Why flight instructors make less than burger flippers

Mavmb

Mavmb

Well-Known Member
I've talked with CFIs at a few flight schools, and I realize now why flight instructors only make 10 to 20 grand a year. It's because they work for free! It's the way the system is set up.

Everybody wants to be a pilot. However, the only way to be a pilot is to build hours. How do you get the hours? You flight instruct! And you'll do it for free because you know (or hope) once you get the hours you will be employable.

Now the flight instructor that has hours wants to be paid. After all, he/she puts his/her entire career at stake everytime he/she signs a student off to solo, every time he flies with a student since a student busts airpace because they don't know better, and every time he/she risks death and dismemberment while teaching students how to land and communicate with controllers.

However, a flight school loves the fact that despite this experienced CFI, there's this new commercial pilot that will sit around the office all day and work for free -- simply because there's no other way to get the hours. It's just the way the system is set up.

When I get a new job I might as well tell all my students, don't worry that I'm leaving. Just find a new flight instructor without hours and he/she will probably even work for free, or work for at least less money than the 16 year old flipping burgers at McDonalds.
 
Damn right. I don't work for free, I let my students know that, and they appreciate that. CFIs who work for free don't deserve the certificate.
 
I'm a brand new CFI and wouldn't even consider flying as a required crewmember on a jet for free, much less flying around with a 0 time student in a 78 cessna. I do hang around the office all day for free (the instuctors sitting in the office usually gets the walk-in students). I'm not necessarily doing work....sure I'll answer the phone if the regular office manager isn't sitting there, but I'll definitely charge the going rate anytime I'm flying. Any reasonable student shouldn't have a problem with this. When I was a student, I'd have been highly suspcious of anyone offering to give away their instructional services for no charge.
 
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I do hang around the office all day for free

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Not I. Not long ago I picked up a part-time job as a CFI just for some extra cash. They wanted me to sit around the airport, on weekends, and talk to potential students while the other instructors were out flying. No pay for this, of course. In addition, they called me one afternoon while I was away on a trip and asked if I'd like to come to an "airplane washing party" (again, no pay, just lunch).

When I returned, I promptly went in and re-assigned my students to other instructors. I told them that my other job was keeping me too busy to schedule anything in advance, and if they wanted me to even be available at all, it would have to be by appointment.

I'm sorry, but when they only pay me $15/hr. (they charge $45) to fly with two students, for about two hours a week each, there is NO WAY, that I am going to sit around on my days off from the other job and answer phones, much less wash airplanes. A-holes.
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Anyways, that makes two places I've instructed for now that were complete crap. I'm done with FBO's and flight schools. If for some reason, my current job were to tank, there's no way I'd go back to an FBO/flight school. I love the instructing itself, but I'm tired of dealing with them. I'm thinking about trying to get into a little freelance/specialty instructing on the side, but right now I'm a bit too busy.

[/rant]
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Out of curiosity, how many hours a yr do CFI's fly on average?
I know it would be random, but a ball park figure?

Cheers

Aussie
 
Instructed full-time for a little under a year while flying some photo/scenic flights, then got a gig flying a couple of Bonanzas around for some people while instructing part-time elsewhere.

Got the 135 SIC gig with a little luck, a little irony, some networking and my charming personality...
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I guess they were looking for someone local whom they could kinda "mold" and get to know and upgrade to PIC after 6-12 mos. Small flight dept., fly with the same guy all the time, and potential for jet time in the not too distant future maybe. So far its great, wouldn't mind flying just a little bit more and the pay isn't fantastic, but thats to be expected I suppose. I'm not a big fan of going the airline route, so I'm hoping to stick around here for awhile.
 
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However, a flight school loves the fact that despite this experienced CFI, there's this new commercial pilot that will sit around the office all day and work for free -- simply because there's no other way to get the hours. It's just the way the system is set up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Couple that with the number of people who complain on the forum that their CFI charges them for performing professional ground instruction and you'll have a clear picture of why CFI's make no money.

I know people that charge $95/hr for private golf instruction, but if someone charged that for flight instruction, people would lose their everloving minds.

Strange world we live in.
 
Great post; actually I was talking to a CFI from another flight school - you give them an enormous sum of $$$ (on the order of 40 - 50K, not sure), they make you a CFI,CFII,MEI and you work for them for no compensation whatsoever until you 'move on'.
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No friggin wonder most CFI jobs don't pay crap - some people will literally PAY money to instruct. Those people are the true 'timebuilders' and I bet they provide a very poor level of instruction because there's no reason to do anything more.

And the irony of it is the people who chose to learn to fly at a place like that to save $$$ will only spend much more in the end because the instructor only cares about himself building hours. And by providing substandard instruction he actually will build more hours in the short term since his students will have to train longer (but he'll suffer the loss of repeat business, not that he'll care much).

I am lucky to be at a school where I can charge what I want and I keep what I charge. The downside is I have to find my own students which I have had NO luck with so far
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.... the sad truth is guys like me who want to do it right have a hard time competing with the a-holes who bring down this business.
 
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Out of curiosity, how many hours a yr do CFI's fly on average?

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Well for myself, probably about 1,000.
 
I am in my 14th month as a CFI, at a small time Part 61 FBO. My first month was about 15 hours. Rose steadily. This month is gonna top 100 hours! Getting my CFI-I last september has provided a GREAT return on investment. If you are a decent person, then critical mass develops after a half year or so (return students, referrals, word of mouth etc..).
 
I think that I'll probably look for a flight instructor job along with other things to build time and just deal with the crappy pay for a while
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. (I bet if I remind myself that it'll be worth later, I'll make it through the realities of instructing.)

At my home airport, there is a charter company (CMH Aviation) that flies Citation IIs and King Air 100s. I'm hoping that I may be able to fly for them to build turbine time down the road...(Can anyone tell me what the average requirements are to fly for small charters?)

Thanks
 
Here's what it takes to log PIC for a 135 op (BARE minimums):


FAA FAR 135.243c Operating Requirements
No certificate holders may not use a person, nor may any person serve, as pilot in command of an aircraft under IFR unless that person--

(1) Holds at least a commercial pilot certificate with appropriate category and class ratings and, if required, an appropriate type rating for that aircraft; and

(2) Has had at least 1,200 hours of flight time as a pilot, including 500 hours of cross-country flight time, 100 hours of night flight time, and 75 hours of actual or simulated instrument time at least 50 hours of which were in actual flight; and

(3) For an airplane, holds an instrument rating or an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane category rating; or

(4) For a helicopter, holds a helicopter instrument rating, or an airline transport pilot certificate with a category and class rating for that aircraft, not limited to VFR.

To be SIC, time varies - I've seen people get picked up here anywhere from 600-800 hours with 50-100 hours multi...

J.
 
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