst of it. In the south, you'll make double that monthly. You've got no strings tied to you, and at this rate you would have 135 minimums in 2007.





130 over 6 months is not 8-10 a week. Did it just now pick up because of spring? If this is what spring/summer is like for you, it stinks. But if you are getting 8-10 hours a week in winter, you're fine.

 

[Ace757]

My instructor was flying 6 students 5 days a week for over 100hrs dual given a month. Now thats a little on the extreme end. If you have too many students they will not do very well because you have less time to spend with them.

 

[TEXAN AVIATOR]

My instructor was flying 6 students 5 days a week for over 100hrs dual given a month. Now thats a little on the extreme end. If you have too many students they will not do very well because you have less time to spend with them.

Yeah our CFI's are averaging about 7 hours per day flight time, plus ground and it‘s getting busier. I left the mountains for the south's flight time, you should consider doing the same.

 

[bobbysamd]

You aren't busy enough . . .

Right now, I am logging 8-10 flight hours a week, with about 6-7 hours of ground per week.

I have about 10 students, and about 5 of them fly 2 or more times a week. My buddy at Mesaba told me I should be flying A LOT more than I am. I am trying, but still learning new ways to recruit more people.

Sixteen billable hours a week is not enough at all. The ten students you have would be fine if you could fly them more. Why don't you look for a Part 141 school job? That way, you would be supplied with students.

At one point when I was at Riddle, I had seventeen students. Some were holdovers from the previous semester. There weren't enough hours in the day to service all of them. I finished some but had to shed others.

About six-ten students would be an ideal balance for workload and your sanity if you can fly them three-four times a week. Don't forget, you can also bring students in for orals and sims. Having said that, weren't you going to get your CFI-I and MEI? You will have more work if you can offer more services.

 

[BoDEAN]

CFII is coming up within the next 2 weeks.

WHere I fly, we are a part 141 school. It is just an FBO though.
I could apply at Western Michigan University. I would have to take a pay cut though (lose about 10/hr in pay).
Would have to research more into that.

 

[wmudriver]

When I worked at WMU, I was not poor by any means. You get $15/hr after your 1 semester probation is up (and have your CFII) plus your weekly stipend. They provide decent insurance as well.
You are pretty much guarenteed a good student load as there are 40-55 new students coming in every semester.
I had 4 students and did about 170 dual given from September to December 1st which isn't horrible and was able to pick up an extra student here and there when someone was sick or on vacation.
The nice thing I thought in the collegiate 141 environment was that the students were required to be there and all had pretty much the same goal in mind.
One regret I had was not working in a part 61/Fbo environment were you had flexibility as a far as a ciriculum goes and you get to teach a more diverse crowd.
Just my $.02

 

[PHX767]

MOVE!!!

When I was instructing in the ATL area in '94 - '95, I logged about 1500 hours in 18 months.

That was instructing, traffic patrol, a bit of corporate, and the occaisonal pilot services gig.

Save a rating for a flight school that you want to work for, and move to a major metro area where students are available.

Good luck.

 

[BoDEAN]

Thanks for the great advice! Much appreciate as usual. You guys are great on this board!

 

[350DRIVER]

It is much better to just pad the logs with a pen if you indeed are just looking for "flight time" in a short amount of time, easier and less problems. IF you are looking for "experience" which in my opinion is the most important variable in the equation then do not worry about how little or how much flight time that you are currently building per month by instructing. The flight time will come much easier and quicker than the actual real life experiences so there is no need to worry about things that are beyond your control. Take your time, learn as much as you can, enjoy these times, and most importantly build a strong foundation that will be the basis for a strong career. Flight times mean very little when you get to the next level and I have seen many people with 2000+ TT look p!ss poor in comparison to lower time pilots who actually bulit experience versus just flight time.


