Any CFIs Doing/Done Accelerated Training?

[HeyEng]

I am curious if any of JC's fine CFIs have considered or have done accelerated training? I am talking primarily the likes of the 10-14 day IR stuff or even the 4-5 day CSEL? I ask this because while considering my future aviation endeavors, I have noticed that some of the accelerated IR providers could be making a pretty good living. Looking at having 2 clients a month at 3,500-5,000 a pop is a fairly good living. I understand that every business has it's costs, but besides the obvious (insurance, aircraft costs, marketing, etc.) what am I missing as to why there aren't more CFIIs doing this?

 

[braunpilot]

The main reason is that people actually have to read all the material and be ready for the knowledge portion of the checkride PRIOR to starting the flight training. I have done one student and he was prepared and was actually one of the best students I have ever trained. I enjoyed the training because when I talked about a subject he was ready.

It takes a lot out of the CFII as well as the student and most days are 10 to 12 hours long. But that was my experience.

 

[Douglas]

It is not for everybody (like me), but for some it is a great way to go.

Things happen fast and as said by braunpilot, you will need to make it clear to your student that knowledge and self-study will happen a lot before ever stepping in an airplane.

Good luck, you won't know if it is for you unless you try it.

I have never done an fast IR course, I would like to try it though.

I have done 5 day commercial/mulit commercial add-ons though.

Most of these people that wanted to do that, dropped out after the first day.

 

[Douglas]

Looking at having 2 clients a month at 3,500-5,000 a pop is a fairly good living.

If you are independent and own your own plane, having two students at 5,000 is a horrible existence.

I would only do accelerated IR like that for a career if I was taking home 5,000 a month.

 

[Fly_Unity]

Some of my best students were the ones that did it accelerated. Im a fan of accelerated training, but that's just me. Its starting to take a drag on me to students that do one or two lessons a week. If they would just take 3 weeks to get it done, they would done for it forever, instead they work and stress over it for months and months, and usually have to relearn the material over that they learned months ago.

 

[ILS37R]

It's not my bread-and-butter, but I've done a few accelerated students for IR and CAMEL. As others have said, a huge portion of accelerated training is students coming prepared with all their bookwork/self-study already done.

Depending on how prepared your student is, accelerated can either be a lot of fun, or the world's most stressful experience. In the case of the latter, be prepared to tell people: "No." Students will come in having done zero prep.--heck, they might not even have flown for six or seven months--and they'll arrive with non-refundable tickets back home for fourteen days hence. Depending on where you instruct, management may have your back or they may be pressuring you for sign-offs.

Especially with instrument training, there are a lot of things you can do to get someone "checkride ready" without being "IMC to minimums ready." As a professional, you have to stand your ground on this one. If you don't, you end up with either a) an instrument-rated pilot unprepared for real IFR flight; or b) a former student with a lot of shortcut-related bad habits that another CFI-I will have to sort out.

Which brings us to the other difficult students you'll get: those who've had previous (crappy) instrument training. Ten days is a very challenging timeline in which to teach instrument AND correct ingrained bad habits.

Accelerated training--if you keep the students coming in the door--can be a pretty good income stream, as flight instructing goes, but it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. The hours can be very long and going through the syllabus every week and a half is pretty monotonous. Personally, I like having an accelerated student every couple of months, but I wouldn't want to do it full-time.

 

[mooneyguy]

Garrad, One of the big issues with accelerated is "having all your eggs in one basket"

If you are working 5 students if you lose one you are still making money with the other 4. Accelerated is usually one on one. Have a student cancel on you, you're now out of work for ten days (assuming you have another student lined up following this one and you dont have time to bring a new student in). Its hard to find a new student who is ready to go NOW for ten days straight!

Its a great way to do it, but as a cfi you better be flexable, and be able to survive financially when you lose a student.

btw when are you planning on doing your IR? you still gonna keep your plane long enough to finish the IR and COMM? PM me!

 

[Blackhawk]

Yes, I take accelerated students on a regular basis. I normally only work 08:00-15:00, M-F (with some night flying thrown in here and there). I only fly a maximum of two students per day- figuring 2.0 ground, 1.5 flying. With some (such as accelerated CFI or doing two lessons in one day with a single pilot), I may spend most of the day with them. I take time off from flying when my kids are off from school.
I have not had a problem keeping the schedule full. I normally have a waiting list of at least one month, plus pilots who want just a flight or two with me. So if someone drops or does not give me notice of cancellation once too often I can easily fill the slot (so far).
It is possible. But, as with many things in life, reputation is everything. Also, it helps that I am a kept man and mooch off my wife.

 

[Roger, Roger]

The closest I've done to accelerated training was my instrument rating (4 weeks start to finish, flying every day once a day...I'd already done the ground school).
I also taught an instrument student in about 12 days from first flight to last dual flight (couple more days for the stage check/141 EOC). He did about a week in the sims beforehand. He's actually a user on here, posts over in the photography section. Like others have said, it works great if the student has done their homework.

 

[HeyEng]

Yes, I take accelerated students on a regular basis. I normally only work 08:00-15:00, M-F (with some night flying thrown in here and there). I only fly a maximum of two students per day- figuring 2.0 ground, 1.5 flying. With some (such as accelerated CFI or doing two lessons in one day with a single pilot), I may spend most of the day with them. I take time off from flying when my kids are off from school.
I have not had a problem keeping the schedule full. I normally have a waiting list of at least one month, plus pilots who want just a flight or two with me. So if someone drops or does not give me notice of cancellation once too often I can easily fill the slot (so far).
It is possible. But, as with many things in life, reputation is everything. Also, it helps that I am a kept man and mooch off my wife.

That sir, is the key! That is what I have told mine...once I retire from the AF, it's time for me to RELAX!!!

Thanks everyone for the inputs, I do appreciate it. After I retire from the AF, I really only plan on working part-time, really just to pass the time and continue to fund all the "extra recreational stuff" and was curious if doing accelerated stuff would cut it. Sounds like it's long hours, so perhaps one a month or maybe even every other month. This is all just speculation and long term planning at this point, but I appreciate everyone's thoughts!!!

Tim...yep, I am going to keep the plane. I have grown quite attached to the mistress!!!

 

[juskl]

Financially, I would have no clue, as I do not work for myself. But I do like teaching the accelerated ciriculum. In fact, I just finished with a student whom did his Private, Instrument and Comm (all Part 141). 5 days a week with 2 flights and one ground a day.

It all depends on the student though. I have had good ones for accelerated so far. But there are good days and bad. The instrument took us about 5 weeks. However, that included all the grounds for the written.

Nice thing about accelerated, students retention seems to be much higher. Good luck.