FIFlight Instructor
FI
Career

Flight Instructor

By the numbers
Typical pay
$46,800 / yr
Education to start
High school diploma or equivalent
Future demand
+3.7% by 2034
People in this job
332K
Figures shown for ·closest of 3 O*NET occupations
The work
A day, hour by hour
07:00
Weather call

Pull forecasts, METARs, and winds — fly or cancel today's lessons.

07:30
Pre-flight brief

Walk the student through today's maneuvers on the whiteboard before touching the plane.

08:00–09:30
Morning flight

Up in the pattern — coach stalls and crosswind landings, hands ready to take over.

09:45
Debrief & logbook

Break down every mistake, sign the logbook, and decide: solo-ready or not yet?

10:30–12:00
Ground school

Teach weather theory and airspace rules to a group prepping for the FAA written exam.

13:00–14:30
Afternoon flight

Second student up — instrument approaches today, errors corrected in real time.

14:45
Checkride prep

Drill a student on oral exam questions; they test next week, no room for gaps.

16:00
Flight review

Take a licensed pilot up for their biennial review — assess, sign off, or flag deficiencies.

17:15
Records & wrap

File training records, update student progress notes, plan tomorrow's lessons.

Things you do
  • Fly alongside student pilots and coach them through maneuvers in real time.
  • Take control of the aircraft instantly when a student makes a dangerous mistake.
  • Teach ground school lessons on weather, navigation, and aviation rules.
  • Debrief students after every flight, breaking down what went right and wrong.
  • Prep students for their checkride, the high-stakes test to earn their license.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Is my student ready to solo, or do they need more time with me?
  • Should I take the controls right now, or let them work through this mistake?
  • Is this weather safe enough to fly in, or do we cancel today's lesson?
  • Is my student genuinely struggling, or just having an off day?
  • Should I push this student harder, or ease up before I shake their confidence?
Education Pathways · how you get there
68 in 100 went the college route · 32 in 100 found another way in Less than 5 years, typically
Education mapped from O*NET:
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