Certified Flight Instructor Jobs in San Diego, CA

It's essential to know the prerequisites for landing a Flight Instructor Job in San Diego, CA. To meet the FAR Part 135 requirements, a flight instructor job applicant needs to log 500 hours. To be insured, a flight instructor seeking a job near San Diego, CA requires at least 850 plus hours (Pilot In Command). Under the Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996 (PRIA) it compels hiring air carriers (under 14 CFR part 135) to request, receive, and evaluate certain information regarding a flight instructor job in San Diego, CA.

This must be accomplished before a pilot candidate can begin flying for an aviation employer. This is a crucial process in obtaining any professional pilot job. Employers glean vital info and then assess flight instructor job prospects from San Diego, CA with the following information: 

• Training
• Experience
• Qualifications
• Safety background

Working as a flight instructor in San Diego, CA is extremely hard, and some in the industry believe acquiring one's flight instructor license/rating is the toughest challenge in all of aviation. It seems that most flight instructor students would be attracted to the aviation field because it is such a tough challenge.

Wages and salaries for a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) in San Diego, CA generally range from $30,000 to $60,000 per year ($15 to $30 per hour), but this depends greatly on experience, location, weather, hours have flown, and demand. The greatest factor in compensation is how many hours you are able to fly.

To gain a top-flight instructor in San Diego, CA, you'll need to earn your commercial pilot rating. As previously mentioned, earning a commercial pilot rating will take anywhere from 190 to 250 hours. Fortunately, you only need 25 hours of training time to become a certified flight instructor, or CFI, for airplanes.

There is a shortage of flight instructors in San Diego, CA, and it may get worse. Regional airlines have hired all the flight instructors they can and are still short of pilots. Flight schools in San Diego, CA rarely retain instructors past the point at which they qualify for an airline despite the growing need for training.