Becoming a Flight Instructor

[Bennycookie]

Hello, my name is Ben Cooke i am 18 years old and i am currently completing my PPL(A). I wish to become a flight instructor mainly for the purpose of hour building and the fun of teaching people to fly, but getting paid for it would also be great.

I know that you can become a flight instructor with a PPL but you cannot get paid for it. What is the rule for getting paid. must you have a CPL licence or do you only need the ATPL theory.

What could the average instructor be expecting to earn per hour?

If you could answer my question i would greatly appriciate it
Thank you
Ben Cooke

[metar]

Hi Ben

You can add an FI rating to your PPL but you couldn't then charge anything for your services. I've never met anyone who hasn't done their CPL first (remember 150 hours needed for that) and full ATPL passes before you can do that.

In terms of pay... this is a long debate. I earn £20 for showing up and £22 per hour of flight (or supervising solo students whilst they are in flight and i'm drinking coffee). That is unusually high though. I reckon about £18 is average, with some schools paying peanuts. Also remember it's very seasonal. Lots of hours in the summer and few in the winter.

I love it, it IS great for hours building (I've done about 600 in nine months), you learn a lot about aeroplanes, people and yourself.

Anything else don't hesitate to message me.

METAR
It's all about the now!

[HS125]

I used to get paid £10 per flight hour (AFI) and £15 (QFI) That was some years ago and I know its gone up since although not by much. I also knew of one place paying half that!

Some places do pay a lot better especially the commercial outfits, persoanlly I looked on it as experience and it amounted to free flying when you did the sums.

I agree you definitely learn a lot, its great fun and very satistfying too.

[Whopity]

You need the CPL exams to instruct not the ATPL exams! There are quite a number of FIs operating on PPLs! However, if you are going to go that far you may as well get a CPL and have the privilege of earning £10 a flying hour! on average.

[xrayalpha]

Hi,

Another option is to get a microlight licence, and after a 100 hrs PIC get a microlight instructor's rating.

Then you can fly - and get paid! - as you study for your alhabet spaghetti.

At Strathaven in Scotland - near Glasgow Nautical College where you can do your commercial ground school! - we pay 30 per flying hour.

But we are very high payers. Typical microlight instruction is about 15 (AFI) to 25 (QFI) per hour - although especially as an AFI you might be offered a fiver if you are lucky.

The capital investment is small - three grand for course and rating - and the time is about a month.

It is an option that is never mentioned in all the magazines, but when you look at modern three-axis microlights - such as the C42 Ikarus we fly - they are great.

Mind you, flexwings like XrayAlpha are fabulous!

Very best with your career

[bogbeagle]

Great, the instructional community can always use another hours builder.

bogbeagle

[Dude~]

I wish to become a flight instructor mainly for... the fun of teaching people to fly...


Good on you Ben, but don't expect it to all be fun. You may have to fly poorly equipped aircraft in all weather with people who have little or no apptitude for flying. You will turn up for work to find student doesn't 'feel' like flying so you don't earn, or the weather prevents you from flying for days on end so you don't earn anything.

On the other hand, it can be great fun, certainly makes you a much better pilot, and you meet some nice people. I guess I'm saying don't go into it expecting it to be anything like it is when you self fly as a PPL.

Just to clarify: you need the CPL theory to become a FI.
but if you want to earn money you also need the CPL licence.