PPL Training from Private CFI

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Lev21

Filing Flight Plan
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Lev21
Hi everybody, I am new to the forums (1st post).

I am planning on obtaining my PPL soon and would love to be apart of the community here.

A little background about me, I have done 1 introductory flight and also have passed my medical.
I was looking into some flight schools near me and there aren't too many to choose from that are convenient for me.

However, I did reach out to a CFI that I found on GLEIM's CFI Directory. His prices are pretty competitive (probably the cheapest), which is awesome [50/hr for instruction, 135/hr plane rental (wet). He also said that he offers 10hr blocks for the rental. He will also be flexible with my schedule and recommended 2-3 flights/week in order to obtain my PPL at a reasonable pace (estimating at 50-60hours). I would have to purchase the study materials on my own, which I think is ok.

I am also going to do a intro flight with this CFI before I make any commitments.

Just wanted to get some insight about going this route with a private CFI versus a flight school.
Anything I should watch out for? Or any other important questions I should be asking the CFI?

Thank you
 
Lev21 said:
Hi everybody, I am new to the forums (1st post).

I am planning on obtaining my PPL soon and would love to be apart of the community here.

A little background about me, I have done 1 introductory flight and also have passed my medical.
I was looking into some flight schools near me and there aren't too many to choose from that are convenient for me.

However, I did reach out to a CFI that I found on GLEIM's CFI Directory. His prices are pretty competitive (probably the cheapest), which is awesome [50/hr for instruction, 135/hr plane rental (wet). He also said that he offers 10hr blocks for the rental. He will also be flexible with my schedule and recommended 2-3 flights/week in order to obtain my PPL at a reasonable pace (estimating at 50-60hours). I would have to purchase the study materials on my own, which I think is ok.

I am also going to do a intro flight with this CFI before I make any commitments.

Just wanted to get some insight about going this route with a private CFI versus a flight school.
Anything I should watch out for? Or any other important questions I should be asking the CFI?

Thank you
Click to expand...

Under part 61, there really isn't any difference between a flight school and a freelance instructor. The difference might be in the airplane availability. Chances are he has only one airplane, but in an flight school you will have access to more airplanes. That may become relevant if the airplane goes into maintenance. If airplane availability is not a concern, then I would favor going with a freelance instructor. It is a one-on-one transaction with no middle man, which is always better.
 
Freelance CFI is a perfectly acceptable avenue to training. No matter what training venue, it really comes down to the individual instructor, their abilities, and whether or not you "get along', so to speak. And, 2-3 lessons per week is an excellent plan.
(Disclosure statement: 25 years as CFI, and at least 80% of the training I've ever done has been 'freelance'.)
 
New CFI or old dog, the new kid on the block will probably be more up to date on what is going on in aviation. probably not seen all the problems students have the old dog seen all of them and probably tend to pigeon hole students in a training that has worked for them in the past. For the PPL either one is good, for the instrument the old dog might be a better choice. 50 years as a CFI and CFII a few changes along the way but people are still killing themselves the same now as 50 years ago, continued VFR into IFR and stall spin Base to Final. You can't teach common sense, now more than ever that would be the one thing students could use.
 
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Part 61 is the way to go. If your CFI only has one airplane then know that it will be down for maintenance and parts routinely.
 
It reads like you are on a good path.
I have found that the cheapest is not always the best value.
Not all flight instruction is of the same quality.
Fly with him and see if you like him because you will be spending a lot of time together.
I feel it is time and money well spent to try out several CFIs to see who is the best fit for you.
 
Welcome to the forum,looks like it could work out,providing he’s not trying to do several students with the one airplane. You should also check his record for students passing the test.
 
Sounds like an awesome way to go. Get him to commit to 2 or 3 lessons a week, schedule them, then treat his time with respect. Don't cancel unless you absolutely need to. Hopefully he treats you the same way and you get through in a reasonable amount of time. Give it a try and see how it goes.
 
Nothing you posted raised any red flags for me.
10 hours block is about the most you want to pre-pay, really only because it get you out of having pay each time you fly, often in exchange for a discount.

Questions to ask are...
Airplane Availability?
Instructor Availability?
is he a full time or part time instructor?
is he trying to build time for another job? if yes how long before he thinks he will be moving to a new job?
1st time pass rate?
Average hours for his students to be ready for the checkride? (I don't care much for 40 hour instructors, 40hr students can be fun, but most are 65hr students. Trying to put 65hr students in a 40hr hole doesn't usually work well for the student, 80 hour instructors are just as bad if not worse)
How long has he been instructing?
How many private students has he taught that are now at least private pilots?

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL

if you asked me those questions...
I don't provide the airplane, The rental place and clubs I use have excellent availability.
Saturdays, Weekday morning, Evenings and an occasional Sunday.
Part time
No, I like instructing and it supports my habit of flying.
So far my Private Pilot pass rate is 100%. someone is going to mess that up for me someday. I wish my instrument and commercial pass rate was as good.
My private students pretty consistently take the checkride at about 65hrs.
25 years.
About 35 private students so far.
 
frfly172 said:
Welcome to the forum,looks like it could work out,providing he’s not trying to do several students with the one airplane. You should also check his record for students passing the test.
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How do I check the record for this? Is there an official website of some sort?

By the way I appreciate everybody's feedback, I will definitely bring up these questions when meeting him.
 
frfly172 said:
Welcome to the forum,looks like it could work out, providing he’s not trying to do several students with the one airplane. You should also check his record for students passing the test.
Click to expand...

Good luck renting airplanes with very low utilization for a low rate unless the person renting the plane is subsidizing your flying.

Insurance, storage, RNAV subscriptions, debt service, annual and pitot/static/ transponder inspections are fixed costs that prohibit low utilization and low rates unless you want to show a loss every year on the balance sheet.
 
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I went with a freelance CFI and it was great. Way more flexible than what I hear from friends who went the flight school route. Airplane availability was no issue. Well, except the day of my check ride when his Cessna had an electrical issue. Luckily the examiner managed to get me a plane at his airfield and I could do my check ride as planned albeit at his home airport I’ve never flown out of and in a plane I’ve never flown before. It all worked out though.
 
I got my PPL with a freelance fellow as well, was a great experience. There was a flight school nearby and the DPE I took my checkride with HATED doing checkrides with those student pilots b/c the flight school is all about churn-n-burn and the CFIs there were often students not long before.

Plus, freelance CFIs tend to make more money in the pocket since they don't have to pay for the flight school overhead (that's my understanding, anyways).

Biggest question, as others have mentioned, is airplane availability. 2-3 flights per week is ideal.
 
Agree that a freelance CFI can be a great option, just don't underestimate the airplane availability issue. A seemingly minor maintenance issue can bring your training to a complete halt indefinitely. Changing over to a flight school or another CFI will cost you money and set you back because you will have to demonstrate a lot of stuff you've already learned, get re-soloed, etc. It happened to me. My CFI's plane blew a motor just after I soloed. At least he was honest and told me the plane would be down for months and that I better find a new instructor. He could have been a jerk and tried to string me along. I'm glad I didn't have block time pre-paid. Doubt I would do that with a private party. Flight schools have a strong incentive to keep planes in the air. Freelance CFIs are usually doing it as a side gig.

C.
 
Great perspective! Only thing I might push back on is the final note about it being a side gig - it could be, but my CFI was "freelance" in the sense that he wasn't working for a churn-n-burn flight school. He actually had his own flight school and it was his primary hustle.

I think what this discussion has yielded is the ole "it depends."
 
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