How Much Does a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate Cost?

By Dan
Pilot Training

What Is a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate?

A Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate is a popular choice for pilots looking to build flight hours or start a career in instruction. The CFI certificate allows a person holding a commercial license to then turn around and teach others to fly. The cost of obtaining a CFI certificate is often the lowest among major pilot training milestones. This post seeks to show one example of what the costs were that went into the training for a CFI certificate.

To obtain a CFI certificate you must be at least 18 years old and hold a commercial pilot certificate. The CFI Certificate does not have any specific additional training minimums for flight hours. There are two written tests that are required for a CFI cert. The Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI) test focuses on the principles of learning and teaching, making it a key requirement for earning your CFI certificate. There is an additional test for the category of instructor which, for an airplane, is the FIA. This is the Flight Instructor Airplane written test. The lack of specific minimums does not mean that you won't spend some time flying to get used to the right seat. I flew several times after some initial instruction to acclimate to right seat flying, and that is a fairly typical step for trainees.

As I did in my earlier post about The Cost of a Private Pilot Certificate post, I'll begin with a summary before diving into the details. I spent a total amount of $5,586 for my CFI certificate. Like my private pilot training, my follow-through wavered leaving some gaps in training and redoing some of those sessions. My total time spent training, even with my gap was about 10 months. The gap in training I had was 4 months long.

My Experience and Lessons Learned While Training for a CFI Certificate

After a few months of working on my CFI certificate and completing my written exams, I quit. Side note on this. Be careful about the content you consume learning about flight training. I attribute my temporary quitting to feeling overwhelmed about how difficult the checkride was going to be. My checkride was a great experience and nothing like the intimidating experiences I watched videos about on YouTube. After several videos that scared me away, I found this blog post from Weston Woodward that helped me regain my confidence that I could pass the checkride: https://www.westonlwoodward.com/blog/2017/cfiwriteup.

At that point I had only spent about $1000 for a total of 4.1 hours of flight time and my written exams. I don't think I actually lost much here, I continued to fly right seat through the next several months to keep my familiarity in tact as I decided whether or not I would return to training.

Specific Cost Factors

  • One of the greatest costs for the CFI certificate is the checkride since it is longer than the others. I will get to that later.
  • Once you meet the basic requirements, such as holding a Commercial Pilot Certificate, you’ll need to adjust to flying from the right seat—a critical step for all CFIs.
  • Completing the CFI certificate soon after the commercial cert gains advantage from the recent experiences and knowledge prep.
  • Many of the CFI maneuvers are the same as commercial, only from the right seat.
  • Another cost is the spin training that is required and that can vary widely based on the area you train in and if you need to travel.

Breakdown of Cost of a CFI Certificate

Let's now break that total down into some specific categories of costs.

Supplies and Fixed Costs

I did not log any expenses in this category as I consider my ground training and exam costs differently.

Memberships and Subscriptions

I did not add any memberships or subscriptions for training for my CFI certificate. However, once you obtain your certificate there are some great organizations to join.

Exams

I paid a total of $1,950 for my CFI certificate checkride and my FAA written exams. The checkride was $1,600 by itself because of the longer window of time it takes.

Instructor and Ground Training Costs

My instructor and ground training costs were about $815 total. I used the Gleim CFI course along with Sheppard Air study guides for the FOI and FIA written exams. I did 7.8 hours total of dual training for my CFI which included the 1.5 hours of dual for my spin training.

Flight Costs

Now for the flight training portion which I completed with a total of 24.8 flight hours attributed to my CFI certificate training. The cost for these hours came out to about $2,950. I spent several hours working independently on building my confidence in the right seat.

Summary

Obtaining a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate is an essential milestone for many pilots looking to build flight hours or begin a career in instruction. The total cost can vary but is often lower than other pilot certifications. Based on my experience, the cost of earning a CFI certificate was $5,586, which included exam fees, ground instruction, and 24.8 flight hours. While there are no specific flight hour requirements beyond holding a Commercial Pilot Certificate, adapting to flying from the right seat and completing spin training are key steps. Proper preparation, consistency, and staying confident in the process can make achieving your CFI certificate a rewarding and cost-effective goal.