Flight Instructors - how many hours a month do you average?

[Superpilot]

I'm posting this here instead of 'Flight Instructors and Examiners' because I don't wish to be shot down by certain people who despise airline wannabe's.

This is a question for Flight Instructors who are airline wannabe. How many hours are you averaging a month during the winter and summer months. What's your TT for last year?

My reason for asking is because I'm doing a comparision between earning a living as a FI and earning a living in another field. Part of this includes weighing up the hours gained as a FI compared with the hours I could build by paying for them.

Thanks

[timzsta]

I been instructing part time at weekends for a year exactly this weekend.
Monthly totals:
May 06 : 13.5
Jun 06 : 27.7
July 06 : 12.6
Aug 06 : 12.6
Sep 06 : 14.9
Oct 06 : 15.1
Nov 06 : 15.3
Dec 06 : 9.3

Jan 07 : 16.7
Feb 07 : 12.8
Mar 07 : 21.5
Apr 07 : 20.0

In amongst that there about 10hrs that wasn't FI - ie multi/IR renewal, removal of No Night restriction and some social flying.

Hope that helps

[VFE]

You will find varying answers to this question Superpilot because many airline wannabe instructors do not work full-time at it for money reasons or because they cannot secure FT work. 60 hours a month is very good as a yearly average and remember that 100/ month is your legal limit on a CPL.

I know it was not part of your question but I would advocate working as an instructor over paying for hours anyday - the reasons for this are many fold if you'd like to hear them? The anomosity displayed in some quarters towards hour building instructors over on our dedicated forum does not accurately represent the overall concensus. In reality few CFI's loathe the airline wannabe.

[Mungo Man]

Great I knew my complex excell logbook would come in handy one day!

2006
Feb 39
Mar 47
Apr 80
May 73
Jun 58
Jul 84
Aug 88
Sep 90
Oct 53
Nov 55
Dec 36

Total 703 hrs

2007
Jan Jet type rating...

You can't seriously consider hour building 700 hrs in 12 months!! That would cost at least £42,000 and you would get so bored, unless you flew to the moon or something. Yes you could get a type rating for that, but don't forget the FI rating only costs £6K and many FIs end up getting prop / jet jobs within 12 months with no need to pay upfront for type ratings.

[bluelearjetdriver]

I was instructing part time (3 days a week) and averaged about 30 hours per month (much more in the summer and a lot less in the winter).

In response to Mungo Man's observation that Instructors do not need to pay for type ratings...it is true!!! Every instructor that I know who has got an airline gig (myself included), bar one and he didn't need too (long story), did not have to pay for a type rating. It just demonstrates that if you have a bit of patience and a long term strategy it will work out.

Oh and before I forget ALL of these people (again myself included) were well into their 30's (in fact two of them were in their 50's) when they got there first gig.

Instructing was some of the best fun I have ever had. Enjoy it!!!

[Mintflavour]

Part time FI one day a week
Summer time upto 6.5 hours/day
winter 2 or 3 hours/month. (some times it just keeps raining on a saturday)
Average good day 4 hours.

Now in CTC ATP Hold pool, so hopefully wont have to pay for own TR.
FIing certainly gives plenty to talk about during interviews,

Love instructing and will be reluctant to stop, definately worthwhile.

all the best

[portsharbourflyer]

Mintflavour,
By all means congratulations on getting through the CTC ACQ, you have to do whatever is necessary to get on in this industry. But the CTC scheme is open to low hour pilots, as although you won't be paying for a rating you have paid for an additional ACQ course on top the FI rating, the fact remains you could have gone to CTC without the instructional experience.
Don't get me wrong, any route that gets you a job cannot be dismissed.
But posting on a site about that is discussing the benefits of instructing and then saying you got a job through CTC is showing you passed CTC ACQ scheme and has little to do with hours gained through instructional activity.
Many would still consider opting for CTC akin (albeit to a lesser extent) to a SSTR and CTC scheme is generally viewed as an alternative to instructing.

[CAT3C AUTOLAND]

Whilst full time instructing in the winter I would average about 15 - 25 hours per month. The summer was about 40 - 60 hours per month. I think my best month ever was 70 hours. It was the month I broke £1000 take home, god I was pleased that month, I even had some pocket money for a beer or 2 :ok:.

[Craggenmore]

Whilst full time instructing in the winter I would average about 15 - 25 hours per month. The summer was about 40 - 60 hours per month. I think my best month ever was 70 hours. It was the month I broke £1000 take home, god I was pleased that month, I even had some pocket money for a beer or 2 .

I remember those days fondly and the poor pay not so fondly but the above was exectly the hours I used to get as a full-time FI in the SW corner of the LHR TMA.

Its a bit different these days :ok:

[Mungo Man]

If it helps or is of interest, as an FI last year in the UK working the hours as per my previous post I took home after tax more than £1000 just 3 times out of 12 pay cheques. Total gross pay for the years 700 odd hours was £12,100 taxed... miss the flying but not the pay! I'd still thoroughly recomend it!