FI At Blackpool on Cabri G2
 

Hi all,

I'm a helicopter flight instructor and recently heard that HeliSpeed are looking for instructors at Blackpool offering £380 per day.

Can anyone confirm if that rate is accurate—and whether it’s considered competitive for instructing on the Cabri G2?

Appreciate any insight.

Thanks in advance.

Day rates for PPL instructing are very rare. Most SE UK schools pay £50-£55 per datcon hour. Less if you are a restricted FI.

Hence, nobody is becoming an instructor.

Seems very high to me. If it’s true there must be some kind of limit on days worked - 5 days a week is 100K pa!

But, surely if you are an FI(H) you know what market rates are?

No numbers here: https://www.helispeed.co.uk/helispeed-is-hiring/

in 25 years as far as I can see it’s gone from £40 to £50-£55, not very impressive really, and as you say nobody is becoming an instructor now.

basically flight schools are exploiting and not valuing instructors, it should be £300-£400 day rates and none of this nonsense about only getting paid when the engine starts.

currently an instructor gets about 10% of what the student pays the school for a lesson.

well i pay mine £ 300 a day,

Yep, "pay per datcon" just means instructors skip briefings and are only interested in getting the engine started

group seminars ? mmm. most students are well off and don't have the time/inclination to turn up for anything other than flying

Very few PPL students are "aspiring CPLs", but yes, those that are, are more "switched on" about learning and prepping

Anyway, I can't see FI wages increasing anytime soon, sadly. Industry is currently propped up by older "doing it for a hobby" instructors who don't need the money. This drives down wages for everyone else.

I haven't met many older FI's doing it as more of a hobby but I am sure they are out there but if FI's are to get paid what they deserve, the price of an hour in a R22 would have to be £600.