Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Accelerated Program

How much do I get paid as a CFI?

Upon completion of a CFI rating, you can flight instruct to build time. Flight Instructors get paid between $25-$35 per hour depending on the level of CFI.

Time building as a CFI is a great way to hone your skills, pass your knowledge onto aspiring pilots and earn some money along the way. By getting the CFII (Instrument Instructor) and MEI (Multi-engine Instructor) you can boost your hourly pay to the higher end of the scale.

Program Training Breakdown and Time Allocation

JA Flight Training

2 Weeks Accelerated CFIA Academy

Price: $6740.00

4% processing fee for using credit cards.

$1000 non-refundable deposit due at registration, plus $390 registration materials purchased per class. Remaining balance due on start date of Academy. Date change requests will be charged a $100 rescheduling fee and must be received 2 weeks prior to original class start date. Any remaining account funds must be used up, no refunds will be given.

Prerequisites

• Current FAA Commercial Pilot with Instrument Rating
• Valid FAA 3rd Class Medical
• CFI-A, CFI-I, FOI Written Exam Completed
• CFI-A and CFI-I Online Training Course Completed (access give upon registration)

Basic Course Outline

CFI-A: First 2 weeks (Monday-Saturday: 10 Days of Classroom. Saturdays & Sundays reserved for make-up flights, self-study and lesson prep) Students have access to classroom/conference room for studying and prep all 14 days.

• 40 Hours of Ground Instruction (4 hours of classroom instruction daily)
• 10 Hours Dual Flight Instruction in Cessna 172 S, N or M model. (Aircraft model will be chosen at JA’s discretion).
• Spin Endorsement Included if Needed. 
• 5 Hours Pre & Post Flight Instruction Briefings

CFI-I: Week 3 (Monday–Saturday: 5 days of Classroom. Saturday reserved for make-up flights)

• 20 Hours of Ground Instruction (4 hours of classroom instruction daily)
• 5 Hours Dual Flight Instruction in Cessna 172 S, N or M model. (Aircraft model will be chosen at JA’s discretion).
• 3.5 Hours Pre & Post Flight Instruction Briefings
• 2 Hours Dual Instruction in the RedBird Simulator

This course is scheduled for two consecutive weeks, Monday through Friday from approximately 7am until 2:00pm, Saturday and Sunday are reserved for weather or mechanical delays. Upon receipt of the registration fee, JA Flight Training will reach out to a local DPE to schedule a check ride for the week following course completion. The actual date of the check ride will be dependent on DPE availability. The approximate cost of your check ride is $1500.00. This will vary depending on DPE. The cost of the DPE is not included the registration fee and is the responsibility of the student.

Class Dates through 2026:

• Monday, September 14th through Friday September 25th - Registration deadline Monday, August 24th
• Monday, October 19th through Friday October 30th - Registration deadline Monday, September 28th
• Monday, November 2nd through Friday, November 13th - Registration deadline Monday, October 12th
• Monday, November 30th through Friday, December 11th - Registration deadline Monday, November 9th