Teach what you have learned. Build hours toward your career.

Becoming a Certified Flight Instructor is the most common and effective way to bridge from Commercial Pilot Certificate to airline-eligible total time. As a CFI, you are a working pilot logging hours teaching primary and advanced students. As a CFII you can teach instrument flight; as an MEI you can teach multi-engine.

NextGen Flying Academy hires from our own CFI graduates first. Top performers are offered instructor positions on completion of CFI checkride.

The CFI rating focuses on the Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI), the FAA-mandated teaching theory block, and on the ability to demonstrate every maneuver from the right seat while teaching it. It is a demanding rating because you have to be a better pilot than your students will be, on demand. [expand]

The CFII add-on lets you teach instrument flight. Required for any school that wants you to teach the Instrument Rating, which is most schools. Add-on training typically runs 10 to 15 hours of focused dual. [expand]

The MEI add-on lets you teach in multi-engine airplanes. Trained in the Beechcraft Duchess at Riverside. Required for instructors who want to teach the Multi-Engine Rating. [expand]

Most graduates take an instructor position with us or another school after completing CFI/CFII. You teach primary and advanced students and your total flight time grows quickly. From the 250-hour Commercial checkride to the 1,500-hour ATP eligibility, the typical timeline is 12 to 18 months of full-time instructing. [expand]