Careers

Make a living training corporate pilots

Got your attention?

The very notion of a classified advertisement promoting a job that offers a certificated flight instructor a decent, professional-level income is, if not miraculous, at least incomprehensible to the average general aviation flight instructor slugging it out with Cessna and Piper drivers at the local aerodrome for $18 per hour. Yet, there is a career path available out there for the select few who aren't entirely satisfied manipulating a winged metal tube from Point A to Point B, and would rather gain their personal and professional fulfillment by teaching others how to do just that in heavy iron. In this instance, Boeing and Airbus are excluded. The heavy-duty machinery referenced go by the names of Lear, Citation, Gulfstream, Hawker, and Falcon.

Very few airmen occupying the lowest rungs of the career ladder ever consider a professional track with one of the three major bizjet training organizations. That is unfortunate since this trio of enterprises can offer the dedicated instructor a career rivaling that of a tenured college professor in salary, benefits, intellectual stimulation, and lifestyle.

FlightSafety International is a name familiar to almost anyone who has been around the industry for awhile. Although the company operates a successful flight academy for primary pilots in Vero Beach, Florida, FlightSafety runs a total of 42 Learning Centers in the United States, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom - making it the largest provider of advanced aviation training services.

Founded in 1951, FlightSafety employs more than 1,200 professional instructors who train in the company's 200 high-tech simulators around the globe. Instructors not only whip pilots into shape for business and airline flight decks, but also impart their experience and knowledge with technicians, flight attendants, corporate schedulers, dispatchers, and other aviation professionals for the commercial, corporate, private, and military sectors. More than 65,000 pilots and maintenance personnel annually make their way through FlightSafety's programs.

The second member of the training triumvirate is CAE. This Canadian firm is less well-known to the average general aviation pilot but has been a major player in the industry since it was founded in 1947 with just 18 employees. CAE now employs more than 6,000 people in 17 countries around the world, including 1,200 in the United States. CAE generates a cool $1 billion annually because of its advanced simulation and controls products for civil aviation, military, and marine markets. Virtually every major domestic airline features CAE simulators in its training centers.

Over the past two years, the company has undergone a significant transformation from being primarily a supplier of simulation equipment to a provider of integrated training solutions. The crown jewel in CAE's corporate aircraft training venture is CAE SimuFlite in Dallas, Texas. CAE SimuFlite employs approximately 450 in Dallas and features 24 FAA-approved Level C and Level D business aircraft simulators, including the Beechjet, Cessna 400-series, Challenger 601, Piper Cheyenne, six versions of the Cessna Citation, three varieties of Falcon, four flavors of Gulfstream, two Hawkers, four types of Beech King Air, three Learjet models, Turbo Commander, and Westwind aircraft.

In a recent advertisement on its Web site (www.caesimuflite.com) for flight instructors, the company stipulates the "essential functions" of the CFI:

• Conduct flight simulation instruction and proficiency checking (FAR 61.58, 135. 293/297);
• Deliver classroom instruction in aircraft systems and procedures;
• Maintain qualifications in two aircraft programs;
• Conduct FAA type certification activities when designated as designated pilot examiner;
• Conduct Join Aviation Authority (European pilot certification agency) training and evaluations when assigned; and
• Assist in courseware development and suggest improvements in training programs to keep up to date, accurate, and responsive to client needs and desires.

The minimum qualifications and requirements are:

• ATP certificate
• Ability to work as a member of a team
• Simulator, aircraft, and/or ground school aviation instruction experience
• Above-average presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Must be able to work flexible hours and schedule
• Computer experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other courseware applications

Desirable experience includes:

• DA 2000 type rating
• Bachelors degree or equivalent
• Three years or more experience as an aviation instructor
• Minimum of 3,000 hours of total time
• Solid aviation background; international experience a plus
Operational experience in type

The third major player in the field of corporate aircrew training is SimCom, a division of Pan Am International Flight Academy. With three locations (Orlando and Vero Beach, Florida, and Scottsdale, Arizona), SimCom certainly does not rank as one of the largest training firms - but its mission, facilities, and quality are on a par with the biggest.

