Amended: 2024.04.22 / Removed Instructor of the Month information

Welcome to the Plus One Flyers – Authorized Instructor Program page.  Here you will find details on how to become, and maintain, status as an authorized instructor in the club.  The program’s intent is to provide the membership with the highest quality of instructors.  Instructors hold several roles in the club.  They act as stewards of club aircraft, mentors to fellow pilots/members, upholders of club rules, and businessmen who run independent businesses.  It is critically important that both owners and club leaders can trust its instructors with millions of dollars of assets the club operates.  As such, the club instructor program looks to authorize the best instructors available.

General Rules – Operational Rules Addendum

Flight instructing in Plus One Flyers, Inc (“Plus One Flyers”) is a privilege, not a right of membership. Authorized flight training such as dual flight instruction, flight reviews, aircraft check-outs and endorsements, (“Flight Training”) in Plus One Flyers aircraft may only be provided by FAA certificated flights instructors (“CFI”) who meet the following requirements at the time of the Flight Training:

• Be an authorized instructor in good standing.
• Both the CFI and the pilot receiving flight instruction shall be members of Plus One Flyers. 
• The CFI and member must abide by Plus One Flyers Operational Rules and Bylaws during the flight training.
• The member receiving instruction must add the instructor to the Schedule Master reservation. 
• CFI’s will not schedule any reservations in Schedule Master in their name on behalf of any other member or non-member.
• The CFI is responsible for the annual tracking of their Continuing Education Credits to renew their instructor status each year.
• The CFI must observe, enact, and promote the safety recommendations of the Director of Safety, including best practices, safety tips, and all other safety-related and operational communications, procedures and standards, including those posted on the Instructor Dashboard.
• The CFI must adhere to and follow all applicable Federal Aviation Regulations and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations applicable to the Flight Training being provided.  Periodic TSA inspections are conducted by TSA agents.

Becoming a Club Instructor

To become a club instructor, the applicant must determine if there are openings available and submit an application on the website (below).  Flight Instructor openings in the club are limited to a ratio of 12:1 (members to instructors).  This amounts to each instructor performing one Flight Review per month, or approximately 12 hours of flight instruction per instructor, per year.  The membership ratio is evaluated monthly to determine new instructor openings.  On average, that amounts to 160-170 instructors (not including Senior Instructors).  Once an opening has been confirmed, the applicant must have the following complete to be authorized to instruct in Plus One Flyers. 

• The applicant must be a club member.
• The applicant must have received a member checkout prior to being approved to receive a CFI Checkout.
• The minimum hour requirement for CFI privileges to be considered is 500 hours total time.*
• Receive a checkout from an authorized Senior Instructor or the Director of Safety.
• Read, understand, and agree to the instructor program rules and standards contained herein.
• Senior Instructors are assigned based on workload. We are not able to assign SI’s based on instructor preference.

Once the CFI Checkout is complete, the Senior Instructor will submit a Pilot Checkout which will be processed in Schedule Master, at which time the Instructor will receive an approval email, authorizing instruction in Plus One Flyers.  

• Instructors that have received their training within the Club may be given priority and special dispensation, at the discretion of the Director of Safety. 
• * Instructors not meeting the minimum hour requirement, but having been training within the Club may have any of these requirements waived.  A recommendation from their instructor is required prior to consideration.

Instructor Categorization

There are two categories of instructors in Plus One Flyers, Senior and General Instructors.

Senior Instructors are charged with providing mentorship, oversight, and general management of a group of approximately 12 instructors.  Senior Instructors are appointed by the Director of Safety as an extension of the safety office.  These Senior instructors are some of the most knowledgeable and experienced instructors in the club with a wide variety of backgrounds and a history of quality instruction.  They will serve primarily as mentors, but to a smaller degree, managers.  Senior Instructors provide experience and knowledge by providing more structure to the new instructors in the club. 

