Flight instructors teach students how to fly airplanes. Instructors are highly skilled pilots who have a special rating that allows them to teach. They help students prepare to pass tests to become pilots.
Flight instructors help their students learn specific flying skills such as how to read a plane's instrument panel. They also explain the principles of math and physics that are important in flying.
Education and Training
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires flight instructors to have a high school diploma before they can be licensed. Courses in geography, science, math, and shop are helpful. Airlines require that their instructors have at least 2 years of college. Many prefer instructors who have a college degree.
Instructors must have several licenses before they are qualified to teach. They must first obtain a private pilot's license, then a commercial pilot's license, and finally a flight instructor's rating.
To receive a private pilot's license, you must be at least 17 years old, although you may begin taking flying lessons at the age of 16. A physical examination is required before you can take flying lessons. To qualify for a private pilot's license, you must have had 25 hours of solo flying time. After passing two tests--a written test and a performance test that includes instrument flying--you receive your private pilot's license.
To get a commercial pilot's license, you must be at least 18 years old and have 250 hours of flying experience. You must also pass three tests including a rigid physical examination and a written test given by the FAA. This test has questions on federal aviation rules, navigation, radio operation, and meteorology. The third exam tests your flying performance. After you pass all three of these tests, you receive a commercial pilot's license. It is valid for a specific class and type of airplane.
To obtain a flight instructor's rating, you must pass tests given by the FAA. They are much like those for a commercial pilot's license. However, you must also pass tests in flight training maneuvers and both written and practical tests on flight instruction. You can supplement your preparation for these tests by reading flight instructors' handbooks and taking courses in addition to flying.
Like all pilots, flight instructors receive ratings to fly specific classes of aircraft. They must get additional ratings to fly other kinds of planes.
Getting the Job
Flying schools usually have placement offices that help people find jobs as flying instructors. It is also a good idea to make direct applications to airports, flying schools, and flying clubs for teaching jobs.
Employment Outlook
Flight instructors can advance by taking courses to gain additional credentials. For example, an instructor may want a rating for several kinds of airplanes. To obtain a rating for a specific type of plane, the instructor must first qualify for a commercial pilot's license for that plane.
A flight instructor who has an instrument rating may have higher earnings. This rating requires 40 hours of practice instrument flying. These advanced skills can be learned while a flight instructor is already teaching basic flying courses.
Flight instructors may also become chief instructors or directors of flight training in their schools. They may become flight examiners for the FAA, giving licenses to students who pass various flying tests. Flight instructors with enough hours and experience may move to jobs as corporate or airline pilots.
The job outlook is good. The anticipated growth of the airline industry, with the accompanying growth in airline passenger and cargo traffic, will create a demand for more pilots and flight instructors.
Working Conditions
Flight instructors divide their time between classrooms on the ground and the cockpits of training planes. Flight instructors must remain patient and calm even in difficult situations. They work no more than 8 hours a day, but their schedules are irregular. Instructors work when their students are available. They may have to work on weekends and in the evening.
Earnings and Benefits
Earnings for flight instructors vary according to the aircraft they use and whether they are freelance instructors or work for a company, airport, or flight school. On average flight instructors earn between $22,000 and $29,000 a year. Benefits vary according to the employer.