Tracy Brannon is vice president and managing director of SimCom International, Inc., and general manager of the company's business aviation division. He is based at and oversees SimCom's recently opened 70,000-square-foot Orlando facility, which features 30 instructors of propeller-driven equipment, 15 jet instructors, and 16 simulators.

About the state of hiring at SimCom, Brannon says, "Like the Marines, we are always looking for a few good people. We want to keep the hiring pool at a very professional level. We are fortunate in that we always have outstanding people who want to come and work for us. We recruit from all over the country, and we welcome r�sum�s from qualified individuals."

SimCom's instructor hiring requirements are very similar to CAE's; the applicant must possess the appropriate FAA pilot and instructor certificates, with operational experience in type highly preferred. "The norm for our new instructors is the 15-plus-year corporate pilot who has been out there in the field and has acquired good operational experience in two or three types of corporate aircraft. We like to see about 1,000 hours of time in a particular type, such as a Navajo. But we have had several instructors come to us with what we would call the minimum threshold experience - just 1,500 hours of flight time and a flight instructor certificate - but we saw in them a great potential to teach. Again, passion for teaching is really important for us."

The selection process is designed to determine not only technical and instructional expertise, but also the depth of dedication to teaching. "Each instructor candidate is interviewed at one of our sites by a center manager," Brannon says. "The personal interview lasts about an hour. Since we have already reviewed the application and r�sum�, we do know that the applicant does possess the requisite technical background and FAA certification. A college degree is not necessary. What we really want to learn in the interview is what kind of 'people person' is this candidate. Can this person stand in front of our clients and articulate the information that our customer needs? Then, if we invite the instructor back for a second interview, it is at that time we will put him into a simulator to get an idea of how he flies. There is no written test."

Instructors at SimCom may be hired at differing pay levels depending on the kind of equipment that is taught. Brannon states, "Pay does vary from aircraft to aircraft and from center to center. For a 'prop' instructor, salary might start between $40,000 and $45,000. A jet instructor starting salary could range between $45,000 and $67,000 annually."

Once hired, the new instructor will participate in aircraft initial training, similar to what a SimCom customer would undertake. Then, the CFI will take the recurrent training course. It is here that the new trainer will gain some experience teaching a few modules. Along with personalized training, the instructor is then prepared to teach solo. When appropriate, SimCom will provide the instructor with a type rating at no cost to the employee.

A typical day for, say, a King Air instructor involved in initial training might include an 8 a.m. Monday start for the customer crew with two hours of classroom instruction followed by two hours in the simulator. After a lunch break, the afternoon session will likewise include two hours of ground school and two hours of sim instruction. The same daily routine would hold through Friday. For the King Air 300/350 series, that regimen would be followed by airplane training in preparation for the checkride to be conducted over the weekend.

It is of interest to note that a SimCom client will have the same instructor throughout the training program for ground school, simulator, and airplane.

SimCom has an upgrade policy that is quite attractive. A new basic instructor meeting the minimum requirements might be assigned to train the Piper Saratoga at the company's Vero Beach center. Then, with time and exceptional performance, the company can move that CFI into more sophisticated equipment at SimCom's expense.

Other benefits for the SimCom instructor include two weeks' paid vacation the first year, major medical insurance, a Section 401(k) retirement plan with an employer contribution match, and other health and life insurance products.

As might be imagined, high turnover is not a problem at SimCom, FlightSafety, or CAE SimuFlite - all of which have similar requirements, job descriptions, pay, and benefits. This can be attributed to outstanding treatment by these companies, a sense of ownership and accomplishment by the instructor employee, a salary that actually pays what the professional instructor is worth and is competitive with full-time flying jobs, and an attractive lifestyle. Openings do develop, however; as of this writing, two of these three companies were looking. If you do not have what it takes right now, think about grooming yourself for that future job as a major league CFI.

Wayne Phillips is an airline transport pilot with a Boeing 737 type rating and is a designated pilot examiner based in Colorado. He is a speaker for the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.