Originally Posted by
Raptor090
To sum up, make instructing a more lucrative career option
I would love that but how can it happen? I would love to see instructor wages higher and would love to see an uplift in the quality of teaching (including the quality teaching of instructors).
In an ideal world I would love to see schools where well trained, enthusiastic career instructors were given the time to work with students and while doing that to be recompensed well.
To pay instructors more and encourage it as a career path you need schools to make more money and for it to be a more secure business.
Flying school margins are very tight. Many have gone to the wall. Running a school is not a way to riches and security. Sadly.
Do we make students pay more? It would reduce the number of people entering the door and close off aviation to many of the young motivated, bright eyed and passionate who are exactly what we want in aviation leaving it just for the well heeled (or those with well heeled parents) to indulge in.
Do we reduce overheads and increase the ease of learning to fly by reducing school requirements? - simpler lower cost instructor ratings and lower training standards meaning higher throughput and succes rates? moving to simpler to fly, lower cost training aircraft? How will that increase the quality of pilots that get churned out?
Fuel costs, maintenance costs, site lease costs, movement costs, costs to meet compliance, insurance costs, aging aircraft and the gradual reduction in interest in learning to fly are all atrophying the GA training industry.
Without more people entering GA and lower operating costs how do we make that happen? Genuine question.
I don't have answers but without reduced costs/increased income and better industry, instructing will always be something you do because you love it or because you need to build hours, not because of the money or prestige.