This instructor shortage was discussed at a meeting at my club last night. Some are of the opinion that with PPL/FI it is all about to go away in a year or so. Others are not. Some said Instructor wages need to go up, others were against it.
There seems to be this misnoma that hundreds of PPL's are just going to be able to become FI's overnight and the whole thing will go away. There are a number of issues that are going to prevent experienced PPL's becoming an FI.
Please correct me if I am wrong on any of the following:
1. Medical. They are going to have to go and do a Class 1 at Gatwick. Some will find they cannot hold a class 1.
2. Financial. I should think you are at present looking at, including test fees and rating issue about £5500 to complete an FI course. That is if you complete in the minimum hours. With the credit crunch at the moment that money maybe hard to come accross for some. On top of this is going to be the cost of getting above mentioned Class 1.
3. Time. A full time six day a week FI course given weather etc is likely to last a month I would say. How many people can afford to take a month of work? Let us suppose they choose the part time route. Maybe four or five months worth of weekends down at an FTO (which may not be local) doing the course. If your in your forties/fifties with family and social commitments is this feasable?
4. Knowledge standard. As part of the FI test there is a two hour oral examination covering a variety of subjects. And the standard required is high. The PoF knowledge level has to be up there at ATPL standard. Some of these PPL's will never have had to do a Performance Exam or Weight and Balance, all of which they will need to study for. And they will not have had the benefit of recently having undertaken ATPL written exams to fall back on. FIE's are not going to give these guys an easier ride then those who have gone down the CPL/IR route.
As one of our old school BCPL instructors said last night "in the old days it was easy to become and Instructor, it is a lot different now".
People in my eyes seem to think Instructing is easy. But there is a big difference bit Instructing and social flying. An 800 hour PPL has probably spent 700 hours of that time flying straight and level. A 800 hour total time FI has probably spent less than 200 hours flying straight and level and that is the big difference.