How do I get my FI rating without thousands of pounds of debt?
32 years old and I'm a few weeks away from obtaining my PPL. Started my lessons in April and as someone who has always been plane mad I'm a pig in ****.
I'm in a very fortunate position that my business does well enough that I could moonlight instructing at the club without much worry about what I make when I do it if I'm only instructing 1 to 2 days a week.
From what I can see my club has a good number of students on their books and the number is increasing, so I'm sure if I continue to work hard and apply myself I could ask for a job instructing there at some point down the line.
There's just one minor issue - and that's the cost to get my FI rating. Having just dropped about £10k on getting my PPL I'm in no rush to spend a similar amount of money to get the FI rating!
So I wondered if there are any strategies that I could employ to build up to my FI rating without suffering the full cost? For example, has a club ever "sponsored" a PPL holder to get their FI on the agreement that the person being sponsored would then work for the club?
Any other thoughts or feedback welcomed. I totally understand that I must walk before I can run and that this process might take years. However long it takes I'm very keen to gain more knowledge and at the right time in the future have the opportunity to pass that knowledge of flying on to new pilots.