General Instructors are assigned to a Senior Instructor and authorized to perform instructional duties in the club.  Additionally, the Senior instructor provides guidance and feedback to their General Instructors.  Any incidents involving a General Instructor and having damage of less than $10,000 will be investigated and addressed by the Senior instructor and submitted to the Director of Safety.  All instructors providing primary instruction will be required to have solo student pilot candidates receive a flight check with a Senior instructor prior to soloing club aircraft.

Additional Aircraft

Instruction in High Performance, Complex, or Tailwheel aircraft require the following minimum requirements before receiving an initial instructor checkout in the aircraft.  These aircraft have several additional checkout requirements, depending on Make/Model and avionics packages.  Check the individual aircraft page for additional information.  These aircraft have instructor slots which are reviewed annually and based on a 10:1 ratio of dual given vs instructors, or as needed. 

• All HP, Complex, or Tailwheel Aircraft
  • Available slot in the aircraft.
  • Three months as a club instructor.
  • Checkout by a designated instructor for that aircraft.
  • Annual reports will be published to the plusoneflyers.org/safety page.
• All High Performance Aircraft
  • 10 hours in Make & Model as “individual” PIC.
  • Individual PIC is defined as Non-Dual Given or Received.
  • * Similar aircraft may be credited toward this requirement (eg: An instructor having completed an A36 checkout may only need differences training on BE33, F33, etc..)
• All Complex Aircraft
  • 25 hours of “individual” PIC in Complex aircraft of which, 10 hours of which has been logged within the preceding 12 months.
    • Individual PIC is defined as Non-Dual Given or Received.
  • 50 hours of total complex time will waive the above.
• For Tailwheel aircraft
  • 100 hours total PIC tailwheel time.

For Example:  If an instructor receives a checkout in the Debonair (Model Group BE33) on January 5, 2021, that instructor must have performed at least two hours of dual instruction prior to December 31st, 2023 to maintain authorization to instruct in that model group.

Annual Renewal

Instructors are required to renew their instructor privileges each year, no later than the end of the month of the month in which they received their CFI checkout, or by December 31st if grandfathered into the program.  In order for an instructor to renew their authorized instructor status in the Club, they must achieve both of the the following within the preceding 12 months.

• Ten hours of dual instruction, five of which must be done in Club aircraft.
• 12 Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s).
  • CEU’s can be accomplished through a variety of CFI activities.  These activities can be found here.

Active Club Instruction:  The following will have been done in club aircraft with a club member.

• Instruction for Ratings or Certificates (2 CEUs for each practical test endorsement given in the club)
• Flight Reviews / IPCs (1 CEU per FR or IPC performed in the club)
• High performance, complex, tailwheel etc., checkouts (1 CEU for each checkout performed in the club)
• Specialized aircraft transitions instruction (2 CEUs for each transition performed in the club)

Club Education & Trainings:  The following should be training opportunities open to club members and/or the public.

• New member safety briefing (1 CEU per meeting)
• Teaching aviation related college classes that include a structured grading or evaluation system (3 CEUs / course)
• Teaching pilot ground schools that include a structured grading or evaluation system (2 CEUs / ground school)
• Teaching ground instruction to individual students resulting in endorsement for a knowledge test (1 CEU / 5 endorsements)
• Progress/Stage Checks given in the club (1 CEU / 5 Progress/Stage Checks given)
• Teaching at a club safety meeting (2 CEU’s per meeting presented)
• Published articles on club website (1 CEU / 2 articles)
• Club pamphlet, brochure, guidebook or manual (2 CEUs)

Professional Development:

• Additional CFI Certificate (2 CEUs)
• Completion of NAFI PDP Course (1 CEU)
• Attending club safety meeting (1 CEU per meeting)
• Obtaining an Additional certificate or rating (1 CEU)
• Aviation industry seminars (1 CEU)
• Attending Aviation related college class (2 CEUs)
• Club Cirrus Instructor Checkout (2 CEUs)
• Club Bonanza Instructor Checkout (2 CEUs)
• Accomplish Wings Program levels (1 CEU / 2 phases)

General Aviation-Related or Volunteer Opportunities:

• Angel Flight, Wings of Mercy, etc. (1 CEU / 2 flights)
• Club committee / task force. (2 CEUs)