Flight instructor vs instructional supervisor

The differences between flight instructors and instructional supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a flight instructor and an instructional supervisor. Additionally, an instructional supervisor has an average salary of $82,970, which is higher than the $51,324 average annual salary of a flight instructor.

The top three skills for a flight instructor include aircraft systems, syllabus and CFI. The most important skills for an instructional supervisor are instructional materials, safety procedures, and course curriculum.

Flight instructor vs instructional supervisor overview

	Flight Instructor	Instructional Supervisor
Yearly salary	$51,324	$82,970
Hourly rate	$24.68	$39.89
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	25,735	6,264
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Flight instructor vs instructional supervisor salary

Flight instructors and instructional supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Instructor	Instructional Supervisor
Average salary	$51,324	$82,970
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $80,000	Between $64,000 And $106,000
Highest paying City	Atwater, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Cirrus Aircraft	Goldfish Swim School
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between flight instructor and instructional supervisor education

There are a few differences between a flight instructor and an instructional supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Flight Instructor	Instructional Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Aviation	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Flight instructor vs instructional supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between flight instructors' and instructional supervisors' demographics:

	Flight Instructor	Instructional Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 68.8% Female, 31.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 11.4% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 11.4% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between flight instructor and instructional supervisor duties and responsibilities

Flight instructor example responsibilities.

Manage the daily maintenance efforts for 9 P-3C aircraft to meet short and long range flight tasking.
Manage and monitor all flight systems and electrical in-flight avionics of various commercial aircraft equipment types.
Conduct training using, CBT, stand-up lectures, PowerPoint, Wicat 2D FMS, and FTD trainers.
Diagnose, troubleshoot malfunctions and perform extensive maintenance operational checks on all systems.
Create and maintain training records for USAF students.
Maintain relationships with both local DPE's and FBO managers.

Instructional supervisor example responsibilities.

Lead the project that design, test, and deploy the Microsoft SharePoint sites for the PMO.
Manage SharePoint migration for the education team by collaborating with ministries and establishing best practice guidelines for content posting.
Receive CPR and first aid training.
Provide loss prevention training, CPR and first aid.
Collaborate with FAA safety engineers, inspectors, and policy experts.
Design and present PowerPoint presentations to thousands of people on various levels.

Flight instructor vs instructional supervisor skills

Common flight instructor skills

Aircraft Systems, 9%
Syllabus, 8%
CFI, 8%
Flight Operations, 6%
Training Programs, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

Common instructional supervisor skills

Instructional Materials, 18%
Safety Procedures, 13%
Course Curriculum, 13%
K-12, 5%
Student Learning, 5%
Syllabus, 3%

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Flight Instructor vs Instructional Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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