Sport Pilot Instructor Training

If there is one thing our sport needs more of it is good instructors.  A good instructor must:

• Be a skilled and experienced pilot.
• Be a safe pilot (skilled and experienced don't automatically make you safe).
• Be a professional pilot (as an instructor you have crossed the line from recreational pilot to professional pilot and authorized to charge for your time).
• Like people -- if you don't like people you won't like being an instructor.
• Love introducing others to flying.

Privileges of a Sport Pilot

You can teach people how to fly and charge for the privilege.

Requirements

If you are not currently a CFI for another catagory of aircraft then you must:

• Be 18 or older
• Hold a valid US driver's license or FAA 3rd Class Medical certificate
• Have a total of 150 hours of flight time.
  • At least 100 hours in powered aircraft
  • At least 50 hours in weight-shift control aircraft
  • At least 25 hours of cross country flight time
  • At least 10 hours cross country flight in a trike
  • At least 15 hours of PIC time in a trike
• Pass two written knowledge tests (Fundamentals of Instruction test and the Weight-Shift Flight Instructor test)
• Pass a practical test/checkride (oral test followed by flight test)

While getting your SP-CFI is a significant achievement don't let the requirements discourage you.  The "hardest" part is the 150 hours of flying and that is the fun part.  For the average Sport Pilot those 150 hours represent 3-4 years of flying.  By that time you have both hours and the experience to seriously consider becoming an instructor. Introducing others to flight is a great way of paying back whoever it was that taught you how to fly.

If you are already a CFI and want to add trikes to the list of aircraft you can instruct in your requirements are much simpler.  In a nutshell you must:

• See two instructors (we have three here in Lynchburg)
• First instructor trains you.  There are no minimum number of hours and no solo requirements.
• Second Instructor gives you the practical test.  You do not have to take the FAA knowledge test.

For more information on adding the weight-shift CFI privileges to your existing CFI certificate read our article on the subject titled "GA Transition to Trikes."

Advantages of being a SP-CFI

The obvious one is being able to introduce others to flying and getting paid for it.  But there are some not so obvious advantages you should consider.  For example, as an instructor you can turn your hobby into a small business with attractive tax advantages. You can become a part-time dealer (as the East US distributor for AirBorne we are always looking for more dealer/instructors) and earn some commission money to help pay for your flying.  The bottom line is that you don't have to do much instructing or selling to pay for a year's worth of flying.

If any of the above is of interest to you and you would like know more about being a professional pilot let us know.

For more information on the advantages and requirements of becoming a SP-CFI check out the article we wrote for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) titled "Where are all the weight-shift examiners?"