Be a CFI in my old age?

Lowflynjack said:
I'm 47 and I've thought about becoming a CFI. I have a full time job and it would be as you mentioned, a way of giving back. I've had a lot of friends that I've helped get comfortable flying who beg me to become a CFI.

I've got almost 10K hours, but I'm a VFR pilot. So adding it up, I've heard anywhere from $4K to $8K to get through my Commercial, IFR, and CFI training. My girlfriend will start training this week and the instructor is charging her $30/hour. So 133 hours to recoup the money on the low end, 267 on the high end. In other words, I might never get my investment back, but I would be giving back to the aviation community... still thinking it over.
Click to expand...

I became a CFI at 38. Strictly part-time. It has been a great experience, allowing me to fly all kinds of different aircraft and has resulted in many other paying opportunities. As far as income, I have made way more than I ever thought I would, well beyond paying for itself. I started off just assuming I'd do a few FRs and such for friends, but it has become a real business, where I can be as busy as I want to be.

Also, $30 is pretty low for an independent CFI. Location dependent, of course, but even here in OK that's low.

Next, because you have several ratings to get to that point, it seems like a hard-to-recover investment. But if instead you treat the instrument and commercial not as a necessary evil, but as "continuing education" that maybe you want to do anyway, then the only "investment" expense is the CFI rating itself. This may make it more palatable (or not).
 
New to POA, so just saw this thread, so I'll add my two cents: I did my CFI at 53. Like others, I did this while working full time at a pretty demanding job that required me to work 50-60 hours a week. So a lot of 5 AM starts to the day, studying studying and then all the flying nights and weekends. Yes, kids didn't see me much during that time. Fortunately they were older by then and didn't need quite as much attention from me. Anyway, one of the hardest things I have ever done, but very rewarding in the end. I instructed for 10 years part time, just recently retired from that career job and now I am instructing full time (or what passes for "full time" as an instructor- I'm not one of the young kids who is going do 800 or 1,000 hours of instruction for the year. I'll do about 500 hours this year and that seems like a good workload for me. I mean, I did retire after all!). I now have a little over 2,200 hours of dual given. I did go on to get my CFII and MEI ratings as well (plus my multi-engine ATP). And yes, check rides a stressful no matter what. I remember after my double-I ride, I said that was it, no more, these dang things are just too stressful, but then went on and did three more (initial multi-engine, MEI and multi ATP) after that. Go figure.
 
I hope that you do it. We need more CFI's that have the ability to teach and the desire to teach and not just the stepping stone to more hours that our system has built upon. Good luck!!
 
I didn't renew for that reason, Liability! I did several "professional witness" gig for some lawyers a number if years back. After that, i started looking at the liability, not only for the CFI work i was doing, but also the A&P stuff. Once i had a small amount of net worth and a family, it got too risky. I also got tired of people asking me to sign stuff off. I'm not signing you BFR if you can't handle a rudder well enough to not spin a c-150 out of a power on stall. Or can't find the check list, its around here somewhere, besides were friends, just sign the book. Or When was the last time you flew a single engine approach?. Oh i don't do that, its hard on the airplane???????????????????? " i don't stall the Bonanza, its too hard on the gyro's". Slow flight....no way, its hard on the engine. Just sign me off, how about from the coffee shop. No thanks, Guess i got a bit bitter about the people who wanted me to work on the plane, or give a BFR because, "We were friends and they would buy me a burger next time we went someplace." Guess i got tired of that, and add the liability, just not worth it.
But if you like to teach, and I did, it was rewarding. Would I do it again, nope. I can't afford it.
 
Oldmanb777 said:
I didn't renew for that reason, Liability! I did several "professional witness" gig for some lawyers a number if years back. After that, i started looking at the liability, not only for the CFI work i was doing, but also the A&P stuff. Once i had a small amount of net worth and a family, it got too risky. I also got tired of people asking me to sign stuff off. I'm not signing you BFR if you can't handle a rudder well enough to not spin a c-150 out of a power on stall. Or can't find the check list, its around here somewhere, besides were friends, just sign the book. Or When was the last time you flew a single engine approach?. Oh i don't do that, its hard on the airplane???????????????????? " i don't stall the Bonanza, its too hard on the gyro's". Slow flight....no way, its hard on the engine. Just sign me off, how about from the coffee shop. No thanks, Guess i got a bit bitter about the people who wanted me to work on the plane, or give a BFR because, "We were friends and they would buy me a burger next time we went someplace." Guess i got tired of that, and add the liability, just not worth it.
But if you like to teach, and I did, it was rewarding. Would I do it again, nope. I can't afford it.
Click to expand...
Honestly, you need to find better friends and ditch the cheapskate acquaintances. Real friends would never expect someone to pencil whip a flight review or expect free labor.
 
