Lead
Well-Known Member
I've been thinking lately about where I was when I got started and the things I wish I knew back then. So I thought it would be good to make a list. PLEASE ADD TO IT. I would especially like to see career tips beyond flight instructor.
- Always get a first class medical: Just get a first class medical. If your unable to get one, you seriously need to consider your career choice.
- When picking a flight school, try to find one that's inexpensive, and has a high pass rate. Ask them what their pass rate is preferably 80% or above. There is all sorts of different selling points that aren't necessarily a selling point or that don't matter. Going to a name brand school doesn't seem to help that much and a lot of my buddies are in serious debt because of it. Consider an independent CFI for your private, it may help keep the cost down. Sometimes through organizations like CAP you can get free instruction and cheap airplane rates. It may take longer though. Understand that you will most likely get your private pilot's license somewhere between 50 hours (realistic minimum) and 70 hours (nationwide average)
-Study your blowing a ton of money on these licenses, the least you can do is study. Unless you just want to pay your CFI to spoon feed you. Even if you pay him to spoon feed you, it is irritating to him to have to do this.
- Try to pass your check rides on the first try Passing your checkride with someone who has a reputation for failing a lot of people is pointless. No one cares. Try not to take exams with the FSDO. Although, sometimes you have to (initial CFI). If the examiner has an FAA guy riding in the back - discontinue. Say your feeling sick or something.
- Keep your record squeaky clean Don't smoke pot, don't get DUIs, don't get speeding tickets. Basically, follow the law.
- Get a four year degree. It does not need to be in aviation and it doesn't even really help you in the future if it is. Get it in something that will help you if you decide to quit aviation. I know alot of people that have decided to quit aviation and pursue different careers. If possible try to get your licenses to count for credits. I submitted my licences to my school and they let me use them for electives. Once again, inexpensive is a key word. There is no point in spending $150,000 on an education when your first several years, you'll be making less than or around $30,000
- Work toward 135 minimums and ATP minimums starting out. (Even if you don't think your going to go the 135 route.) The way you do this is to to fill as many high value boxes in your logbook per flight as possible. There are high value and low value boxes. The high value ones other than "Total Time" and "PIC" are:
"Cross Country"
" Point to Point"
"Actual Instrument"
"Hood Time"
"Night"
"Multi Engine"
"Turbine"
Keep in mind all of these do not hold the same value. For instance, Cross Country is better than point to point because it fills both xc and p2p. Actual is better than hood. If your CFII will never go actual with you in the instrument course, you should switch instructors.
- Get an electronic logbook ASAP. Keep a paper one too. Believe me, when you start filling out 4 applications a day, its nice to have that electronic logbook. Some collumns you may want to add are "point to point" "high performance" "complex"
- Get your CFI, CFII, and MEI. Not only does having all three make you more marketable but the CFII and MEI both help fill those high value boxes and frankly, make you a better pilot.
- How to pick a flight school to work for. The first flight school you work for will probably not be the last flight school you work for. In fact you may have to take just about anything for your first gig. Generally, once you have about 200 hours dual given your golden and can go to just about any school. Hopefully, you can keep your time as a CFI down to 1 to 2 employers. The things to look for when choosing a school:
How much do they pay? $15 an hour is probably the absolute minimum you should work for, and that should come with a promise of a raise (a real promise written into your contract, not "sometime down the road" or "if your doing good" BS). Personally, I've never worked for $15 an hour). If you can get on salary, its most likely a good thing. Working by the hour sometimes has the potential for more but you are limited by weather and maintenance unless your somewhere like PHX where there's 350 days of flyable weather a year.
Will you have students right away? Generally, you should have a full plate within one month, two at max. A lot of places offer $25-30 per hour but you have to bring in your own students, wait for them to "walk in" etc. This is BS and rarely works. Typically, you end up being the receptionist/tour guide and you don't get paid anything.
Will you get any multi time there? Do they have a multi engine airplane? Typically, if you hear - "we will be getting one soon" it isn't true. Usually, you get put on a seniority list of sorts before your allowed to teach multi. That's why its important to try and pick a good school at the outset or at around 200 hours dual given so that you can stay with them for a while. Multi time for low timers is like gold.
How much will you fly? I would say you should average between 50-100 hours a month of flight time (not billed time).
Don't be afraid to teach international students (aka students on contract). I think some of the best gigs for CFI's are teaching international students. Here's some + and -
Positives:
1. They are guaranteed work private through commercial multi.
2. Scheduling is easy because they are full time students.
3. You don't need to cater to their every whim because your worried about hanging onto them as a student. This makes it a better environment for instructing.
4. You use all your ratings.
5. They're a challenge.
Negatives:
1. They're a challenge.
2. It's frustrating. You may start to weigh the importance of them knowing something because of the amount of energy it will take to tell them.
3. Your pass rate will most likely suffer.
- Don't sign long term leases: This business seems to change with the wind. I know several people that signed leases thinking they would be somewhere for a while and ended up being stuck somewhere.
Notes:
135 Minimums:
1200 Total Time
500 Point to Point (distance doesn't matter)
100 Night
75 Instrument (50 in flight hood or actual. and 25 simulator/FTD)
ATP Minimums: you can find it in 61.159 but its basically
1500 Total Time
500 Cross Country (more than 50 NM from what I understand)
- Always get a first class medical: Just get a first class medical. If your unable to get one, you seriously need to consider your career choice.
