Why did you choose to be a flight instructor?
“How can I build flying hours as a low time pilot?” is by far the most frequent question that gets asked when you get your shiny new CPL and your Multi-IFR.
After getting my CPL, I was faced with the decision of pushing on and getting my multi-engine IFR, which is very costly. I decided to put a hold on that and save my money and go for an instructor rating instead. I figured that I would build some flying hours and then pursue the Multi-IFR at some point in the near future.
My decision was purely financial as an instructor rating is slightly cheaper than getting Multi-IFR.
How long does it take?
The instructor rating training itself does not take long, but it is quite demanding. There is a written test at the end of the training as well as a flight test to pass in order to get your rating. The flight test is basically teaching a few selected lessons on the ground and then in the air to the flight examiner.
You will be teaching students of various backgrounds and you will now have a great legal responsibility & moral obligation to be your best self.
What did you learn from flight instructing?
I started flying as a Class 4 instructor in September of 2019. My first flight with a student felt extremely different than what I was used to as a student pilot.
As a student, I always looked at my instructor next to me as the all-knowing entity that would guide me through the difficult world of flying. Now I have become that all-knowing entity, even though I didn’t feel that way and I was feeling anxious of carrying that responsibility.
That realization shifted my perspective entirely and I fought the feeling of being overwhelmed and I just remembered my training. That first flight went above and beyond my expectations and I felt great about it.
Aviation brings out the ability in us to constantly surprise and challenge ourselves and grow from these experiences.
I learned more about flying as an instructor than I ever have in my life. In order to teach something you really have to know what you are talking about.
Do you fly all year round?
You can expect good flying between April to October in Southern Ontario. If you get hired by a busy school that has college/university programs then you can expect an average of 60 to 80 flying hours a month working full time. Sometimes it can go over that and sometimes it can go under that number. This is totally dependent on you, the amount of students you have, weather, and the availability of aircraft.
How is the salary?
As a fresh Class 4 instructor, the pay is not that great. But it gets better with time. During summer months, you can make average money. During winter months you will barely make any money. Many instructors have second and even third jobs to get by.
You are not salaried. You are paid hourly, and you only get paid when the engine starts and when you charge students ground time.
I’ve had to insruct on and off throughout the pandemic, and while I did work briefly before the pandemic started. I got to see how good it can be and also how bad it can be.
If you choose to stick it out with instructing, things do get better as you upgrade your instructor rating by going from Class 3 to Class 2 to Class 1. You do get raises in your hourly rate.
Technically speaking you are still paying to fly, its just in the form of reduced pay and un-paid tasks.
That is expected as the turn-over is quite high with instructing. Most aviators that choose to go this route end up doing this for a year or two before moving on to flying jobs. Its a great way to build hours and build confidence as well as network with others.
What is the best thing about being an instructor?
The best thing about instructing is that all the flying time you build is PIC time (Pilot-In-Command), which will prove to be beneficial later on in your journey as thats what will get you a Captain upgrade when you fly for airlines.
There are many career instructors that I’ve met that are happy to just instruct because they have a passion for it.
Aviation has a lot of moving parts and there is something for everyone. You just need to be patient and you need to work hard towards your goals.
Be safe, be vigilant, and its okay not to know everything right away. Its a journey not a race. And remember to apply more right rudder.