Club CFI rates

Banjo33

Banjo33

Line Up and Wait
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Sep 21, 2011
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903
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Southern Indiana
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Banjo33
I joined a local EAA chapter recently and discovered that I may be the only CFI in the group. There's been lots of interest regarding FRs, IPCs, etc. My quandary is regarding what or do I charge them? Is it customary to give instruction pro bono to members of your club/chapter? Reduced rates? My normal rate is about 30% less than the local flight school already and I've got a full time job, so money isn't exactly the issue as I only CFI to keep my own skills sharp. In my mind, I figure a discounted rate for fellow chapter members is sufficient (which would be 50% of the cost of using the flight school's CFI), however I've got this nagging feeling that free is what is expected. I didn't join the chapter to find clients, but my time is worth something...to me at least. What have you all seen in this circumstance?
 
I suppose it depends on why you joined the club. It is my opinion that just because you joined the club, it doesn't mean that you are expected to give your time away. If it were me, I would charge what you would normally charge for instruction.
 
Not sure what EAA chapters do, My flying club CFII charges me $40/hour. Which is what the other CFII's charge as well if they fill in for him. Charge what you feel comfortable doing - your CFII wasn't free why should you be?
 
I would suggest just charging your normal rate, especially if it is already lower than the local flight school. I would rather hire an instructor that I knew personally from the local EAA chapter rather than an unknown person at a flight school who is most likely there just to build time. If you really feel like you need to offer a discount of some sort then why not throw in some free ground school with instruction or maybe a good priced packaged deal for a BFR.

I know pilots like to pinch pennies but I never understood the logic behind trying to find the cheapest instruction out there. Most instructors I know are charging less per hour than you spend in gas flying something like a 172. To me it is cheap insurance to have a good and trusted instructor sitting in the seat next to you when trying to brush up on some rusty skills or trying something new for the first time like flying into a busy unfamiliar airport.

Keith
 
Does your doctor give free medical care to members of his country club?
 
I think it depends, if the group or club requires that only Club or Club approved CFIs give instruction, BFRs, IPCs etc. then you have a captive audience and a discounted rate may be in order. Certainly if you get a discount on your flying then I'd say it is absolutely in order. If any CFI can give instruction a checks in club planes then charge what ever your comfortable with.
 
Not EAA, but the club I got my PP with, was an SSA soaring club that happened to have a 172. Soaring instruction was free under the SSA charter (student paid for the glider and tow), but it was clear that power instruction was not. Beyond that it was entirely between the CFI and the member. The CFI who did my private instruction didn't need the money, either. He asked for about half what the local school charged. I later took a FR with another of the instructors, a younger guy, regional FO. He asked for a little more, probably comparable to what he would have kept of the commercial rate, but not so much that I even contemplated haggling for lower.
 
You should get your regular rate. Unless you benefit from the club.
 
I am nota CFI but I would charge your regular rate. It's already lower.
 
The ~10 instructors in our club charge normal rates of $40-50/hr for formal instruction. Sometimes they will offer up opportunities to split trips or angel flights with free instruction. Always free instruction on shared trips. Sometimes safety pilot for free. But I think if you are doing a airplane checkout, IPC, or training flight for a rating then it is pretty much expected that you will pay.

If your rates are 30% lower than the alternative, then you should charge your regular rates and your club members should be happy to have a new, cheaper option.
 
I appreciate everyone's replies. I joined the Chapter in order to meet a flying group and hopefully "community." There are no "club planes", only member owned aircraft so instruction would be in their personal aircraft. I like the ideas regarding package deals for IPCs and FRs, as well as free instruction when riding along for fly-ins/events. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an expectation of free instruction before I interjected my rate. I'll discuss with the Chapter Pres as well to ensure there's not a local Chapter expectation.

Thanks again!
 
Greg Bockelman said:
I suppose it depends on why you joined the club. It is my opinion that just because you joined the club, it doesn't mean that you are expected to give your time away. If it were me, I would charge what you would normally charge for instruction.
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+1. Anyone who thinks you have some obligation to share your time and expertise, not to mention assumption of potential liability, for free is someone I wouldn't care to spend any time with....much less instruct.
 
At my old club we had one or two "currency days" a year were flight instructors would offer up free instruction. Otherwise it was normal rates. There's a mindset among a certain portion of the pilot population that fuel is so expensive that everything else should be free. Don't go down that hole.
 
My club has two CFIs, they charge the same rate the local school does ($35 an hour). I haven't heard anyone complain.
 
