What is the cheapest and cheapest path to obtaining my CFI cerrtificate from ground zero?

skypilot6 said:
I don't live anywhere near that area so I cannot help you out there. Not sure where you are finding 70K for flight instructing, That salary would make you one of the highest paid flight instructors in the country. 25-35K is much more realistic.
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I see what he's looking at. That's weird. Wonder if it's pulling in airline or military jobs for that average.
 
Chris Yohn said:
I live in the Hampton, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Chesapeake, Suffolk area of Virginia, I see private airports and big commercial airports just about daily. I live within a 3 mile radius of Langley Air Force base. Also I noticed that the salary of CFI's around here range from 70k in the lower 10% to 114k in the upper 10% in this general area, could this be a good sign for an active area?

My goal as a CFI is help others become pilots if they so desire. I like teaching and passing on what has been taught to me. I suppose being able to achieve that goal and make a decent income at the same time would give me a level of satisfaction, what are your thoughts?
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You are in a busy area, with relatively fair weather year round. The snow/ ice time of year may slow you down a little though. Those numbers do seem kind of high, probably $25/hr is the average CFI wage. So, if you put in 40 hours a week for 50 weeks = 2,000 hours = $50,000. Billing 40 hours a week as a CFI is not realistic, unless you work for a college with busy flight department that fills your schedule for you. If you teach in a specialty that offers more (Cirrus or other type specific for example) then you might earn more but then the popularity of your niche may also hinder filling your schedule. For example, my niche as a CFI was tailwheel, aerobatics and spins. 300-400 hours a year was the norm. It was a ton of fun, and the connections I made during that time are priceless, but I wasn't raking in millions while doing it.

Flight instructing is great experience, meet people from all walks of life, first exposure to the crew environment, and for me I was always flying unique and fun airplanes. Most people use flight instructing as a stepping stone to move on to other opportunities, and there is a reason for it. I'd highly encourage everyone to do it, but think really carefully about making a career change.
 
CFI A&P said:
Most people use flight instructing as a stepping stone to move on to other opportunities, and there is a reason for it.
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Oddly enough, most of the CFI's I know around here are either part-timers (like me), or career instructors. It is a good retirement gig -- a reason to get out of the house, or a way to fly without getting burned out doing it every day. (The part timers tend to be in niches like me - tailwheel, glider, or expensive planes that rich folks own).
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Oddly enough, most of the CFI's I know around here are either part-timers (like me), or career instructors. It is a good retirement gig -- a reason to get out of the house, or a way to fly without getting burned out doing it every day. (The part timers tend to be in niches like me - tailwheel, glider, or expensive planes that rich folks own).
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I certainly agree, there are ways to make it work. Especially P/T or niche, however it would have to be the correct situation to switch careers to do it. Not including the undercutting or doing it for free just to get time people, as that is a completely separate situation.


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I went to Shebles they had a CFI program in Kingman AZ. It was cheap and fast and very poor training. It also resulted in my one and only checkride failure.

Get what ya pay for...


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LOVE the name of this thread..."the cheapest AND cheapest path"!
Well, at least we know it's all about money....
 
Its amazing how pilots (students or not) think these days. Its all about cheap, cheap and cheap. Apparently money are beyond lives!!
 
dustoff17 said:
LOVE the name of this thread..."the cheapest AND cheapest path"!
Well, at least we know it's all about money....
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That was a typo, I want the best quality for the best deal possible. Who wouldn't, right? On another note, the title was supposed to read "cheapest and fastest path." Either way you look at it, it was poor wording on my part, I apologize.
 
Perhaps I could look outside the realm of flight instructing with something like flight tours and flight instructing. Tons of opportunity for that around here. I'd have to look at something a little bigger than a cessna 150, maybe a cessna c172 or some type of piper single prop.

Could this be a possible option?
 
Chris Yohn said:
Perhaps I could look outside the realm of flight instructing with something like flight tours and flight instructing. Tons of opportunity for that around here. I'd have to look at something a little bigger than a cessna 150, maybe a cessna c172 or some type of piper single prop.

Could this be a possible option?
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Possible, but nearly anything involving passengers, that isn't flight instruction, is fairly regulated in the world of airplanes. In addition to the pilot certification itself, the operation itself needs authorization from the FAA. For tours within 25 miles of the airport, you need an LOA from the FAA and a drug testing program, but insurance will be expensive. You are also essentially competing with FBOs that do intro instruction flights in the same types of airplanes for about $100, so the odds of making money are not really good.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
The less expensive options can also be the safer ones in flight training. I mean, simulator accidents are fairly rare...
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While I suspect you're joking (or just an intoxicated canine), the problem with that is eventually you step out of the sim and into a real airplane, taking what you've learned (or failed to learn) with you...
 
My advice is to go down to your local airport, start taking lessons and show an interest in the aviation community. You would be surprised at the amount of help available if you get involved and come off as a good person that wants to learn. Aviation is tight knit community and they take care of their own in a lot of ways. I have found myself in some really cool places with really cool airplanes because someone wanted to pass on the knowledge they have obtained. Like others have said, join your local EAA chapter or commemorative air force and get to know people. While the zero to hero flight schools are great for getting things done quickly, I think with a little bit of hard work and luck, doing it local can save you money and provide some really good experiences you won't get elsewhere. Just my $.02
 
Toobdrvr said:
While I suspect you're joking (or just an intoxicated canine), the problem with that is eventually you step out of the sim and into a real airplane, taking what you've learned (or failed to learn) with you...
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Just and example. But learning to fly in a C-152 for $85/hour isn't any less safe than learning in a G1000 C-182 for $250/hour.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Possible, but nearly anything involving passengers, that isn't flight instruction, is fairly regulated in the world of airplanes. In addition to the pilot certification itself, the operation itself needs authorization from the FAA. For tours within 25 miles of the airport, you need an LOA from the FAA and a drug testing program, but insurance will be expensive. You are also essentially competing with FBOs that do intro instruction flights in the same types of airplanes for about $100, so the odds of making money are not really good.
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Sorry for so many different questions, I just want to know what my options are and have a clear view of exactly what i'm doing.

What are your thoughts on the ATP Flight School Airline Career Pilot program? It says it's full immersions and you can be graduated in 180 days and be hired as a flight instructor for them at $42,000 annually, 180 days is something i have enough saved up to handle. It's quite expensive, but is it worth it? I want to fly, but at the same time being as young as I am, I need a career for the next 30 years.

Thank you for all of your replies, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.
 
Dallen said:
My advice is to go down to your local airport, start taking lessons and show an interest in the aviation community. You would be surprised at the amount of help available if you get involved and come off as a good person that wants to learn. Aviation is tight knit community and they take care of their own in a lot of ways. I have found myself in some really cool places with really cool airplanes because someone wanted to pass on the knowledge they have obtained. Like others have said, join your local EAA chapter or commemorative air force and get to know people. While the zero to hero flight schools are great for getting things done quickly, I think with a little bit of hard work and luck, doing it local can save you money and provide some really good experiences you won't get elsewhere. Just my $.02
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I'm off tomorrow! I will make a trip over there tomorrow! Should I call first?
 
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