The journey to becoming a professional pilot has traditionally been a long and expensive one, requiring hundreds of flight hours and multiple certifications before being able to earn money. However, the FAA Sport Pilot Instructor Certificate (CFI-S) offers a potential shortcut for aspiring aviators, allowing them to start teaching and earning income with significantly fewer hours than a traditional Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).
Steps to Becoming a Sport Pilot CFI
- Private Pilot Certificate: This is the foundation for all pilot certifications. You’ll learn basic flight maneuvers, navigation, and safety procedures. A Sport Pilot Certificate will be sufficient if you do not aspire to larger standard category aircraft, or simply wish to obtain your Private Pilot Certificate at a later date.
- Instrument Rating: This rating allows you to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), relying on instruments rather than visual references. It’s a crucial step toward becoming a professional pilot and will be required for flight instruction in standard category aircraft as a traditional CFI. While not required for Sport Pilot Instructors, this training is highly recommended. While nothing prevents a Sport Pilot Certificate holder from obtaining instrument training, as of the time of writing, you must have a Private Pilot Certificate or higher to obtain your Instrument Pilot Certificate.
- Sport Pilot CFI: Once you have your Sport Pilot or Private Pilot Certificate, and optionally Instrument Rating, you can pursue the Sport Pilot CFI. The minimum total time requirement is only 150 hours, compared to 250 hours for a traditional CFI. This means you could potentially start instructing and earning income much sooner.
Advantages of the Sport Pilot CFI Pathway
- Faster entry into paid instruction: The lower flight hour requirement allows you to start earning money sooner, helping to offset the cost of further training and certifications.
- No Instrument or Commercial Pilot Certificate required: Unlike traditional CFIs, you don’t need an Instrument or Commercial Pilot Certificate to become a Sport Pilot CFI.
- Valuable experience: Flight instruction is an excellent way to build flight hours and experience while getting paid. It also helps develop essential communication and teaching skills.
- Continuing the Journey to a Professional Pilot Career
After earning your Sport Pilot CFI, you’ll continue working toward your ultimate goal of becoming a professional pilot. This typically involves the following steps:
- Instrument Pilot Certificate: This rating allows you to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), relying on instruments rather than visual references.
- Commercial Pilot Certificate: This certificate allows you to fly for hire.
- Certified Flight Instructor (CFI): With this certificate, you can instruct in standard category aircraft.
- Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII): This allows you to provide instrument flight instruction in standard category aircraft.
- Multi Engine (Flight) Instructor (MEI): This allows you to provide instrument flight instruction in standard category aircraft.
- Airline Transport Pilot (ATP): Required for airline operations such as Part 121 carriers (American, United, Delta, etc.), and most Part 135 carriers. While exceptions exist for certain Part 135 carriers, that’s beyond the scope of this article.
Conclusion
The Sport Pilot CFI pathway offers a unique opportunity for aspiring aviators to accelerate their journey to a professional pilot career. By starting to instruct with fewer flight hours, you can gain valuable experience, earn income, and build hours towards further certifications. While it’s not the traditional route, it’s a viable option for those seeking a faster and more affordable path to a paid flying career.
Thanks Bill. You made a good point. My own thought process few years ago was to “take advantage” of the CFI-S rules. Gladly I scraped this plan and realized that going through the IFR/CSEL/CFI route was the right one (for me) as my main goal is to be the safest pilot I can be. Will shall see what MOSAIC will bring in the realm of flight instruction.
Thanks, Kyle!
It seems like the traditional approach was the most suitable for you. One must carefully consider their circumstances, conduct thorough research, and make the best decision based on their situation.
Do you need a medical to be a sport pilot CFI? I’m looking at this as not a path forward, but as retirement activity.
TJ,
An FAA Airman Medical is not required for CFI-S, but your most recent FAA Medical cannot have been denied, suspended, or revoked, or any Special Issuance withdrawn. You will need a valid U.S. Issued Driver’s License.
I recommend consulting your Primary Care physician if you have any questions or concerns about your medical fitness to operate an aircraft. They can refer you to an AME if necessary. You can also hire an AME on a consultancy basis to address these questions without going through the FAA Medical process. Not all AMEs will provide this service, but you should be able to find one that will.