Banjo33 said:
I appreciate everyone's replies. I joined the Chapter in order to meet a flying group and hopefully "community." There are no "club planes", only member owned aircraft so instruction would be in their personal aircraft. I like the ideas regarding package deals for IPCs and FRs, as well as free instruction when riding along for fly-ins/events. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an expectation of free instruction before I interjected my rate. I'll discuss with the Chapter Pres as well to ensure there's not a local Chapter expectation.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Never give flight instruction free. First, it demeans all of the other CFIs who are trying to make a living; second, remember the old saw about free instruction being worth what you paid for it. You have a valuable asset: your CFI certificate. Do not cheapen it.

Bob Gardner
 
Banjo33 said:
I appreciate everyone's replies. I joined the Chapter in order to meet a flying group and hopefully "community." There are no "club planes", only member owned aircraft so instruction would be in their personal aircraft. I like the ideas regarding package deals for IPCs and FRs, as well as free instruction when riding along for fly-ins/events. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an expectation of free instruction before I interjected my rate. I'll discuss with the Chapter Pres as well to ensure there's not a local Chapter expectation.

Thanks again!
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As an aside, there are a few instructors in my club that charge 1/2 day and full day rates that are slightly less expensive than their hourly rate for comparable time. They rationalize that since they have to be at the airport anyway....
 
bobmrg said:
Never give flight instruction free. First, it demeans all of the other CFIs who are trying to make a living; second, remember the old saw about free instruction being worth what you paid for it. You have a valuable asset: your CFI certificate. Do not cheapen it.

Bob Gardner
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:


Mike
 
Greg Bockelman said:
I suppose it depends on why you joined the club. It is my opinion that just because you joined the club, it doesn't mean that you are expected to give your time away. If it were me, I would charge what you would normally charge for instruction.
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Me, too.

However, discounts to members of affinity groups are a long-practiced business marketing tool, e.g., lower hotel rates for AAA and AARP members, discounts on parts prices by Grumman suppliers for AYA members, etc. If you think that you can improve your overall bottom line by capturing more business this way, then an EAA member discount for local chapter members might be a good marketing tool.
 
Ron Levy said:
Me, too.

However, discounts to members of affinity groups are a long-practiced business marketing tool, e.g., lower hotel rates for AAA and AARP members, discounts on parts prices by Grumman suppliers for AYA members, etc. If you think that you can improve your overall bottom line by capturing more business this way, then an EAA member discount for local chapter members might be a good marketing tool.
Click to expand...

Discount, yes....free, no.

Bob Gardner
 
And by the way, once you start giving away free instruction, God help you if you change you mind and begin charging.
 
Banjo33 said:
I joined a local EAA chapter recently and discovered that I may be the only CFI in the group. There's been lots of interest regarding FRs, IPCs, etc. My quandary is regarding what or do I charge them? Is it customary to give instruction pro bono to members of your club/chapter? Reduced rates? My normal rate is about 30% less than the local flight school already and I've got a full time job, so money isn't exactly the issue as I only CFI to keep my own skills sharp. In my mind, I figure a discounted rate for fellow chapter members is sufficient (which would be 50% of the cost of using the flight school's CFI), however I've got this nagging feeling that free is what is expected. I didn't join the chapter to find clients, but my time is worth something...to me at least. What have you all seen in this circumstance?
Click to expand...

Why do you believe you should, or think the club expects you should give free instruction. Charge the rate you desire to charge and quite working for 50% of the flight schools.
 
Go ahead and charge your normal rate.

If you are on a shared trip, I wouldn't charge for incidental advice/instruction; but other than that...

The important thing is to set the proper rate and billing structure and then stick to it. If you hide your fees or real cost, expect other members to not come to you anymore.
 
Our 28 member ownership club allows us to use any cfi we like, there are no 'approved' instructors.

A couple of our members are CFI's. I think they may cut us a break on their hourly rate, but nobody expects free instruction from them.
 
I would not provide any discount to someone that may be in the same EAA chapter as me. That makes no sense. I will however generally do instruction for free to those whom I consider to be friends.

I never charge someone unfairly but I will certainly take a person's resources into consideration when it makes sense and reduce my prices accordingly.

It helps that I'm not doing this for a living and I have time to instruct maybe 1 in 20 people that I talk to these days.
 
Buy an airplane kit and exchange build time/expertise for instruction.
 
I don't really do aircraft maintenance for living anymore but when I do exercise the old certificates, I do want some “beer” money, which usually buys more tools.
 
When I belonged to the local flying club the club instructors charged the going rate for our area. I had no problems with that.
 
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