CFI vs PPL

[201er]

I've thrown around the idea of getting CFI rating so I could officially teach my wife and prepare her for a rating. Unofficially, I've been teaching her about it little by little as we fly. She loves flying with me and has a passion for flight. In fact we first met because we both had parrots and both love flight. 

My question is, money/time wise what is the investment for me to get CFI vs a student to go start to finish for a PPL? I'm not counting the time it would take her to go for ppl if I were a CFI cause we could do it at our own pace, own plane, and it would just be my normal flying expenses applied toward that instead of some trips.

I'm not even commercial airplane but I do have all the requirements met but the last three hours of training, written, and practical. I have commercial glider for what it's worth. I attend at least several Wings classes a year and try to stay up to date on regs.

Has anyone here gone Private to CFI in a short time? How much study/training is involved for the rating? How would you compare the effort of me getting to CFI vs a newbie getting to private? Even if it's a similar effort, I might still go for it. But given that I don't expect to instruct more than one, I wouldn't want to invest several times the effort of getting PPL to become CFI.

[Bravoman]

I can't stand parrots but I sure do love flying!

[Guitarmaster]

I'm not sure that would be good for your marriage

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[peevee]

Well, you need a commercial before you apply for a cfi. 

 

CFI is fun, my oral only took 5 hours. 

[N9201A]

You won't save any money v. paying for a PPI, but the training for COM and CFI is invaluable and will make you a much better pilot. A 201 isn't as effective a primary training platform either, and more costly to fly than a 150/Warrior/Katana etc.

[201er]

8 minutes ago, N9201A said:

You won't save any money v. paying for a PPI, but the training for COM and CFI is invaluable and will make you a much better pilot. A 201 isn't as effective a primary training platform either, and more costly to fly than a 150/Warrior/Katana etc.

I wanna hear actual numbers. Don't forget that I consider any flying in my plane "no cost" because I'll fly a certain number of hours a year on it either way. I'll just shift some hours from a trip or two to cover the training flying. Renting anything is more expensive to me then flying my own bird.

PPL training in a rented plane would be at a much higher rate than hiring an instructor to get CFI training in my plane. So I'm trying to get an idea of how many hours of flight instruction to actually expect to work on CFI and how the difficulty of the commercial/CFI test for me would compare to a PPL for a newbie.

[Andy95W]

12 minutes ago, N9201A said:

You won't save any money v. paying for a PPI, but the training for COM and CFI is invaluable and will make you a much better pilot. 

+1

Next: if you want to stay married, don't be your wife's official instructor.  Mentor, advisor, confidant, tutor: all yes. Instructor: no.

[201er]

Just now, N1395W said:

+1

Next: if you want to stay married, don't be your wife's official instructor.  Mentor, advisor, confidant, tutor: all yes. Instructor: no.

Why?

[Andy95W]

It will create too many feelings of confrontation, criticism, condescension, and ill will.  In an extreme case, it could sour her feelings about flying forever.

My frame of reference: 2 marriages totaling about 19 years.

EDIT- Also- if you were to teach her in your 201, your insurance will sky rocket and you'll cringe every time she takes it up solo.  Or makes a bad landing.  

[N9201A]

Mike, this isn't a dollars/numbers issue.

Someone else mentioned insurance, I'm not sure any company would cover soloing a student in your plane - not to mention giving instruction in it.

And why rent a plane? I bet you've got people with slower aircraft who'd love to swap time in your bird for time in theirs.

Also, why not have your wife at least get through solo in a glider? It's simpler, cheaper, and develops better stick skills.

One pooched landing - a common enough event in primary training - and your theory that using your plane is cheaper is disproven...leaving aside additional wear and maintenance items from primary v. typical use.

I taught my daughter to drive and am teaching her to fly...but I wouldn't teach my wife...

Finally, educate yourself by reviewing current standards for the commercial and also the CFI. It's not one test, it'll be at least three writtens and two checkrides. You can study for and take a ground instructor rating immediately, which can get you a lot of the learning done for very little money...if you put the time in.

I found teaching something a fantastic way to learn it, and I learn something every time I fly. I've also tried to learn something from everyone I fly with.

I also learned a lot about instructing by doing it for a while before trying to take someone from zero to PPL.

[Danb]

Regarding teaching your wife to fly is quite individualistic, my old instructor taught his wife to fly at the age of 60 with no problems or issues at all, many others I'm sure would be a disaster. Only you and your wife can determine if it would work. 

Im positive most people would say they could not work with there wife, jeez I can't be with her at night let alone all the time, that would be the response, I basically have heard that statement for 40+ years. My wife, daughter and I have worked together all those years. The big deal would be separating your personal life from your duty and responsibility of an instructor. The way you two mesh together along with your similiar interests would lead me to believe it would be fine to teach her to fly. I've tried for years to teach mine to fly, my only success was to make her an excellent copilot who can't land a plane but is invaluable in hard IFR. Go for it.