Make sure to refer to the Aviation Medicine Advisory Service website’s medication database to ensure that you are not taking any medication that is on the FAA Restricted or Prohibited list. If you are, consult your healthcare provider to see if you can replace the problematic medication with an acceptable one. It may also be necessary to have a consultation with an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).
We know so much about the aircraft in the LSA world but the pilot certification and privileges are much less known. Congratulations to Bill for assembling this information.
Agreed, Dan. There still seems to be some ambiguity out there. I regularly attend FAASTeam safety seminars, and LSA questions almost always come up after the seminar. Thank you for your commendation.
Great article Dan!
Thanks Hollis, but you note that I was not the author of this good information. Thankfully we have some great people adding to the list of contributors to ByDanJohnson.com!
Dan, thank you for the kudos!
I think you guys are having a hard time to fill out “Dan’s shoes” in writing content for this website. In any case, as it relates to CFI-S avenue my advice to whoever read this is don’t take this road. You will be surprised to learn almost 95% of DPE’s in the market ARE NOT qualified for Sport Pilot check rides let alone instructor check ride. And good luck! finding one. It might be enticing to think that you can be a flight instructor without having a CSEL and IFR rating and get paid for it and have a good pipeline of students. The reality is that a very small segment of prospective are looking for a sport pilot privileges and majority are aiming for a pilot career which include becoming a CFI and CFII. All this is my own experience and I come from the S-LSA industry representing an LSA manufacturer in the US. I fly a TAA LSA as well and currently ASEL rated, working on CSEL and IFR.
Well, we are trying new things, which is not the same as having a hard time. What sort of content do you prefer?
Kyle, you make some excellent points. There are parts of the country where obtaining LSA training and testing is presently very difficult. If MOSAIC lives up to the promises, this may change the landscape dramatically. Nevertheless, in the right place with the right market, this has worked for some people in real life.
As per the article, I highly recommend getting IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) training, even if the prospective CFI-S (Certificated Flight Instructor – Sport) isn’t planning on further advancement. I recommend this to any and all pilots. While I didn’t elaborate on this in the article since it was beyond the scope, it’s important to note that the leading cause of Loss of Control (LOC) accidents is the result of VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions) flight into IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions). Sadly, these accidents are generally fatal and completely preventable.
the so-called new sport pilot rules and regulations concerning aircraft and Sport Pilots is still at least three more years away if the FAA uses their extensions and I’m sure they will so that that puts it in late 27
Question is, what are the differences in training requirements for the sport vs traditional CFI….
Dave, the answer to this question could be an article by itself, but here’s a brief overview:
Scope of Privileges:
* CFI-S: Can only train students for a Sport Pilot certificate in Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA).
* Traditional CFI: Can train students for a variety of pilot certificates, including Sport Pilot, Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, and more, in a broader range of aircraft.
Knowledge and Skillset:
* CFI-S: Requires a deep understanding of LSA operations, limitations, and regulations.
* Traditional CFI: Requires broader knowledge encompassing various aircraft types, complex maneuvers, and advanced flight operations.
Specific Training Requirements:
*CFI-S: Must hold a Sport Pilot certificate, pass the Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI) and CFI-S knowledge exams, and receive flight training and endorsement from a Sport or Private CFI. The minimum flight hour requirement is 150 flight hours. A U.S. Issued Driver’s License can be used in lieu of a 3rd Class Medical (or BasicMed), so long as their most recent FAA medical certificate was not denied, suspended, or revoked, or any Special Issuance withdrawn.
* Traditional CFI: Must hold a Commercial Pilot certificate, pass the FOI and CFI knowledge exams, and complete more extensive flight training, including complex maneuvers and night flying. The minimum flight hour requirement is 250* flight hours. The pilot must have a 3rd Class Medical, or be operating under BasicMed with BasicMed limitations and restrictions.
(* Part 61 school – Part 141 school 190 flight hours, however unrealistic for most – 300 flight hours is common)
In essence, a CFI-S focuses on training pilots specifically for the Sport Pilot certificate and LSA operations, while a traditional CFI has a broader scope, able to train pilots for various certificates and aircraft types. The training requirements reflect this difference in scope and responsibility.