Average Time Needed for CFI and CFII

henryqs1

Well-Known Member
Based on your previous experience with other students, what is the average time ( hours of flight ) is needed to complete your CFI and CFII back to back?
25 hours?

Thank you very much for any help you can provide.

-Henry
 
I had 5 hours of flight training before my initial (which was multi), and 2 hours before my CFII. The only thing new was drag demo in the initial, so didnt need much training. Then had 4 hours for the single CFI add-on. This is what my students get also.

Never instructed at a school that the single is the initial, but I dont see needing 25 hours to complete the two. Seems like a lot.
 
It really depends. How often are you flying? Is the aircraft different that what you have flown before?

I would say 10-25 hours would probably be average. Sometimes less, sometimes more.
 
I did 10 hours for CFI and 3 hours for CFII. I guess it just really depends how comfortable with flying the airplane and how good you can teach from the right seat. Every person is different and it's hard to tell how many hours it will take for you to complete the check ride.
 
I did CFI through 141. Haven't done my CFII yet. Half the flight time was in a familiar aircraft while the other half was an arrow which i haven't flown before. the way the course is structured it calls for about 25 hours or so. I had about 27 hours.
 
Just finished my checkride today in AK. I took 2 weeks off work and thought I could finish it in one. Wrong idea. Weather got in the way and it ended up taking 2 weeks. I would say 2 weeks is a good time. Good luck!
 
my estimate has always been multiply estimated time x3 and cost x2 and you get a rough estimate of the way life works out...

Like others said, though, it really depends on your currency, studying habits and frequency of flying.
 
I did my single I in May and II in Oct, pretty close to back to back. My CFI took about 20 hrs in the plane and 10 of ground time with my instructor. The big thing in the air was learning to fly well from the right seat. My II took 3 hrs in the air and 2 on the ground. My instructor for the II was laughing that the checkride cost more than his services.
 
As many stated before it depends on your currency from the right seat. One thing I recommend is doing your commercial if you don't already have it from the right seat also. The way I did it was I flew from the right seat every flight after my instrument check ride. When I took my instrument check ride I had about 150TT. So I flew 100 hours (part 61) from the right seat before my commercial/CFI/CFII. I got the idea for this from one of Rod Machado's books. Just be sure find a DPE who is willing to let you take commercial from right seat.
 
I had about 10 hours flight time for my CFI, but I was current with my flying and all I needed was to get used to the right seat.

As many stated before it depends on your currency from the right seat. One thing I recommend is doing your commercial if you don't already have it from the right seat also. The way I did it was I flew from the right seat every flight after my instrument check ride. When I took my instrument check ride I had about 150TT. So I flew 100 hours (part 61) from the right seat before my commercial/CFI/CFII. I got the idea for this from one of Rod Machado's books. Just be sure find a DPE who is willing to let you take commercial from right seat.

Too much of a pain to find a DPE that will do that. I would do a couple flights like that with an instructor on X-countries, but I would learn maneuvers on the left side so you know how to teach it as if you were sitting on the left side when it is time for your CFI stuff.
 
I practice for the CFI by steering the car from the right seat because she can't drive for the life of us anyway! :D
 
Marcus since your from NE Ohio just incase any of your students want to take their commerical from the right seat both Stuart Corey (Medina) and Ron Carroll(Youngstown) will allow applicants to take their commerical from the right seat.
 
I did CFI and CFII in about 18 hours total. The rest of the guys in my CFI/CFII class were in that range too.
 
I combined my commercial flying with CFI (from the right seat). I studied up and didn't have much trouble with complex transition or those goofy commercial maneuvers, so I had a little time left over to revisit ground refs. After my commercial, I took one flight so the chief flight instructor could make sure I could talk through everything while flying it, and another flight for a few approaches/holds/instrument junk. Total: Maybe 4 hours for both?

Just practice talking through everything during your commercial if you haven't done it already.
 
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