Certified Flight Instructor

Become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)

If you would like a career in aviation, then our CFI program is for you. As a CFI, you can get paid to teach students working towards their private pilots license while racking up the 1,500 minimum hours required by most airlines to become a commercial pilot.

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How Can I Become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)?

Meet FAA Requirements

You must be at least 18 years old to become a certified flight instructor. You must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English.

Hold a Valid FAA 3rd-Class Medical Certificate

You may already have acquired this medical certificate for your private pilot license. A 3rd-class medical is valid for 60 months from the date of issuance if you’re under 40 years old, or 24 months if you’re over 40. You will need at least a 3rd-class medical to be a certified flight instructor, although a higher 2nd- or 1st-class medical works just as well.

Hold a Commercial Pilot License with 250 Hours of Flight Time

You must hold a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and have logged 250 hours of flight time (the requirement for your CPL). Alternatively, you can hold an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and an Instrument Rating to be eligible for a CRI. Since an ATPL requires 1500 hours of flight time, it is definitely the harder route to go if you are a first-time pilot.

Log 25 Hours of Training Time

You need 25 hours of training time (at a minimum) to become a certified flight instructor on airplanes. You can rent a plane from Aero Elite to complete this training time.

Pass a FAA Airmen Knowledge Test

You must pass a FAA Airmen Knowledge Test with a grade of 70% of higher. This test will focus on aeronautical knowledge and skills.

Pass Your FAA Checkride

You must go on a FAA checkride and receive a logbook endorsement from an authorized FAA instructor on the fundamentals of instructing. See this Practical Guide to the CFI Checkride.

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What Can I Do as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)?

As a certified flight instructor, you can teach students working on their private pilot license and other flight certifications. These are the three types of flight instructor certificate you can earn:

1. Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)

A flight instructor for single-engine aircraft.

2. Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument (CFII)

A flight instructor that teaches instrument flying for an IFR rating.

3. Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI)

A flight instructor for multi-engine aircraft.

Many students who graduate from Aero Elite’s CFI training program love the community and culture here so much that they stay on to work with us. You can see our current instructors here.

What Jobs Can I Apply For as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)?

Once you are a certified flight instructor, you can work toward the minimum 1,500 hours flight time you need to qualify as an Airline Transport Pilot and be hired by an airline. Alumni from our CFI program have gone on to work with several airlines as well as the US military.

Our CFI graduates get great jobs.

Republic Airways

Partners with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, averaging 1,000 daily flights to cities in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Central America.

Bobby Chahal - Republic Airways

Johnathan DiClemente - Republic Airways

Haeri Jung - Republic Airways

PSA Airlines

Operates more than 800 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations on behalf of American Airlines.

Andrew Selino - PSA

Dave Powell - PSA

Matt DoCampo - PSA

United Airlines

United operates a large domestic and international route network spanning cities large and small across the United States and all six inhabited continents.