Winter 2008

January and February were generally very windy and cross wind landing practise was easily available. Some night flying locally saw 2 students complete their night ratings. Aerial photo jobs were scarce and finding the hoped for clear of cloud days was tricky even cloud-free hours on most days. De-icing aeroplanes was not a common occurrence but was always needed when it happened that the first flight of the day required an early start. Several students were treated to low visibility experiences in marginal weather but only on request. Gusty conditions ran into March and an early Easter saw forecasts of strong northerlies and snow! A bonus was receiving an impromptu lesson on navigation navy style from a CAA Examiner of the CAA Flying Unit based along the corridor. It seems that hardly a month goes by when I do not learn something that shows how there were gaps in my own basic training and in some of the more advanced too. The arrival of a new full time instructor holds the promise of gaining some time off. A second is due but FI course to be completed.

Bad Landings

Of all the students flown in 1500 instructional hours, one managed to frighten me twice in a month, by landing with a foot firmly on the port side brake at the moment of touchdown. The result of this was to slew the aircraft through 90 degrees very swiftly, lowering the nose very quickly and momentarily leaving us both stunned. This had only happened once before to me and it was the same student only 2 weeks earlier landing on the same runway but in the other direction. The first time I managed to put it down to his keenness to make a short landing to exit from 03 via Bravo. The second time had I not been hovering on the controls with my second sense alerted the nose would not have been sufficiently high enough to prevent a likely prop strike with all that entails in terms of engine shock loading and strip down not mention a new prop. ATC asked if I had left anything on the runway! Fortunately I was on form, as current as I ever had been and saved the day. Regrettably, when I went in to work the following day there was a message on the answering machine to the effect that he had hung up his goggles and would I forward a bill for any outstanding tuition. I was very surprised because he had just completed an IMC theory exam, flown several hours IMC training following completion of the night rating, signed up for CPL/IR ground school and bought a four-seat aircraft. I found out later that his £5,000 deposit on the aircraft was non-returnable. Perhaps being over 60 had an influence on his decision after the tricky landing. It is fair to say that he was a capable flyer but would have benefited from the additional training. He had even booked some instrument training in the USA over Easter. I remain a little confused and even slightly relieved.

Navigation

A mock test gave me some reason to doubt the navigation syllabus or at least the way it was taught and as a result began to write my own notes. I know that learning styles make a big difference to the rate of knowledge acquisition and found an article written by me in 1995 that I thought needed revising and finishing. I posted it on the instructor forum at PPRuNe (Professional Pilots Rumour Network) but with no comment after 45 views removed it. Another flight that taught me a lesson was that; a student cannot apply navigation rules until he can truly recognise ground features from the air without it taking too long. A simple map reading exercise became a real chore and it was obvious that some remedial work was required. The student has now passed his skills test but I can imagine that he will struggle with the CPL both theory and practical. It was sad to fly with a really competent student that had a marginal colour perception problem – got 11 out of the 12 Ishihara plates when he was referred to the CAA but this was not enough to obtain a class one medical.

Earnings and taxes

The year’s end at 31 March means getting the books in order and reviewing work done, invoices paid and tax returns to be completed. An FI can earn £20 per flying hour nowadays some may even get a retainer too. A full time FI should be aiming to fly at least 20 hours per week. This will mean at least a 40 hour working week over 6 days so there is still time for overtime once the lighter days arrive. In one year with 2 weeks holiday over Christmas there are potentially 50 weeks left to fly. Flying programme may begin at 0830 week days and end at 1900h and 1800h at weekends. Total hours available are thus (4x10.5) 42 hours on weekdays and (9x2) 18 hours on weekends. It is assumed that the day off is taken during the week leaving 60 working hours during which instruction may be given and money earned. Meal breaks tend not to happen but should and may account for say 6 hours. Tea breaks tend to coincide with debriefing. Out of hours ground school lectures may be given each week too at some schools. Now down to 54 hours plus extra-curricular activities administration also takes time. Completion of the student record, authorisation sheet, tech log, card payments, telephone enquiries, flying programme entries and amendments all together account for at least one hour each day. Now we are down to 48 potential working hours. How long is required in order to fly for a standard 60 minutes lesson? It will vary from 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete each one. This being so, 24 hours per week is the maximum that an instructor can reasonably expect to gain payment for in respect of flying. Extra payments may be due from flight supervision, lectures after hours or a retainer of some sort. Potential gross earnings then, would seem easy to calculate: 20x24x50 or £24,000 per annum plus retainers and lecture fees. With a retainer of £50 per week in return for office and admin duties this adds another £2,500 making £26,500 plus lecture fees. The downside is that there will be weeks when students cancel bookings, the weather is unsuitable, or you may be unfit. Add to this the availability and defect rates of hard-working aircraft and a more realistic picture will emerge. What percentage of time this takes up will vary widely but if we allow 90% availability for aircraft and students that have booked we only need to keep a full programme to keep earnings up. At 90% the potential earnings figure reduces to £23,850. Earnings forecast is easily measured based on a forward-looking diary system but how much to deduct for weather related events? Commonly, weather is poor at the busiest times at weekends. This could easily amount to 25% over a typical British year with its “4 seasons in one day” tendencies. Adjusted earnings now may be only £23,850 - £5,962.50 = £17,887.50! The importance of giving ground school lectures now becomes a higher priority than ever if one has a mortgage or rent to pay. No mention so far of expenses. Licence renewals, medicals, headsets and flying clothing all add up and reduce our expected earnings. My own earnings from flying do not reflect the hours spent in the pursuit of training but that is the way it goes I am afraid. In fact as a freelance instructor in the last year I have flown 206.2 hours over 106 days of which 187.7 hours were giving instruction. I did manage to invoice a rate rise from £15 to £20 per hour for PPL and with CPL at £25 but none flown in 2007/08. I was almost full time during the busy period mid-December to mid-March following the disappearance of the last full time instructor - who went out for allegedly only 10 minutes, but never came back and he was earning all that I have referred to above with lecture fees at £20 per hour too! It is a strange world on the ground. I also did some aerial photography that was quite well rewarded when compared with instruction. So my earnings from flight instruction were 60.7h x £15 + 127.0h x £20 = £3,450.50 from my 2 main sources. Other customers provided a similar amount but as you can see I do not fly for the money it makes! That accounts for 106 flying days a number of non-flying days spent on ground school and hours at home spent on admin printing checklists and many more hours administering a ten members flying group as its Trustee. I have provided a spreadsheet to provide a sensitivity analysis or what if scenario for new FI to show what potential earnings could be here.

Soon the weather will turn and the trusty Cessna aerobat will be available to help blow a few cobwebs away! My 26 ft motor-sailer, still in dire need of some paint and varnish from last season, is waiting, moored and blowing about in the gales but still ready to put to sea from the port of Lowestoft as soon as I can get to it, hoist the sails and run the old Perkins 4108 ….