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instructor salary?
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:42 am
by Eagle
Could anyone give me some rough numbers on what to expect as a flight instructor. (no ifr or multi!)
Salary
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 6:27 am
by aviator20
It depends on where you work etc....where I work as a class 4 I have 4 students and groundschool. I make roughly 17 bucks an hour and 20 bucks groundschool. As a class 4 I clear around 700 bucks every 2 weeks in the Maratimes. As a class 3 you will clear more obviously but until then you need to be poor and pay your dues

Salary
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 6:30 am
by shamrock104
Its about the same here in Calgary. 16 bucks an hour for a Class 4 and the same for groundschool. Its a great part time job if you have a main income.
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:12 am
by master switch
instructor salary is an oxymoron.
you get paid hourly.
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:09 pm
by chipmunk
master switch wrote:instructor salary is an oxymoron.
you get paid hourly.
Yup...
I still remember that nasty January when I made $50 in 2 weeks.
Nice.
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:04 pm
by Hedley
Most FTUs, CFI is base plus hours, other instructors are hourly only, and all are contract employees. Colleges tend to be different.
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:59 pm
by Spokes
Yup, sounds right. I was given a choice between contract basis or as an employee. My tax situation led me to go on contract basis.
Class 3 Hourly = $20 per revenue hour.
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 2:07 pm
by . ._
If you become a class I instructor, you can afford the good stuff.
-istp
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:59 pm
by JW
I flew almost 700 hours and my take home averaged $500 every two weeks @$22.75 and I virtually live at the school. Yeah do the math I'm aware that it doesn't make sense but I was a class 4 for the first 6 months and the pay was only $17.00
JW
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 10:20 am
by TTJJ
I am re-posting what I said in Oct. 2005. My heart goes out to all you instructors.
http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopi ... highlight=
"In 1983 I made $19.00 hr. at a flight school in Springbank (Calgary) as a Class 2.
You mean to tell me that instructors haven´t had a real raise in 22 years?
This is exploitation at it´s worst. It is sickening."
It really sucks.
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:37 pm
by Switchfoot
$35 per hour as a Class II.
$50 when freelance.

Switch.
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 10:01 pm
by goldeneagle
TTJJ wrote:I am re-posting what I said in Oct. 2005. My heart goes out to all you instructors.
http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopi ... highlight=
"In 1983 I made $19.00 hr. at a flight school in Springbank (Calgary) as a Class 2.
You mean to tell me that instructors haven´t had a real raise in 22 years?
This is exploitation at it´s worst. It is sickening."
It really sucks.
That's disgusting. In 1981 I made $22.00 an hour as an instructor, on top of a 700 a month base pay. From my perspective, as one who started instructing 25 years ago, and has watched the industry progress, it just seems that pilot wages (instructors in particular) have gone down in relationship to the cost of living going up along the way. Kinda backwards compared to most other industries. The real question is, when does it flatten out as 'this is as low as it can possibly go?'.
For some real perspective, compare top end heavy jet salaries from the early 80' to today. The salaries are about half of what they were then, and each of those dollars only buys about 33% of what it did then.
But, it's all going to be moot anyways. As another thread so aptly points out, the writing is on the wall. The next generation of military fighters is going to be unmanned, and, it's only a matter of time before heavy jets go that route too. They have gone from 4 to 3, and now down to 2 person crews. Todays mantra is the PF and PNF roles, and modern airplanes the PF for the most part is the electronics under the panel. I envision a time real soon when the big boys try push the next generation thru as single pilot equipment, on the rationale, the human crew only fulfills the PNF role anyways. At that point, we will only be one step away from 'highly paid pilots' being a dim dark distant memory.
Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:28 pm
by Sideshow
Easier it is to fly, the less the training costs, the pilots can be less experienced and get paid less! Makes sense for bean counters.
$23hr...
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 1:10 am
by Fish
Instructor pay is freaking criminal. Where else do you find people with trained skills making minimum wage or less with $30000 debts from schooling? I could make more money at a freaking McDonalds. Even if you're at work all day, when you only fly a max of 5 hours or so a day (weather permitting!!), you're basically making a part time wage, working full time hours.
Its ridiculous.
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:09 am
by C-GPFG
This stuff is not only cheap, but packed with nutrients and my hair has never been softer.
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:35 am
by Aeros
But now your breath, not just my cat's breath smells like cat food
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:53 am
by C-GPFG
Aeros wrote:But now your breath, not just my cat's breath smells like cat food
If I could afford toothpaste I'd probably eat that too.
On the plus side, as a Class II, I have the best '97 Neon of all the instructors in the parking lot.

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 11:47 am
by Vnwheeee!
Don't hide your light under a bushel, C-GPFG! If you won't tell the world, then I will.
That's: '97 Neon Expresso!
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:28 pm
by Chop&Drop
You guys are spoiled! I'm only makin 13/hr as a class IV.
Theres something very very wrong with this!
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:51 pm
by trey kule
So...why dont all you instructor types form an association and set up some standards?
You know. Duty hours. Days off. Minimum pay.
If the whole industry had to pay more the cost of flight training would go up, but as it would go up across the country no school would have a advantage..
My thoughts. Better that bitching.
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:49 pm
by Sideshow
I agree with the increasing the cost of flight training. (Of course all my training is complete... ) I heard that some heli instructors are making +$80/hr... I guess it is up to the schools to get it together and up the prices, and not just because the price of gas is going up.
When a student is paying $200 per lesson after taxes what's another 10%? That $20ish more could go to instructors !!!!
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:55 pm
by Jet-stream
The problem with is that there are always people who are willing to prostitute themselves for shit wages which just brings us back to where we started, so the chances of that ever happening are slim.
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:22 am
by C-GPFG
Vnwheeee! wrote:Don't hide your light under a bushel, C-GPFG! If you won't tell the world, then I will.
That's: '97 Neon Expresso!
Imagine this....but in a flaking frost white! Ain't she a beaut!!!

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:08 pm
by skywatcher
Hey i know instructors make crap money in most places.........but if you have family or friends in Fort McMurray...............they are offering 35k a year for a class 3 at McMurray Aviation!!
Hey thats better that 2 bucks an hour!!

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:26 pm
by trey kule
And the typical truck driver in Ftl Mac makes about $120,000 plus.