Freelance instructor rate.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

What hourly rate should a well qualified flight instructor charge?

First a licensed instructor teaching for PPL / CPL.

Second an instructor teaching advanced flying to licensed pilots.

[rudderless]

I am considering that myself for the near future, but as I plan to stick to more advanced training and skip the RPP, PPL, CPL, I am thinking $50 per hour.  FTU's charge more for an instructor, but they do have their overhead expenses as well as the employee costs (UI etc).  I would not go any less than $50 for sure. 

[Chuck Ellsworth]

Fifty dollars an hour is way to low, one hundred is more reasonable.

When you can offer top quality training they will learn in half the time.

The first step in offering advanced training is you must remove your thinking process past the Puppy Mill mind set.

[ScudRunner-d95]

Go ask your AME what he charges an hour to wrench on your plane, then head over to you auto mechanic and ask their rate. Charge what the guy working on your Toyota is charging you.

[rudderless]

I hear you, but what will the market bear? I can see for specialty stuff $100 an hour would be totally reasonable, but for instructor and IFR ratings.....I dunno.

[Colonel]

Market rate is the answer (albeit somewhat
useless).

For nosewheel/PPL instruction, all you have
to do to figure out what the market rate is
look at what your local FTU's are charging
for it.  It's going to be higher in the big cities
with higher overhead.  And remember that
there are extras that the FTU provides as
part of the flight instruction:

- briefing rooms
- internet access (wx, NOTAM)
- language proficiency test
- PSTAR test
- radio licence test
- SPP issuance (AP)

which a freelancer (eg on an owner's
aircraft) has to provide as well, at
some point.  Don't forget that detail.

I can't imagine the above (class 3
on nosewheel/PPL) being less than
$50/hr but you might find it at a small
airport with low overhead.  $75/hr is
more typical at a larger city.  Not that
the instructor at the FTU sees that, of
course.

I can see that "specialty" has different
meanings for different people, reading
the above.

With the shortage of experienced instructors,
instructor ratings and instrument ratings
(if the instructor has any useful experience)
should go for a higher price (eg $100/hr)
because there are fewer of these people
around, and there is solid demand for their
service.  You might be able to get someone
with paperwork qualifications for less, but
they will probably lack crucial experience

(eg a brand new class 1 instructor that has
never taught a new class 4 instructor and
as such has no clue, or for IFR, a class 4
instructor with a brand new group 1 IFR
that has never seen the inside of a cloud).

Much like tailwheel, aerobatic, formation,
unusual types (homebuilt, warbird), radial
engine, turbine - not many people around
are qualified, experienced, competent and
willing.  That drives the price up.

I couldn't get anyone to check me out on the
Beech 18, for example, despite all the hangar
talk from all the old heroes who were determined
to remain safely retired and tell their war stories. 
Disappointing.  As they say, you should never
meet your heroes.

When I am delivering an airplane, it's USD$500/day
plus all expenses.  Doesn't matter if it's a Pitts,
Citation, L39, IFR piston twin, etc - I think that's
a fair market price.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Again, it
probably depends where you are.

As I tell people, if you can find it cheaper/better/closer
go for it!

PS  Software goes for multiples of the delivery
pilot rate.  It's all about the value that you create
and the supply of and demand for the service.

It's important to remember that if Albert Einstein
was sweeping the lab floor, he should get $10/hr
or whatever minimum wage is, because that's the
value that he's producing at that activity.

[Colonel]

On the subject of instructor ratings, I
would like to point out that there are
class 1 instructors, and then there are
class 1 instructors.

Doesn't make much sense?  Let me
explain.

When I first got my class 4 instructor
rating 25 years ago, I might have been
technically qualified as a flight instructor
but I really didn't have a clue until I had
taught 3 students to solo/PPL and as such
had EXPERIENCE which my class 3 instructor
rating reflected.

However, there is no such indicator for a
class 1 instructor.  He might have gotten
his rating last week (or ten years ago) but
if he hasn't taught (eg) 3 new class 4 instructors,
he might be technically qualified but he is
completely lacking in experience and as
such probably has no clue.  He has yet to
learn how to teach new instructors, which
like anything else takes some practice to
get good at.

There are some "paper" class 1 instructors
out there, and it's quite something when
they try to teach a new class 4 instructor
for the first time.  Often, I end up cleaning
up after them, after they botch the job up.

It's important to distinguish between someone
who merely holds the paper qualification,
and someone else whom in addition has
[i]experience[/i] which vastly improves
their performance and efficiency.

These people create different value and as
such should charge different rates - IMHO.

All subject to market forces and distortions,
of course.  That's just life.

[rudderless]

Very true, and actually, thinking about it, I wouldn't be interested on taking on anyone who is looking for the lowest bidder.  They will cheap out on other stuff along the way.  But you can also price yourself out of the market at the same time.

[Colonel]

[quote]you can also price yourself out of the market[/quote]

That is indeed tricky.

However, if you are in fact qualified, capable,
experienced, knowledgeable and skilled, you
probably aren't charging enough - we call that
"leaving money on the table".

Remember, you don't need to capture all the
flight training in Canada to stay busy.

You just want to slice the cream off the top,
and let the Walmart customers move on to
where they can get it cheapest.

There are people out there that will pay $100
per hour for the right person. 

There are also people that will complain that
$20 per hour is too much.

You want the former as a customer, not the
latter.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

This is really not a black magic subject.

Teaching someone advanced skills flying requires two things on the part of the instructor.

First:

The ability to clearly and positively explain the lesson you are teaching in a manner that the student will grasp, and then a demonstration of how to physically fly the airplane to accomplish it.

Second:

Experience that can be verified with a track record of successful teaching.

As you progress in the teaching field you will be able to demand and receive higher pay.

When I retired I was making around four hundred dollars Canadian per flight hour and was never short of work.

As I have repeatedly stated in the past....
[color=blue]
" Flight instruction is the highest calling a pilot can aspire to. "[/color]

And it can also be very well paying.