Instructing as a Career?

[Pilotman83]

for what it's worth I know eastern kentucky university is looking for instructors. I looked into it but Its not for me. As a starting cfi the pay isn't great but it does go up to something you could live on (I think $22 an hour as an MEI) and you can fly as much as you want based on everything I've heard. Cost of living is next to nothing also.

Just a thought

Yes, i know a little about the school and i know that instructors start of at 22/hour and get bumped up to something like 40 or 45 per hour as a MEI. You can fly as much as you want and the schedule is extremely flexible. Instructors are needed because there are lots of students who want to fly as much as they can. As a resident, cost of living is extremely low and the city is nice. Its a great option

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[Maurus]

That's what I'm planning on doing when I retire. If you become a DPE, it is certainly something you can make a decent living doing.

Most DPEs I have worked with have had much more rounded careers than just "CFI". Being a career CFI is just fine, but it may not be a bad idea to get some experience outside of CFIing to help your chances.

 

[Hacker15e]

Most DPEs I have worked with have had much more rounded careers than just "CFI". Being a career CFI is just fine, but it may not be a bad idea to get some experience outside of CFIing to help your chances.

I actually wish that more CFIs were older, more experienced folks. I'd love to see more professional pilots further on in their careers be part time CFIs on the side, or after they leave the career.

I almost enjoy flying with DEs on checkrides because of their experience -- their stories are better!

 

[KHanson]

I actually wish that more CFIs were older, more experienced folks. I'd love to see more professional pilots further on in their careers be part time CFIs on the side, or after they leave the career.

I almost enjoy flying with DEs on checkrides because of their experience -- their stories are better!

Well that's the problem. Guys that fly 121 only have 1,000TT they can fly in a year. If they instruct that time counts towards their total time, hence why they don't instruct in the PLANE. Ground and sim, knock your socks off, but airplane is usually a no-go. Now if your 121 and have a month left with 500 hours still to fly, then i'm sure it's no biggie to fly an additional 20-30-50 hours unless the company has something else against that, which is company specific. Not too sure on the 135 world side if they have a max flight time/year or not, but if they're flying for a company under part 91.... psh, they can fly til their socks fall apart.

You want the real truth on why old dudes USUALLY don't go back to flight instructing? Because why would they want to risk their life again in a C172/PA28 for $15/hr.? Seems silly after flying heavies for the past 30 years. The older folks who instruct at my flight school didn't fly professionally, but owned their own plane for a while, OR didn't do anything with aviation besides flight instruct 10 hours a month on the side, while doing something completely unrelated to aviation, such as firefighting, policeman, accountant, lawyer, etc...

 

[drunkenbeagle]

You want the real truth on why old dudes USUALLY don't go back to flight instructing? Because why would they want to risk their life again in a C172/PA28 for $15/hr.? Seems silly after flying heavies for the past 30 years. The older folks who instruct at my flight school didn't fly professionally, but owned their own plane for a while, OR didn't do anything with aviation besides flight instruct 10 hours a month on the side, while doing something completely unrelated to aviation, such as firefighting, policeman, accountant, lawyer, etc...

Plenty of former Air Force, and airline pilots I know that instruct. Time is the biggest thing, if you are on the road half the month for the day job, it isn't easy to find time to fly twice a week with a student. Your own family generally should come first. Besides that, I highly doubt many think that flying light singles seems silly after flying big iron. Most pilots probably miss it, and can't afford to do it on their own much, if at all.

The money, honestly, isn't that bad instructing The time commitment to be proficient and line up students is difficult for lots of people. If I were tomorrow unable to find good paying work in my current field, I would be out hustling up business flight instructing.

 

[Hacker15e]

why would they want to risk their life again in a C172/PA28 for $15/hr.? Seems silly after flying heavies for the past 30 years.

May seem silly to you, but after 15+ years of flying fast-movers for the USAF, teaching formation and dogfighting and bombing, I still love to go jump in a 172 on the weekend and have fun...and am interested in CFIing when my "other" job can spare the time. If I join the 121 crowd, I'll certainly still be interested in GA then, too...and I'm sure there are a lot more out there like me.

The hours discussion makes plenty of sense for active 121 flyers, but not for over-60 or over-65 types, or even professionals who don't have jobs that bump up against that 1000-hour limit.. THOSE are the guys, if I were a new flyer, I'd want teaching me. Guys who have more time sitting on the crapper in an airliner than I do in airplanes, and have fantastic experience forged over decades of aviating.

I hope to be one of those guys someday, myself.

 

[rframe]

In the past year I've had an F-15 driver, airline captain, and the CP for a large corporate group all ask with sincerity if there was a way they could approved/insured to fly my little single engine Cessna once in a while because they all said that they really enjoy flying a single engine airplane VFR for the pure enjoyment of flying. The funny thing was the F-15 driver was the most humble and was concerned about his ability to safely fly a piston single because all his experience recently was in fast jets, and wanted to know how to go about a good checkout.

That said, as far as instructing goes I've seen airline pilots who thought they'd jump back into the mix instructing and were terrible at it. In fact, the absolute worst I've ever seen a student do on a check ride was taught by an old airline captain...after his failure he switched over to a 600 hour CFI and did great on his re-test. I'm not suggesting all will be bad, but experience is relative and only one piece of the puzzle to being a good instructor.

 

[Hacker15e]

experience is relative and only one piece of the puzzle to being a good instructor.

Legit.

 

[Krieger]

Guys who have more time sitting on the crapper in an airliner than I do in airplanes.

Somebody put this in the "pure gold" file.

 

[Hacker15e]

Somebody put this in the "pure gold" file.

I actually stole that from a story my brother, who used to be a P-3 sub patrol pilot in the Navy, told me.

An old Master Chief once said to him, an O-3, "I've flushed more saltwater down the crapper than you've flown over...."

 

[KHanson]

I actually stole that from a story my brother, who used to be a P-3 sub patrol pilot in the Navy, told me.

An old Master Chief once said to him, an O-3, "I've flushed more saltwater down the crapper than you've flown over...."

I've got more time over the outer marker than you have total time. Add that one as well.

 

[mastermags]

I personally loved flight instructing.... but to me a full time flight instructing gig was a means to an end to build time and experience. Despite what some may say, flight instructing is dangerous by nature and if you do it long enough full time, something is going to happen... it may not be fatal injury, but it could be a violation, a student violation, an accident or incident. The compensation just isn't justified to me for a job with so much liability.

That being said I do keep my certificates current with the hope of maybe instructing family or friends at some point. There are always FR's and IPC's to give as well.

 

[rframe]

http://oddballpilot.com/2012/06/interview-evelyn-johnson-flight-instructor/

She was a career instructor until age 92 with over 57,000 hours.... works for some people!