Ground school instructor vs flight instructor

The differences between ground school instructors and flight instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a ground school instructor and a flight instructor. Additionally, a ground school instructor has an average salary of $57,550, which is higher than the $51,324 average annual salary of a flight instructor.

The top three skills for a ground school instructor include FAA, training courses and CFI. The most important skills for a flight instructor are aircraft systems, syllabus, and CFI.

Ground school instructor vs flight instructor overview

	Ground School Instructor	Flight Instructor
Yearly salary	$57,550	$51,324
Hourly rate	$27.67	$24.68
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	43,953	25,735
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

Ground school instructor vs flight instructor salary

Ground school instructors and flight instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ground School Instructor	Flight Instructor
Average salary	$57,550	$51,324
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $79,000	Between $32,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	-	Atwater, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Cirrus Aircraft
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between ground school instructor and flight instructor education

There are a few differences between a ground school instructor and a flight instructor in terms of educational background:

	Ground School Instructor	Flight Instructor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Aviation	Aviation
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Ground school instructor vs flight instructor demographics

Here are the differences between ground school instructors' and flight instructors' demographics:

	Ground School Instructor	Flight Instructor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5%	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.1% 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 ground school instructor and flight instructor duties and responsibilities

Ground school instructor example responsibilities.

Utilize blackboard management system to encourage online discussions and manage grades.
Ensure compliance with FAA, manufacturer and corporate requirements.
Identify appropriate techniques for teaching and responding to literature, and ways to effectively use literacy to positively impact diversity education.
Evaluate effectiveness of aviation training syllabus.

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.

Ground school instructor vs flight instructor skills

Common ground school instructor skills

FAA, 21%
Training Courses, 13%
CFI, 11%
Flight Operations, 9%
Flight Training, 9%
Ground Training, 8%

Common flight instructor skills

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

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Ground School Instructor vs Flight Instructor

Updated January 8, 2025

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