Advice Please?

[mumraaa]

Hi,

I really want to be a flying instructor. I'm already a qualified Sailing/Windsurfing/Skiing/Swimming instructor and have taught these sports for most of my life until now. I passed my PPL last September and am desperately trying to get enough hours in order to take my CPL so that I can then get my FI rating.

Currently, I am working in IT (which I hate), in order to fund my flying. Several years back I signed up for a degree (mature student) in IT Business Information Systems, purely for the purpose of getting a job so that I could afford to fulfil a childhood ambition of learning to fly.

I have very clearly defined goals. I dont want to be an airline pilot, I want to teach people to fly. Teaching is something I love and am good at. Plus what better vocation than to help others achieve similar ambitions while fulfilling my own.

However, my problem is this:

1. Working in an office is driving me crazy. I hate it and it is starting to change my character.
2. Whilst my salary does keep me flying, I do need to rely on friends to come up with me and share the cost. I cant really afford to go up on my own. This presents a problem with practicising handling manouvres such as stalls, and engine failure, EFATOS etc etc etc. My passengers wouldnt really like to be in the plane during these exercises and the PA28 is not suitably balanced for stalling with rear passengers.

With 57 hours on the clock now, I have a long way to go before I can take my CPL. On my current salary I think this will take about 2-3 years, if I live on nodelle cuisine (noodles on toast).

Questions:

1. Are there any other routes into this profession? I understand I could be a FI without a CPL but will not be able to earn. This doesnt bother me as money isnt a motivator for me other than to help me fly.

2. Are there any schools or companies who would employ someone in return for hours flying. (I have some very valuable IT skills, and I am an excellent potential instructor with thousands of hours teaching sailing etc)!

Damn, my time has run out and I need to catch the train to Staines for a miserable day at Mordor. Any, advice would be most welcomed.

cheers

[Doghouse]

1. You can gain an FI rating without a CPL but you must have the CPL theory credits (ie do the commercial written exams). To sit these exams there is a minimum hours requirement - those familiar with the JAR system will tell you what it is (I think 150 hours)

2. Many schools take on people to do add-hoc tasks in exchange for flying hours. Just ask around your local area. I take on people to clean the planes, man the desks, sort out our computers, do building work, etc. I would suggest that you are unlikely to get much work at a flying club in IT - it seems that just about every other student is an IT consultant of some kind or other and all of them are willing to exchange their skills for flying. Be prepared to do something more hands-on and you will definitely find something.

3. I have strong views about instructors working without a full CPL. It means you can't be paid for instructing. As you've seen on this site, an instructor working without pay has a tendancy to deflate instructor pay as a whole. Even though I now run a flying club and any cost reduction is well received, I do not like the idea of instructor pay being part of that. Just a personal view - but I think others share it.

4. Instructing is a rewarding career. People will moan about how poor the pay is - indeed it is very low as a PPL instructor, but the pay can become reasonable once you progress, eg CFI, commercial instructing, etc. Don't ever expect to retire a rich man but with a career plan you can survive (just!).

5. Do not see instructing as the fun-packed, thrill-laden escape from normal work. On a bad winter's month (ask any of the people here about december), there can be few more depressing times; a bad batch of students can drive you to despair (and if you think your character is being changed by being in an office, wait until you have the fourth middle-aged know-it-all of the day and you may very well see a new side to your character); and at times even flying in the ciruit for the sixth hour that day can be a little testing.

I think instructing and GA flying is a wonderful way of life and would recommend it to anyone. Just keep in mind that it is a job and like all jobs has its bad moments - and those moments can taste very bitter if you've only taken home £200 in the month for the pleasure.

Good luck with your career and hour building.

[Noggin]

Good advice.

Its interesting to note that you can probably earn more per hour using your existing teaching skills than you ever will, teaching flying. You seem to have the bug; that will drive you on. You will need to diversify and have a day job as long as possible, only move into fulltime instructing when you can afford it.

You will need CPL knowledge and it makes little sense to go that far and not complete the CPL qualification especially if you wish to make it a career. If you just belong to an "aeroclub" and only want to suplement your flying with a little instruction then the PPL route is OK but there are few true aeroclubs these days.

from 57 hours to FI(R) will cost £20K - 25K. There are many like you who only want to instruct; having qualified, and made a large investment, the attraction of an airline job eventually wins unless you are too old!

Remember for every time you look up, wishing you were up there rather than being down here; when you fly professionally, there will be far more times when you are up there wishing you were down here!

Flying is great when you control when you do it! When others control it, it can be a bit like IT except you probably don't do your IT at 0200 in the morning on the backside of a cold airfield.