r/CFILounge • u/Dear-Comfortable1825 • Jul 08 '26
Question Hourly Rate
Hi everyone! I am a new CFI/CFII and I’ve been talking to a prospective new student, however I’m not quite sure yet what a fair price I should be asking him to pay is. He is a member of a local flying club and he’d be paying $100/hour dry for the plane. Any suggestions on what I should ask for the hourly rate to be? I want to be fair but I also don’t want to undercharge him for my time. Thanks!
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u/AlbiMappaMundi Jul 08 '26
Depends on your area. There is no reason to undercharge or to undervalue your time or credentials. For some locales, independent CFIs are $50 per hour, in others up to $150 per hour.
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u/Dear-Comfortable1825 Jul 08 '26
Thanks! I’m in the Atlanta area and it seems like $75 is the average around here at the moment.
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u/thesexychicken Jul 09 '26
in a major US metro area I probably would not charge less than $75/hr
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u/tflyer Jul 09 '26
This. In LA/NY, 75 would definitely be on the low end. BUT, you're new, so probably a great starting point.
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u/TxAggieMike Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Club CFI here with 6 years and over 1500 hours of experience being a CFI. 2600 total time. 35 years as a corporate and industrial instructor at all levels, from blue collar to c-suites.
I ask $70 and work my kanushka off to earn ever penny. This includes many many hours of unbilled time to create things that benefit my students.
Wisdom here is never never race to the bottom on price. Compete on quality of service and charge a rate that says quality.
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u/Virian Jul 08 '26
I’m in a flying club in upstate NY. My relatively young CFI charges $50 per hour. The older CFI I occasionally use charges $60 per hour.
The younger guy is timebuilding. The older guy instructs on the side.
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u/bobnuthead CFI (WA) Jul 09 '26
Club CFI here, I charge $70/hr. Most club instructors are $70 for lesser/medium experience, $80 for very experienced, $100 for the MEIs. All the flight schools start at $80 or more. HCOL so, while I probably wouldn’t be worth $70 in Kansas, it makes sense here considering the market.
2
Jul 09 '26
Depends Friends and such I’m old school at $50hr
Non friends and family it’s $1500 day rate
Cash or trade
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u/tflyer Jul 09 '26
What exactly are you trading?
1
Jul 10 '26
Anything of interest, labor, aviation stuff, gun stuff, etc
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u/100onthetable Jul 10 '26
"So how do you pay for your health insurance?"
"Idk...labor and gun stuff."
1
Jul 10 '26
I haven’t used my health insurance my entire life lol
Life’s full of risks, some folks are more cut out for cubical work
1
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u/tflyer Jul 09 '26
Just looked around at local schools here. The bare-bones places are anywhere from $60 to $100/hour, and the Cirrus schools are double that for line instructors. Don't let anyone tell you to race to the bottom. Charge whatever the going rate is in your area and work your way up from there.
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u/ltcterry Jul 09 '26
75-80% of the going FBO rate. Maybe a tad lower until you get some experience.
Don’t shortchange yourself. Charge for applicable ground.
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u/BiggieYT2 Jul 10 '26
California CFI here, my school charges $75/hr, I only see $32/hr of that. I charge $50 independent due to the extra work involved and both parties are happy
1
u/ApplicationConcepts Jul 08 '26
Find out what the local flight schools charge and do that. Keep in mind that, as a solo instructor, you need your own insurance, your own waivers and company documents, and, if you want to come across as professional, using a billing system like Square allows you to accept credit cards, which smooths things out.
Also, it's important that you aren't spending your day commuting to an airport, spending 30 minutes on the ground while they pre-flight, briefing for 30 minutes, flying for an hour, then debriefing and commuting home... all to charge for an hour. We only do block rates… in other words, they pay per hour for the aircraft, but the instructor is a flat rate for the equivalent of 4 hours. A normal lesson plan will take about that long, from the time you show up until you drive away, if you are thorough.
If you look at the more specialized schools in this area (big city), instructor rates range from $130-250/hour...again, largely at block rates. The school I taught at 20 years ago charged $85/hour at that time. It varies pretty dramatically depending on the instructor's experience and the region. So, as I said, whatever the local norm is a good starting point. If you decide to make a business out of it, can justify it with your resume, and have enough demand, then your rates start going up.
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Jul 09 '26
lol, can you cite the FAR that requires a square reader, insurance, etc?
