It is still a great time to be a pilot.
There are job openings for pilots in all areas of aviation. If this career choice interests you, consider our accelerated career pilot program to get you to the good-paying jobs quickly.
With the recent changes to the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR), we can now offer a program that cuts the cost of a flying career dramatically. In our format, pilots will have the opportunity to earn their Sport Pilot Flight Instructor certificates at 150 hours total time. This means that they can begin to build hours while earning money as an instructor, 100 hours earlier than previously allowed. After about 100 hours of flying with students in our Light Sport aircraft, pilots can add their commercial rating in an aircraft that they are very proficient in, since they have been training other pilots in it. Thanks to a new batch of regs, sport pilot instructors can give flight training that counts towards the sport, recreational, and private pilot certification. Not only does this format have obvious advantage, it also will serve to introduce a new path to increase the number of instructors available in aviation as a whole.
To get the flight instructor rating for the least initial expense, earn the Sport Pilot Certificate, then the Sport Pilot Flight Instructor Certificate at 150 hours. Going this route, and flying with another pilot to build hours during that time, will cost about $16,000. At that point the candidate can begin earning money as a flight instructor, as well as experience, towards the next ratings, which can be earned at the 250 hour mark. This will take about 4-6 months.
Training Plan
The overall most efficient training plan is to train for the private pilot rating, then pair up with another pilot for the next 80 – 90 hours to to build cross country time, as well as practice instrument flying, and gain experience in the right seat in preparation from the flight instructor rating. Once 50 hours of cross country pilot-in-command time is acquired, take a week and complete our accelerated instrument training program using our advanced simulator and our Piper Archer. At about 125 hours total time, begin flight training for the Sport Pilot Instructor rating, so that the checkride can be completed at 150 hours total time. Once this rating is earned, begin to instruct for us for the next wave of pilots in our program.
After instructing for another 100 hours, the candidate can take the Commercial Pilot and full CFI checkrides. They will require about 20 additional hours of training.
Since our S-LSA meets the definition of a Technically Advanced Aircraft, it can be used to meet the requirement of ten hours in a complex or TAA aircraft (14 CFR 61.129(J)) for the commercial pilot certificate.
Our program is based on about a five month training commitment, then build the hours being paid as an instructor to earn the rest of the hours required for a commercial certificate. At the end of this period, you can continue training for a commercial pilot’s certificate with single-engine privileges, as well as a flight instructor (CFI) rating.