Advice from Flight Instructors wanted!!!
 

I'm new to the flight instructing world and am wondering how many hours you guys/gals typically log per month. I just started in January (and I know the season is still early for us on the East Coast) and I've logged only 60 hours. I'm on pace for 35 hours this month (and yes I do work full time). The flight school is a little on the smaller size and is not associated with a FBO. We have 4 airplanes (two of which have G1000 cockpits and don't fly as much) and 3 full time instructors. When summer hits, we will have 4 or 5 full time instructors plus renters and the same amount of aircraft. I'm considering looking for another job as I'm not a salaried employee and really need to be flying more to pay the bills. Any advice will help. Thanks!

Considering where you are in the country, I'd say you're doing well. The east coast had a pretty nasty winter. I'm in the same boat. Started in February, have a larger school than you, about 20 aircraft and 12 instructors. February I logged just under 40 hours. The weather was bad here in March and I only logged 25. This month I'm already over 50.

For myself and many of my friends, a slow start seemed to be the case. Now that I've built a reputation around there I'm starting to pick up students from the more experienced instructors because they don't have the availability I have. I pick up a few extra hours a week with those, and I'm on the ground more often when prospective customers come in I show them around. This has worked well for me and as summer approaches I think it will get pretty busy. I've timed out a couple times so far in April and I have the potential to do it again Saturday and Sunday.

I have a second job working third shift at a local FBO on the weekends. I've been there four years and decided to keep it after getting my CFI because it makes the difference when I have a lean month like March. Now, it's just going into savings so I don't have to live like a broke first-year FO in a couple years. The pay is ok, I get to play with airplanes and most important, NETWORKING!!!

The G-1000 is pretty cool isn't it? Do yours have a GDL-69? If not you're missing out. Nexrad has saved my butt a couple times and the XM makes a long cross country almost tolerable :)

We do have the weather uplink in our airplanes as well. Unfortunately, I haven't been checked out in the G1000. The transition training for it has been more of a senority issue. I really don't have the money to pay for the check out myself, so I'm patiently waiting. So that pretty much leaves two planes available to me for instruction. This has become a problem on the weekends. There's a lot of competion for the standard "six packs". My goal is to fly at least 50 hours per month. I've been hoping for the day of timing out. Must be pretty exhausting! Thanks for the advice.

I am doing about 65 to 70 hours of dual given per month at the Flight School I work for. It is a University program with quite a few students though. It being in Utah some months can be worse than others because of weather. On a bad month I give 45 - 50 hours of dual. I had a rough go at it at first because I was at the bottom of a list of 60 instructors that instruct at my school. But once some of the top guys started to leave I picked up more and more students.

Florida
 

ATP gives you lots of hours, mostly multi.

SNAwannabe, can you please email me at {edit.....

I am in new england and average 20-40hrs a month and I flight instruct full time. Most ever in one month 60hrs least ever 8hrs (very cold and snowy month). Made for great skiing and hiking though:)

You'll have to get 25 posts to be able to p.m. anyone.

Flightle
 

What do you want to know about ATP, I instruct there. And SNAwannabe, what is your story? Did you used to be a SNA?

CTD57,

Yeah, you figure after seeing all your posts on ATP that I would figure you work there! Haha. I didn't, but it's good to know now that I am considering instructing at Embry-Riddle in Daytona or at ATP once I get the appropriate ratings.

The only thing that scares me about ATP is that the pay, per the quoted figure, is very low (~1000 month, plus first time GO pay). Good Good multi-time though from what you said. Do they hire part time instructors or just full-time? I know that Embry-Riddle has a pilots' union and starting pay appears to be just at 13.50 per hour. Multi-time isn't priority to the new guys I am sure but appears to be in reach after a little bit with the company.

Another question... Does ATP offer any kind of insurance/benefits ?

Thanks,

Forest