Airline Pilot Central Forums - Interesting: Drop out rate v. active CFIs

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Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyHigh (Post 962800)

The results are that the active hobby pilot is disappearing.

I agree with a lot of what you said...but disagree here. We share a building with a busy flight school (no foreign contract work) and they're hiring instructors because their flying is picking up. From talking to their instructors, staff, and students, the majority of their flying is personal or small company related.

I do absolutely agree that the income needed to pursue flying as a career has risen - most of their students are upper middle class or higher, many small business owners. Fortunately with us being in a large city, it's not a huge problem. But it's a death kneel to a lot of smaller schools, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbortAbortAbort (Post 962981)

There small areas where hobby flying is still doing well but overall it is clearly on the way out as we know it.

Skyhigh

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyHigh (Post 962800)

In the past it was possible for the middle class to afford to fly for fun. Today whenever someone considers flying as a hobby they quickly come to the conclusion that they can only afford to do it as a professional.

Pilot mills across the country are more than willing to feed the myth and provide expensive training to legions of pilots who then quickly realize that they can not afford to work as a pilot either and quit flying altogether.

The results are that the active hobby pilot is disappearing. Flight instructors need a robust hobby group to provide training as safety pilots, provide BFR's and the like. Now that hobby pilots are fading away so goes the CFI market. Most new CFI's never see their first job.

Interestingly enough, the article posted does not agree with your opinion, nor does the research they mention. According to the article's research, it is not money that is the driving factor behind drop-out rates, rather it is the quality of education, or lack thereof, recieved by those paying for instruction.

From the AOPA article:

Quote:

The research also made the important distinction that cost was not a statistically significant reason people drop out of training. While cost is a factor, Benson found that value, and a student’s perception of a school’s ability to be fair and honest, were more important. Student pilots are more concerned about getting good value with the money they spend than about the actual dollars and cents amount. They want to know that the flight school and instructors put the students’ interests first and look for ways to minimize cost and maximize the effectiveness of every dollar spent. Factors like flight simulators and well-maintained aircraft that are available to fit the student’s schedule affect this perception.

What I took away from that article is that instructors, who are simply instructing to build time with little to no interest in their students, are more likely the reason students drop-out as opposed to just the cost.

Quote:

In addition in the past once a pilot made it to a regional or major they eagerly let their CFI lapse into history. Why would you need that thing again once you have made it to the big time? Today no one feels all that secure in the profession anymore. Pilots tend to hold on the the CFI.

Some may agree with you here, however I do not. I renew my CFI for two main reasons, the first being that I worked hard to earn the certificate and feel like it would be a waste to just let it expire. The second reason, is that I did enjoy instructing and would like to continue instructing later on.

Quote:

I would advise against getting the CFI and spend the money buying the time elsewhere.

Skyhigh

I agree. If you do not want to instruct, or do not like the idea of instructing, getting the CFI solely to build time is a waste of your time and money, as well as a disservice to your future students and the GA community as a whole.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hockeypilot44 (Post 962746)

I still have a current CFI, and I fly for a major airline. I have not instructed in the last 8 years and I have no intention of ever instructing again. I keep it current though because I paid the money to do the American Flyers renewal program for life. It's very easy to keep it current.

+1. AF makes it very cheap and easy to be an "active" CFI. Alot of these types, myself included, have no intention of ever instructing again.