Patience is key so sit back, relax, and soak up as much as you can at these early times in your career.


good luck

3 5 0

 

[TopGun-MAV]

instruction is a tough game. its all about recruiting students. i had a friend that instructed, he was good and got lots of students. he flew about 80 hours a month, but it also depends on the weather. if its snowing then you can't fly with private students, but maybe intrstument students if you have any.
just my 2 cents

The MAV has spoken

 

[bobbysamd]

P-F-T troll flamebait

instruction is a tough game. its all about recruiting students. i had a friend that instructed, he was good and got lots of students. he flew about 80 hours a month, but it also depends on the weather. if its snowing then you can't fly with private students, but maybe intrstument students if you have any.
just my 2 cents

The MAV has spoken

You have no clue what "tough" is, being a TAB Express P-F-Ter. When it is snowing one has no business doing any flight instruction in ordinary trainers. Yeah, that's right, stupid me, you train in KingAirs.

 

[IP076]

Hidden Message

instruction is a tough game. its all about recruiting students. i had a friend that instructed, he was good and got lots of students. he flew about 80 hours a month, but it also depends on the weather. if its snowing then you can't fly with private students, but maybe intrstument students if you have any.
just my 2 cents

The MAV has spoken

I think there is a hidden message there saying "You dont have to instruct, just pay somebody to let you fly their airplanes"

Sounds like a great idea...

dip **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**

Somebody who isn't paying to be in a seat that a professional aviator being paid should be in has spoken

How do you get 20 paying passengers in a Beech 1900? I don't know, but I bet you MAV could tell you how.

 

[TopGun-MAV]

ip076 and bobby,

20 paying pax in a be1900? this has been talked about already. old news. sorry.

bobbytroll,
yes we train in king airs, it is not a trainer. it is a high performance turbine a/c. it takes a lot to fly one of those at 300 hrs. i was just stating that the flight instruction business is a tough game from what people have told me. have you ever instructed?
i do have my cfi! believe it or not! i chose not to instruct.

just my 2 cents

maverick signing out.

 

[Cosmo1999]

hey mav when your done with your PFT job at Tab I have a great way for you to get your TT up. We have a traffic watch setup here in the area and its all "volunteer work". That means you dont get paid a dime to do it but hey its an improvement over having to pay for your job right? You get to fly a 172 for free isnt it great?? Hurry apply quickly you can make a career out of working for free. To supplement your income we have state street corners where you can get on your knees take a few shots in the eye and get $20 a shot.

 

[bobbysamd]

Flight Instruction

i was just stating that the flight instruction business is a tough game from what people have told me. have you ever instructed?

Do they teach reading at TAB, Mr. Flamebait? Take a look at my profile to the left for your answer. I have ten times as many hours instructing that you have in total time. I already was flight instructing when you were still in kindergarten. I had students who had gone on to the airlines before you were in middle school, including at least one member of this forum. You may claim to hold a CFI, but your ignorance of flight instructing is more than apparent.

Your comment about it "taking a lot" to fly a King Air at 300 hours is extremely telling - not! Am I supposed to be impressed? Did you ever get past those V1 cuts you were whining about a few weeks ago?

 

[bobbysamd]

172 traffic watch time

hey mav when your done with your PFT job at Tab I have a great way for you to get your TT up. We have a traffic watch setup here in the area and its all "volunteer work". That means you dont get paid a dime to do it but hey its an improvement over having to pay for your job right? You get to fly a 172 for free isnt it great?? Hurry apply quickly you can make a career out of working for free. To supplement your income we have state street corners where you can get on your knees take a few shots in the eye and get $20 a shot.

No, Cosmo, "Mav" is a big-time King Air pilot. He wouldn't stoop so low as to fly a lowly 172.

 

[Northern Lights]

comfortable load

I would say that a comfortable load means that you can handle 3-4 students per day 5-6 days a week. If every one is flying 3 times a week, that would be 6-7 students. the less they fly, obviously, the more students you will need.

I have also looked at it from a financial viewpoint: How many contact hours do I need each week to pay the bills?

And yes, it does take a lot to fly a lot to fly a King Air at 300 hours. a lot of $$$$.

 

[tom1178]

I was going to type something good but i can't stop thinking about Cosmo1999's avatar, or whatever that thing is called.