How much does Flight Instructor make?

Flight instructors can earn a maximum $237,442.72 total pay annually according to the flight instructor career path. Of course, it can take years of flights to reach this income level. Most instructors start out their career earning closer to the position's minimum of $75,255.07 in total pay each year. On average, flight instructors earn $129,750.12 between salary and additional pay annually.

There are several ways to raise your salary as a flight instructor. The easiest method may be to simply find additional students to teach. To obtain more students, it may be necessary for you to learn to fly different types of planes or relocate to a region of the country where there is a larger demand for flight training. You can also improve your marketability by obtaining a college degree in aviation, obtaining a FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certification, and becoming a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). Your total pay should improve once this investment in education is combined with more hours spent in the cockpit.

There will come a point in your career when you want to negotiate for a higher salary as a flight instructor. To have the best chance of success, you need to understand the average pay for a flight instructor of your experience. Read job postings online to discover what others near you are offering, and use this as a bargaining chip to leverage a higher pay from your employer. If you have experience with different types of aircraft, highlight this during the meeting and use it as a selling point to ask for 15% to 20% more than you're currently making.