I got my CFI in 1973 things were a little easy back then and only the FAA could do it and they had a lot of leeway, now DPE have no leeway they have to administer the test by the book. I work at a Flying club as a CFI and CFII also the A&P/IA I also am 74 years old so I only take on a few students, like to instruct instrument students the most. The Flying Club that I work at does cover me with insurance, I also have liability insurance outside of the club, it's not that expensive. It's been a great ride and I would do it all over again as I am slowing down in my old age.​
 
You would be surprised at who will come out of the woodwork to try and get something for nothing. When your independent, they think a burger or a coffee equals a signature. After all "We're friends, no friend would charge for something that simple !" Had my share of that. Got tired of telling people NO! No I wont pencil your ride from the coffee shop, or your annual or anything else. This isn't home building where stuff gets signed off from the local bar. I
I had a guy call me wanting an owner assisted annual. The way he talked, I assumed (my bad) that he had a C-172 or something similar. after I told him what was expected, and how much, he decided that was highway robbery . I had never met this individual before. After a few minutes more of discussing what was required, i asked him what airplane he had. Meridian ....................... Really !!!!!!!!!!. The oral surgeons that only did annuals on thier Bonanza that sat out in the rain, while the boat and motorhome sat in the hanger. I did a prebuy on it, and recommended they not buy it. But they did. I spent way too much time on it getting it airworthy. Several years later, they want another annual. The plane hadn't been touched since. They wanted bi annual flt reviews along with the annual in their un airworthy Bonanza. I spent many hours working on that plane again to get it airworthy, their check bounced, after i refused to sign their biannuals. They were far from competent. Things got ugly when the FAA got involved and then their lawyer. For once the FAA actually was there to help me! And they were a great help. Forged signatures, bounced checks and all.
 
Sorry to hear of your experiences, @Oldmanb777. I know this type of stuff happens, unfortunately. Sounds like your character got you through. Good lesson in doing what's right, not what's easy.
 
It happens way to much. More if your independent. Sorry to rag about it here.
 
TommyG said:
No one wants to do a CFI checkride twice, average oral of 5 to 6 hours minimum and going rate of $1200.00.
Click to expand...

Back before qualified DPEs were doing the CFI ride...you went to your local FSDO and flew with an FAA inspector. Mine was in March 01. Started oral at 0800...and went painfully through all the lesson plans I had built. Broke for lunch at 1130...back at it at 1200. Finally ended oral at 1530, then on to the flight...and running through a teaching tasty selection of private and commercial maneuvers from preflight up to in the air from the right seat, including in-line critique as the inspector made his mistakes to see if I'd catch them and correct. That was 2 hours worth of air time. No charge (of course, he was a gov't employee), and my school didn't charge for the hobbs for CFI rides if you were going to work for them (which I did, part time, for 7 years...)

Yeah, he was a stone breaking inspector. Way harder than I thought he had to be, but at the end, somehow, I had my ticket in my pocket (and found out later through the grapevine that his first ride pass rate was 1 out of 10. So I guess I was either lucky or he was feeling generous that day). Was so exhausted that I called my school and asked them to send a pilot down to fly back with me, since to be honest, I was hammered. His only comment about that was "good choice".

19 years later, still have the ticket, and do the GLEIM every 2 years to make sure I keep the ticket in my pocket. No way I want to do a re-test.
 
I got my CFI, CFII, and MEI back in the 80's with the FSDO and do not remember any of them lasting more then 3 hours total. Very glad I did not have to do a full day to get any of them.

I let them expire and did a ride with the FSDO in 2008 to renew them. The total flight time was just under and hour. The airplane had just been upgraded to GNS530W's. LPV approaches were still new and my check ride was to teach the Fed how to fly them, he had never done one.
 
I've been Board certified in two medical specialties, both requiring oral exams. Neither took anything like 8 hours. Any examiner with half a brain should be able to tell within about 20 minutes whether a candidate will pass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top