Emergency

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I couldn't find it the forums. How much are CFI's getting paid? I would like to know
State
Average hours flown in a month
hourly rate
Type of operation

QRH Bingo

This is a fairly broad request. Providing a more specific location or prospective region will likely yield better results to help you compare.

tm602

I am an independent, well experienced CFII MEI doing only PT and I charge $75/hr cash. If the PUI is late, they still pay. I give them my all, every minute we are scheduled, and expect the same from them. I don't charge for my time on the lunch break for a XC or anything like that, as long as they don't lollygag. But if they are making phone calls, wasting time making a video or whatever....I'm waiting on them, its my time, so I charge. Some go elsewhere, but I find that the ones that stay with me are serious flyers and don't seem to mind it.
I also know a cpl who charge close to $100 an hour but they are strictly flying with the doctor, lawyer, Indian chief types.

Emergency

The question was worded that way because I wanted to a broad response.

Emergency

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

QRH Bingo

Understood, but what is your goal with the information?

Are you a CFI looking to see what you can charge as an independent instructor? Or working on your certificate and wondering what you may expect to be paid working for a flight school? Or are you a flight school owner looking to see what the market is like to attract CFI's?

The answer to these questions will vary widely based on region and local cost of living. I know CFI's who make $20 working for a large "pilot-mill" academy, $50 working for a small, independent flight school in an area with high cost of living. I also have a friend who is an experienced independent CFI providing advanced, High-Performance instruction for flight reviews, IPCs, and new airplane owners charging well over $100 with no shortage of clients.

If one reason for the overly broad question is to keep some anonymity, I can also understand that and I wish you luck in your research.

12oclockHi

You ask and then (sort of) answer the question. How about CFI's nationwide, reviewing, learning and keeping abreast of the industry wanting to know if they are being fairly compensated verses their peers? Nothing helps keep T&C's down than people insisting on keep secrets about how and were they are paid. IMHO, CFI pay is woefully inadequate and not even keeping up with recent inflation. If CFI's favored better paying operators than the laggards will have to follow suit. It won't happen in a vacuum. The information needs to get out there.

QRH Bingo

You criticize my response yet do not contribute anything useful to the conversation yourself (well, almost. I'll address that later). How was I keeping information in a vacuum when I provided 3 real world examples of just how wide a range pay can be for a CFI. Being a CFI is not like an airline where you are all evenly compensated within the company based on seniority and aircraft type regardless of where one chooses to live. A pilot living in downtown San Francisco is making the same as his counterpart living in rural Mississippi, yet their disposable income and standard of living will be vastly different.

Flight Instruction is still regional in nature and compensation is based on several factors; mainly location and the market forces known as supply & demand. It appears you are an older individual (based on previous postings) and likely have some life experience, so this shouldn't be new. It also appears you are a CFI so can you please provide your location and pay rate to help out the OP?

You did, however, hit the nail on the head that CFI's need to pursue the higher paying jobs while ignoring those lower paying ones. That is the only way to increase wages. But pilots can be our own worst enemy by lining up out the door for those crappy jobs just to get "experience" because of desperation to get those hours. Employers got away with this for many years which has finally seen improvements in favor of pilots. CFI pay has increased over the past few years and likely could see more increases. But $40-$50/hr for an average, new CFI is not "woefully inadequate" by any means. But again, YMMV based on location and if one does not like their pay - seek employment elsewhere.

hindsight2020

This is largely why I opted to go full-time with the military. As a career flight instructor in the DoD, this was the only avenue available to me to afford to fly for a living while retaining the homesteading-friendly schedule I desired. The civil sector simply did not value flight training to the same degree. That continues to be a challenge as I approach my retirement from the military, which isn't enough for me to retire on. (bit of a bait and switch from the brochure, too much of my total pay is excluded from the calculation of benefit).

I do find the market research on these civilian opportunities rather opaque, and I say that as someone who cut his teeth in part 61 before ever setting foot in a military airplane. I'm also a light piston owner, so it's not like I'm ignorant of the civilian GA and/or labor market, like military members are often lampooned as being. Your point about regional pay variances is noted, I still consider the sector information rather opaque.

QRH Bingo

I agree, and it is my opinion it will remain that way for quite some time. Reasoning being because flight schools are local in nature (with the exception being ATP) and pay remains in control of each individual flight school based on their location and market forces. Adding that pay rates are not typically shared on their website for all to see. Which goes back to my initial response that it is near impossible to just blast out a question expecting to get an answer from every corner of the country. If one was attempting to gauge potential pay, for whatever the reason, including a location would help narrow down the results. My point being, if I were researching pay in FL why would I care about someone posting pay in WA as that does little to help me?

As for your situation, it seems you have plenty of experience to demand top dollar as an independent instructor but, of course, that comes with its own challenges of building up clientele. And I wish you the best of luck in your semi-retirement venture.