- When picking a flight school, try to find one that's inexpensive, and has a high pass rate. Ask them what their pass rate is preferably 80% or above. There is all sorts of different selling points that aren't necessarily a selling point or that don't matter. Going to a name brand school doesn't seem to help that much and a lot of my buddies are in serious debt because of it. Consider an independent CFI for your private, it may help keep the cost down. Sometimes through organizations like CAP you can get free instruction and cheap airplane rates. It may take longer though. Understand that you will most likely get your private pilot's license somewhere between 50 hours (realistic minimum) and 70 hours (nationwide average)
-Study your blowing a ton of money on these licenses, the least you can do is study. Unless you just want to pay your CFI to spoon feed you. Even if you pay him to spoon feed you, it is irritating to him to have to do this.
- Try to pass your check rides on the first try Passing your checkride with someone who has a reputation for failing a lot of people is pointless. No one cares. Try not to take exams with the FSDO. Although, sometimes you have to (initial CFI). If the examiner has an FAA guy riding in the back - discontinue. Say your feeling sick or something.
- Keep your record squeaky clean Don't smoke pot, don't get DUIs, don't get speeding tickets. Basically, follow the law.
- Get a four year degree. It does not need to be in aviation and it doesn't even really help you in the future if it is. Get it in something that will help you if you decide to quit aviation. I know alot of people that have decided to quit aviation and pursue different careers. If possible try to get your licenses to count for credits. I submitted my licences to my school and they let me use them for electives. Once again, inexpensive is a key word. There is no point in spending $150,000 on an education when your first several years, you'll be making less than or around $30,000
- Work toward 135 minimums and ATP minimums starting out. (Even if you don't think your going to go the 135 route.) The way you do this is to to fill as many high value boxes in your logbook per flight as possible. There are high value and low value boxes. The high value ones other than "Total Time" and "PIC" are:
"Cross Country"
" Point to Point"
"Actual Instrument"
"Hood Time"
"Night"
"Multi Engine"
"Turbine"
Keep in mind all of these do not hold the same value. For instance, Cross Country is better than point to point because it fills both xc and p2p. Actual is better than hood. If your CFII will never go actual with you in the instrument course, you should switch instructors.
- Get an electronic logbook ASAP. Keep a paper one too. Believe me, when you start filling out 4 applications a day, its nice to have that electronic logbook. Some collumns you may want to add are "point to point" "high performance" "complex"
- Get your CFI, CFII, and MEI. Not only does having all three make you more marketable but the CFII and MEI both help fill those high value boxes and frankly, make you a better pilot.
- How to pick a flight school to work for. The first flight school you work for will probably not be the last flight school you work for. In fact you may have to take just about anything for your first gig. Generally, once you have about 200 hours dual given your golden and can go to just about any school. Hopefully, you can keep your time as a CFI down to 1 to 2 employers. The things to look for when choosing a school:
How much do they pay? $15 an hour is probably the absolute minimum you should work for, and that should come with a promise of a raise (a real promise written into your contract, not "sometime down the road" or "if your doing good" BS). Personally, I've never worked for $15 an hour). If you can get on salary, its most likely a good thing. Working by the hour sometimes has the potential for more but you are limited by weather and maintenance unless your somewhere like PHX where there's 350 days of flyable weather a year.
Will you have students right away? Generally, you should have a full plate within one month, two at max. A lot of places offer $25-30 per hour but you have to bring in your own students, wait for them to "walk in" etc. This is BS and rarely works. Typically, you end up being the receptionist/tour guide and you don't get paid anything.
Will you get any multi time there? Do they have a multi engine airplane? Typically, if you hear - "we will be getting one soon" it isn't true. Usually, you get put on a seniority list of sorts before your allowed to teach multi. That's why its important to try and pick a good school at the outset or at around 200 hours dual given so that you can stay with them for a while. Multi time for low timers is like gold.
How much will you fly? I would say you should average between 50-100 hours a month of flight time (not billed time).
Don't be afraid to teach international students (aka students on contract). I think some of the best gigs for CFI's are teaching international students. Here's some + and -
Positives:
1. They are guaranteed work private through commercial multi.
2. Scheduling is easy because they are full time students.
3. You don't need to cater to their every whim because your worried about hanging onto them as a student. This makes it a better environment for instructing.
4. You use all your ratings.
5. They're a challenge.
Negatives:
1. They're a challenge.
2. It's frustrating. You may start to weigh the importance of them knowing something because of the amount of energy it will take to tell them.
3. Your pass rate will most likely suffer.
- Don't sign long term leases: This business seems to change with the wind. I know several people that signed leases thinking they would be somewhere for a while and ended up being stuck somewhere.
Notes:
135 Minimums:
1200 Total Time
500 Point to Point (distance doesn't matter)
100 Night
75 Instrument (50 in flight hood or actual. and 25 simulator/FTD)
ATP Minimums: you can find it in 61.159 but its basically
1500 Total Time
500 Cross Country (more than 50 NM from what I understand)