 

[mike_elliott]

12 hours ago, 201er said:

My question is, money/time wise what is the investment for me to get CFI vs a student to go start to finish for a PPL? I'm not counting the time it would take her to go for ppl if I were a CFI cause we could do it at our own pace, own plane, and it would just be my normal flying expenses applied toward that instead of some trips.

I think you answered your own question in parts. It would be cheaper for you to get your CFI than for her to get her PPl at a school. That said, is it the best scenario for you to be teaching your wife? As an instructor, you are also an amateur therapist, and hear some of the darndest tales. A couple of points, the CFI ultimately will be a positive cash flow ticket at some point in your flying career. When I got mine, I did it just because it was a rating I didn't have. I had no idea it would lead me to where I am today. The CFI ride is the commercial from the right seat where you are teaching the whole time, plus some "advanced" airwork recovery. The oral will be about 6-8 hrs. long, hard to BS thru.

[ArtVandelay]

Just now, N1395W said: +1

Next: if you want to stay married, don't be your wife's official instructor.  Mentor, advisor, confidant, tutor: all yes. Instructor: no.

Why?

WADR, I don't think somebody who is so strongly opinionated would make a good instructor. What are you going to do when her instructor teaches her to use airspeed instead of AOA

I see no problem getting extra seat time in the 201 to supplement her learning, thereby minimizing the amount of instructor, rental time. And certainly use the 201 for the instrument training.

[Danb]

TJ, good point.

[yvesg]

The goal here is for her to get her license without spending an arm and a leg right? Here is a suggestion: Find an instructor who has access to a trainer like a Cessna 150 and trade with him teaching your wife in the trainer in exchange for hours on your Mooney. Many instructors would like to have such an access.

Yves

[gsxrpilot]

Just do it Mike.  As you say, time is your plane is free as you're gonna fly the hours anyway. But just take it one step at a time. You can probably get your Commercial done for very little cost, comparatively. You'll only pay for the CFI's time to get you through it. And it shouldn't take much instruction time at all.

There is one minor issue that might cause issues.  Most Mooney's don't have brakes on the right side. You'll need a lot of Right Seat time to be comfortable getting the CFI rating. You can get them added to the right side, but it's not cheap. For me, I'm hesitant to fly from the right seat unless I have an experienced pilot in the left seat.

I'm thinking the same way you are and will likely spend to get brakes on the right so I can start flying from the right seat. I'm where you are as well, I need the Commercial then CFI.

[Mooneymite]

18 hours ago, 201er said:

I've thrown around the idea of getting CFI rating...

Er....are you going to teach steep approaches and big bank angles on final?  

[PMcClure]

20 hours ago, 201er said:

Why?

How long have you been married?

 

[Guest]

22 hours ago, 201er said:

I've thrown around the idea of getting CFI rating so I could officially teach my wife and prepare her for a rating. Unofficially, I've been teaching her about it little by little as we fly. She loves flying with me and has a passion for flight. In fact we first met because we both had parrots and both love flight. 

My question is, money/time wise what is the investment for me to get CFI vs a student to go start to finish for a PPL? I'm not counting the time it would take her to go for ppl if I were a CFI cause we could do it at our own pace, own plane, and it would just be my normal flying expenses applied toward that instead of some trips.

I'm not even commercial airplane but I do have all the requirements met but the last three hours of training, written, and practical. I have commercial glider for what it's worth. I attend at least several Wings classes a year and try to stay up to date on regs.

Has anyone here gone Private to CFI in a short time? How much study/training is involved for the rating? How would you compare the effort of me getting to CFI vs a newbie getting to private? Even if it's a similar effort, I might still go for it. But given that I don't expect to instruct more than one, I wouldn't want to invest several times the effort of getting PPL to become CFI.

Some here are a bit confused. You want to teach your wife to fly not to "drive" the Mooney?

Clarence

[Browncbr1]

send her for some right seat ready with another cfi..   otherwise, you will lose out on left seat time in your own plane!

also, above posts are true..  i would find more value in paying someone else tell my wife she is doing something wrong...

[Andy95W]

1 hour ago, Browncbr1 said:

i would find more value in paying someone else tell my wife she is doing something wrong...

You have successfully summarized everything I was trying to say in one sentence.  Nice!

Mike hasn't been married long enough to realize the weight behind this one statement.

[N9201A]

1 hour ago, Browncbr1 said: Mike hasn't been married long enough to realize the weight behind this one statement.

And/or has only been married once...?

[kpaul]

 

22 minutes ago, N9201A said:

And/or has only been married once...?

 I have only been married once, and know I would never attempt to teach my wife to fly, but I also knew that when we got married after dating 3 years.  20 years later, I defiantly know better.

[Yetti]

There was a thread on someone who got their CFI on a dare