There are roughly 125,00 flight instructors in the United States. That’s a big number — or at least it seems like a big number. But is it really?
These CFIs come from the much larger pool of 700,000 or so pilots in the United States. Every one of those pilots has worked with a CFI at some point, possibly for an extended period or perhaps for just a few hours to complete a flight review.
Even CFIs have to fly with CFIs.
Nobody escapes the process of learning, testing, reviewing, and validating the knowledge and skills necessary to fly safely.
With approximately 18% of the pilot population holding a CFI ticket, it would seem obvious that scheduling a flight with a CFI would be easy. It should be a cake walk.
However, for many of us that’s not the case. There isn’t an even distribution of CFIs across the nation. Many live and work in densely populated areas of the country, while few can be found in much wider expanses of real estate.
Beyond the challenge of finding a CFI to work with, there is the even more limiting factor of finding a truly good CFI to work with — a CFI who goes beyond the entry-level requirement of holding the certificate. If you were hoping to find someone to train with, to learn from, that search may take time and require you to travel a considerable distance.
I spoke with a fellow CFI just the other day who lives in a sparsely populated, very rural part of the country. He tells me he’s the only CFI within 100 miles.
My neighborhood is a bit different. We’re awash in CFIs in these parts, although not all of them are available for whatever it is the customer might want to do.
Some of us specialize in primary instruction but do so in an academy setting where walk-ins are not particularly welcome. Others specialize in taildragger instruction, multi-engine instruction, seaplane add-on ratings, or type specific training designed to fulfill a bucket list experience or prepare a pilot to meet the insurance requirements of their newly purchased aircraft.
As if that isn’t enough of a muddled marketplace, there is the never-ending tug of war between the newly minted CFIs who are pumped up with pride and ambition vs the old guard who have been logging hours for decades.
There is a palpable mistrust between these two groups — sometimes deservedly so. In other cases, the animosity is entirely unjustified. Yet, there is a nugget of validity to the misgivings felt by either side.
New CFIs have every reason to be proud. Earning that certificate comes at the end of a long road of training and testing that can easily lead one to believe they are special.
It’s worth noting that while pilots make up a paltry 0.2% of the overall population, CFIs represent just a 0.03% share of the larger pie. We are the minority of the minority.
And yet, being counted as a part of the group does not make all CFIs equal.
One of the risks of having initially achieved this landmark certificate is that we all have the potential to get a big head. We can overestimate our skills and knowledge when in truth we hold the certificate but lack much experience.
This has always been true. It was certainly the case when I came through the system many years ago. My classmates and I thought we were pretty big stuff, having submitted to and passed at least eight practical tests in the prior year.
We were ready to go with our certificates in our pocket. Yes, certificates, plural.
We held commercial pilot privileges, as well as our coveted CFI ticket, and an Advanced Instrument Ground Instructor certificate as well. We were in the big time as far as we were concerned.
That was before my buddy had a student throw up on him from stress after a VFR morning flight went unexpectedly IFR. They were flying a C-152 and didn’t break out at decision height. After two tries they had to perform a bit of a cross-country to an airport that was still VFR.
It was prior to a good friend having an electrical fire while on an instrument training flight that forced him to perform an off-airport landing in a farmer’s field.
On the day I earned my CFI I had not yet faced the challenge of a full-blown electrical failure in flight, or an engine winding down to nothing while I was in cruise, or a radio vibrating its way right out of the panel as I rotated for takeoff.
All those issues and more befell us as my peers and I built time, worked with new students, and traveled long distances at the controls of small general aviation aircraft. In other words, we gained experience. Bad things happened and we found a way to deal with the challenge.
Old dudes have always tended to disparage the younger crowd.
I am an old dude these days, but I’ll refrain from banging on about how the new CFIs are deficient. Rather, I’ll say they’re new and unseasoned. That’s not their fault, but it is their responsibility to get up to speed.
At the same time, I’ll steer clear of suggesting all older CFIs are wizards of the air with boundless knowledge and skill. That just ain’t true — although many of us have learned a few things over the years that are worth knowing.
If the newbies could learn at the knee of the old guard, and the elders would enjoy the benefit of sharing their experiences with the more youthful among us, imagine what a utopian experience flight instruction might be.
We all have something to learn and something to teach. All of us. Even you and me.
Interesting comments…..I am a bit different because I am. CFI/A&P/IA….56 years as an instructor and 30 years as anA&P…..17 years as an IA
So I look at aircraft differently and my students own and operate their aircraft as well as performing Preventive maintnenance……
Best way to save money is to buy a trainer and get an old salt instructor ……..to fly with and do your maintnenance…..
