Horrible advice..Get the CFI..it will make you a better, more knowledgeable pilot. The time is definitely more valuable than being a jumper dumper. If you have trouble finding a job after you get the CFI, then you can look for a part time gig until you find a job teaching.

 

If a guy just wants to blow the money then go for it. Heck pick up a 737 type while you are at it. I always have had to get the most out of my flight training dollars. In my home town it could cost as much as 30K to get a CFI, IA and MEI.

Of course it does not hurt to get the training unless you are a broke pilot who needs to get a career off the ground and can not afford to blow a fortune on a dead end.

I say spend it where it brings the most career benefit. The world does not need another flight instructor. Currently there are around 90,000 current CFI's for less than 70,000 students (and dropping). In the 1970's there were around 200,00 students for less than 30,000 instructors.

For most the CFI is a dead end. A nice thing to have but a waste of money.

Skyhigh

 

I kind of see what you're saying..I don't what this guy's overall goal is, but for most, CFIing is a stepping stone to something else. Plus, having your CFI is something you can use the rest of your career (if you keep it renewed of course). It's definitely a valuable asset to have if you get furloughed somewhere down the road. Heck, you can even give some lessons on the side while you're making dirt at a regional.

As far as the 30k figure, that's a rip-off if people actuaslly pay that. The school I teach at, which I think is way overpriced, it's about 15-18k for their 141 program for all three ratings. I managed to do all three of mine over 2 years for under 6k at various places.

 

The CFI gig ins't what it use to be. 15-18K is still a lot to blow on a piece of unused plastic in the wallet. The money could be used to buy a nice Cessna 150 to build time in. There are other ways to put that money to use.

All I am saying is that things are changing. I don't think that pilots today should blindly blow a fortune on getting a CFI.

Skyhigh

 

Not so sure about that. A CPL with one thousand hours of recreational flying is simply not as competitive as someone with more ratings and some actual professional aviation work experience.

The 152 thing doesn't sound too expensive...at $35/hr operating cost that's "only" $35K. But wait, you still need 200-300+ hours ME time for most jobs...if you buy that we are talking another $40K.

If you have the cash it might make sense to do it quickly and get hired now instead of 2-3 years from now, but you will not be able to get a loan for that because it's not part of any school curriculum.

As a recreational pilot, you only had to balance Wx and Mx, and had the luxury of flying or not at your leisure. The CFI's had to balance the boss and the customer in that equation too. Airlines know this, and will hire accordingly...if they get desperate all you need is the hours, but when times are lean they will start looking at quality too.

Also most interviewers would have to wonder...in addition to never having "worked" as a pilot, such a (young) person must have some significant money. Depending on your other life and work experiences they might suspect you might not fit in well at an actual "job". This would probably not be an issue with an older career changer...they would assume he earned the money in question.

I think there is still CFI work to be had...

1. There are still jobs in some locals, if you are willing to travel.

2. You can always freelance if your local airport has any GA activity to speak of. Might be slow going at first, but persistence will pay off if you spend nights and weekends at the field. Besides new ratings, there is always currency and proficiency training.You could keep your day job too.

 

Sure, it would be best to get a CFI and then fly 1000 hours a year after that. The reality is that most who get a CFI will have a very hard time finding a job. Freelance is alright but it really does not crank out the hours.

I own a Cessna 150 and the hourly rate can be far less than $35 an hour. Back in my 20's My brother and I put 600 hours on a Cessna 150 that I owned and all I had to put into it was a few $250 annuals and a bunch of auto gas.

It sure beats sitting around waiting for your craigslist ad to bring in the stray student. Last summer I was hired to be a full time flight instructor at a local flight school that has been around for 30 years. This summer they are going out of business due to a lack of students. I never saw one new student come through the door.

During my time at the airlines my guess is that fewer than %40 off all the pilots I flew with ever had a CFI. It is not a necessity. I would not even try to get the rating unless I had a guaranteed good job upon completion.

There are other ways to gain flight time. 18K to buy the plane. $17.50 an hour for autofuel. Sell the plane after gaining 500 hours.... priceless

Skyhigh

 

I never got the CFI for mostly liability reasons. That's not discussed much, but such a relatively large investment (for a young guy/gal) in time / money has an even larger liability when your freshly signed off student pushes the power up on his newly purchased P51 Mustang and does an inverted torque roll into the ground (happened at the airport I worked at).

That guy was worth a lot of money. Hope the insurance covers your negligence.

 

Gaining multi-time is another hurdle. They want $300 an hour for the plane plus another $75 for the instructor at my home town airport. Not only is it difficult to get a job as an instructor but then you can grow old waiting in line for your chance to teach in the twin. Fewer overall students means a correlating drop in multi students as well.

Instructing is like a pyramid scheme. Only the few at the top will benefit. A better plan might be to spend the money on buying multi time someplace else like Keylime Air.

Pilots today need to build a new strategy for the changing future. Blindly getting the instructor ratings will do most no good at all and will result in a giant hole in your finances.

Skyhigh

 

Hopefully there is an LSA boom however LSA pilots require much less instructor time and most likely will not move on to get more ratings. I can not see how it will result in much of a blip on the down hill slide of new students.

Skyhigh

 

My local University associated flight School graduates probably 10 to 20 new CFI's every year and hires two or three of them. The rest are turned out into the great wide open world of unemployment. Most probably never even get their first job.

If your flight school will not promise you a job upon completion I would not do it. There is nothing wrong with waiting until the market gets better either. Save your money until there are students to train and jobs to be had. You might get a different opportunity in the mean time.

Skyhigh