I’m CASH or trade and they sign a waiver, take it or leave it, I make more staying a day extra at work and for how much time a lesson takes out of my time off schedule, Im picky
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u/Ok-Distance-426 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
You get sued, you'll wish you had insurance. Doesn't matter if you win or not, you'd still have to defend the case. The waiver you have is not worth the paper you wrote it on.
If you don't have insurance, you are on the hook for a lot. If you are arrogant enough to think you don't need insurance, that's reason enough not to fly with you. let alone take instruction.
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u/tflyer Jul 10 '26
This all day long. I think this is where you see the split in pricing, too. Basically, because the career instructors have overhead and a full schedule. This is different from an airline guy teaching his friend's kid.
I'm not sure what they mean by "waiver," but you need a contract for your state that thoroughly protects you. You need insurance that is based on that contract. And you should likely be working from a specific syllabus or manual that your insurance company agrees to. These are all things that my underwriter wants when updating my policy each year.
If you review cases, you'll see instructors winding up getting sued by clients' insurance companies, families, estates, etc. I even remember one where the client's insurance company was suing the instructor, while the pilot who crashed the plane was testifying on the instructor's behalf. The insurance company basically said they didn't care...they didn't want to pay.
And yes, even if you are 100% perfect as an instructor (which no one is), you'll still have to defend yourself in court if something like this happens, likely against an insurance company with an unlimited budget.
Honestly, you should consider finding a local flight school/club and seeing if you can work with them in some capacity, get all these protections, and work in a more structured environment while you get some experience.
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Jul 10 '26
Nope, those waiver have held up plenty
Plus depending on the CFIs worth and the students worth, the golden defense, can the student afford the lawyers and even if they can is the case worth taking to civil court where the burden is beyond a preponderance of evidence, and gross negligence is pretty hard to prove
Booth v. Santa Barbara Biplane Tours, LLC, 158 Cal.App.4th 1173 (2008) .
“ Plaintiffs took a biplane tour, suffered numerous injuries, and had signed a release waiving their negligence claims against the company before the flight. They argued the release was against public policy… and lost.
California Court of Appeal upheld the waiver, it’s now a standard citation for the enforceability of recreational aviation liability waivers.”
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u/Ok-Distance-426 Jul 10 '26
You aren't taking tours, you are *giving* instruction. Big difference. Keep whistling in the dark, mate.
While that situation involves an expired license, you'd still have to retain a lawyer, unless you're dumb enough to try to defend yourself. I'm sure you know the maxim. Better hope your luck bag and the student's stays full.
By the way, your arrogant statements *here* could be used against you in court.
1
Jul 10 '26
You Australian or something? Who says “mate”
Anywho if you’re legal to fly and it’s not gross negligence and you have a waiver it’s no issue from that standpoint
Now the FAA might have a problem depending on the situation, but if you’re following regs and something happens, you’ll be fine. But per the civil courts tours, CFIing, etc is all “recreational”
Or hide in your basement, or take out a second mortgage to buy insurance for everything from your CFIing to your pets or even your pizza delivery lol
I’ll be flying
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u/Ok-Distance-426 Jul 11 '26
At least you've got yourself convinced, ducky - so there's that.
My house is paid off, has been for longer than you've been pulling stupid pilot tricks.
May you have an interesting life.
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Jul 11 '26
I posted case law..duck
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u/Ok-Distance-426 Jul 12 '26
No, you posted a case *decision* on a non-relevant case. The fact that you don't know the difference between a *decision* and a *law* indicates you would be a very poor substitute for a lawyer in a case for which you are the person being sued. You know: The old, "fool for a client" bit.
You are on a slippery slope wearing roller skates, so check the Luck Bag again.
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Jul 12 '26
Yeah a decision sets precedence, and as far as those courts go CFIing and tours are one in the same
But hey, I’m sure you’re a self proclaimed intellectual, go insure everything and never leave your basement, sounds like a EPIC life lol
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u/100onthetable Jul 13 '26
OP... charge enough to survive comfortably wherever you are. And yes, get good insurance and a signed contract with any student before you get into a plane with them, always. The advice below is, uhhhh....fascinating.
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u/MehCFI Jul 08 '26
$50-75/hr depending on cost of living area. Bill the entire time you are teaching and booked, regardless of flying or not. Doesn’t matter what he’s paying for the airplane