My day is always different with flight training…..pre-buy inspections, owner assisted annuals, teaching ground school and what ever else comes along…….Always something going on and not sitting in a FBO waiting for students to walk through the door …..!
So I call my self an aviation consultant …….Got my master pilot award from FAA in 2019
Still learning and meeting good people…….
The difference between a new CFI and a “seasoned” CFI (notice I didn’t say “young” and “old”) …is that a seasoned CFI was new once…
That doesn’t necessarily make him/her a better instructor. In fact, some of the most seasoned CFIs I’ve encountered, had many years and hours of “dual given”; yet, I’ve often wondered about the fate of their “learners”.
Conversely, my airport is populated by some outstanding new CFIs that have desire, drive, and a goal; including some folks that are definitely not kids. They also drink a lot of Red Bull.
They work for flight schools that are focused exclusively on airline pilot production. Of course, we could talk about the threat of CFI Burnout …a very real thing …as they race to log those ATP-required hours.
I’ve been a CFI for a while now. I was also a USAF instructor pilot and examiner. In addition, I taught AOPA’s in-person Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRC) for several years. The majority of the folks that attended our 2-day, 16-hour course were definitely not “young”.
Most did not instruct for a living (those CFIs tend to re-new via the other options): They were active ”part-timers” that instructed just enough to feed their passions and keep their skills from atrophying.
But a lot of them, sadly, didn’t even fly anymore, let alone instruct.
Their reasons for ‘fading to black’ varied, but they weren’t because they were just getting old, or couldn’t pass a flight physical, or didn’t understand BasicMed, or were frustrated with the FAA…
In many cases, they found it was just too difficult keeping up with “technology”.
So, for fear of embarrassment at not being a Garmin G-1000 expert, we lost experienced folks that could read clouds, knew the difference between a slip and a skid, and still teach how to spin a whiz-wheel, fly straight & level without an autopilot, and land in a crosswind on a short runway.
All from the back, or front, seat of a taildragger.
One thing they all enjoyed at the in-person FIRCs …was the camaraderie. It was an opportunity to celebrate our ‘uniqueness’ among the pilot population. For a lot of folks, on the same two-year renewal cycle, it was a reunion, and it was clear many friendships had been forged at these events. As a fellow AOPA FIRC instructor used to quip: “Try doing that on a computer!”
As far as your point about CFIs having ‘specialized’ niches: I personally like to help folks overcome their flying “-ism’s”, whatever they might be.
I also like to just hang out at my airport, and when I observe someone doing something really stupid, I go share my opinion with them.
Great points David, but how many of those holding CFI certs are flying with the airlines? Your percentage of “Active” CFI’s hints at that point.
One huge issue that impedes CFI availability is the availability of insurance for dual. Many of CFIs (especially older/experienced) are reluctant to expose themselves to the possibility of a liability claim. “Open pilot warranties” on personal pilot policies are increasingly stringent. Unless a CFI is “active” (teaching actively and maintaining a personal policy) most are not going to be eager to casually engage in dual instruction. If a CFI teaches at a school, often their employment arrangement prevents private instruction.
Pre-COVID data indicated only 12% of CFIs were “active” (signing 8710s and recommending applicants). The recent surge in CFIs (~80K to 120K) probably altered this metric. The new CFs are often trained at fast-track “academies” and graduate as CFIs with only 10 hours of “real solo.” Modern schools rely on PDPIC (performing the duties of pilot in command). These operations do not even allow their CFIs to fly solo in their airplanes (!!)
I also wonder about that “12%” …and how the FAA defines an “active” CFI.
Certainly, there is a lot of legitimate flight instruction taking place that does not result in a CFI’s recommendation for a checkride.
Or a flight review or IPC ‘digitally’ recorded in IACRA.
I’m one of five CFIs in a 4-plane, 40+ member, non-profit, IRS tax exempt 501(c)(7) flying club: We are all fairly busy.
(None of us are current/former airline pilots.)
Because we are located on a NPIAS airport, along with a couple of actual flight schools, we cannot “appear” to be in the flight training business.
However, we do, legally, provide training for our members. Given most of our dual instruction doesn’t result in signing 8710s and recommending checkride applicants, the FAA doesn’t have an accurate record of our “activity”.
Good balanced story about young vs. old. Happens in every walk of life. However, based on the number of stories about CFIs who failed to grab the stick during a bad landing resulting in a crash act like they got their certs from Pep Boys. I’d go for a seasoned CFI for the same reason I’d go for a seasoned surgeon: more experience generally contributes to a successful outcome. Regards/J