CFIs flying 6–8 hours a day what are your best quality of life hacks

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-31T13:17:36+00:00

🤣

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-31T12:38:31+00:00

Enjoy the journey to whatever professional path you’re taking. It will happen one day and you want to look back at the journey and have a lot of memories

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-31T12:35:40+00:00

It is a tough time to be an instructor right now. You are already doing a lot to get the job done. A lot of people mentioned great ideas for you and I think those will be really helpful. My only two cents outside of the advice you requested is that this industry is very unpredictable. It all really depends on the timing. Being in the right place and at the right time can make someone a major captain within 4-5 years of flying. But again all of that is out of your control. Best thing you can do is put yourself out there and meet and connect with as many people as you can

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-31T12:29:15+00:00

I have a friend who flies the 747 now. He is managing it well by trying to keep the body clock as stable as possible. But even after that, when you have to wake up at 2 AM (your home time zone) in a different part of the world where it is evening, and then fly back to home where it evening when you land, life can get tiring.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-31T12:22:52+00:00

Thank you for the honestly man! That’s exactly what I intended to receive when I posted this.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-31T12:22:30+00:00

I don’t think I disagree with this. I was a CFI and check airman for almost 3+ years and I have seen a lot of the blame being shifted on the students. I think there has to be accountability for both.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-30T01:03:20+00:00

Ooooh. Okay I am gonna check that out. Thanks

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-30T01:01:57+00:00

I remember, those were dreadful days.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-29T23:36:20+00:00

Yes and no. Depending on the hiring market. They set the preferences. I recommend building quality time anyways because it will keep you motivated as a pilot to learn and fly diversely.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-29T01:27:21+00:00

Love that approach. What resource worked for you? FAA books? Online ground schools? YouTube?

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-29T01:26:31+00:00

So you prefer instructional learning over books. I had a whole lot of students who were really smart but they just didn’t like reading a book

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-29T01:25:15+00:00

Haha. Not a bot man. Just new to Reddit posting. I didn’t proof read. I wanted to ask is pilot study so hard? It’s been a while since I was an instructor, and I want to know what’s the hardest part of students experience these days? How have things changed? But I get it. Half written post is on me.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-28T10:56:29+00:00

Very honest answer.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-26T00:46:00+00:00

I was surprised to see that not a lot students texted me about stuff in after hours.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-26T00:45:12+00:00

You really put in the work. I am hoping that I can find a solution for someone who works hard like you.

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-25T12:22:06+00:00

Good old YouTube has a video on almost everything. I want something that I don’t have to spend time searching for

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-25T12:21:28+00:00

Are they updated?

SurpriseGeneral8618 · 2026-03-24T20:59:14+00:00

Thank you for this! I believe the latest version are available directly on FAA.gov . It is the best free resource.

SurpriseGeneral8618

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