“Great job — I really like how you talked through everything. You should think about becoming a CFI!”

That’s the first thing the designated examiner said when we got out of the airplane after my instrument checkride. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. After all, becoming a certificated flight instructor is a lot of work. The CFI checkride is regularly considered the hardest of any flight test — in no small part because the oral portion of the test can stretch up to 8 hours frequently, and national failure rates for first time CFI applicants hover around 80%.

For freshly-minted commercial pilots looking for ways to build time, becoming an instructor makes sense. But not for me.

I’ve got an established career outside of aviation that I love. And, frankly, CFI jobs don’t pay quite like the investment world does.

Still, that conversation with my examiner kept popping up in my head.

Let’s face it — I enjoy flight training. I enjoy studying for a new rating. And I like having a “mission” when I fly.

And the more I thought about it, the more pursuing a CFI certificate started to make sense. After all, it gives me a good excuse to hang out around the airport, get paid to fly, and subsidize my own flying. It’ll also add a lot of value to this nascent blog.

So, yup, I’m starting on the road to earning my CFI.

No, I’m not planning a change to my day job. I’ll set my sights on instructing part-time or independently. I’ll be documenting the process in these pages from here on out. First things first, I need to build time and earn my commercial pilot certificate. Stay tuned.

[Edit – in the years since posting this, I have indeed become an active CFI. For more information on flight training, click the Training link at the top of this page.]