Nothing stays the same for long...

[jrh]

I swear, I'm doing something different with my life every week nowadays...

I've been slowly getting established as a freelance CFI for the past few months, mainly because when I first moved to town none of the flight schools had a use for me for some reason.

But this afternoon I committed to start working for a local aviation business, beginning in mid-December. I say "aviation business" instead of "flight school" because the company I'll be working for is both a flight school and aircraft sales/brokering business.

I was really torn about if I should give up freelancing or not, but I think I made the right choice. The new place is much more stable than freelancing, I get along great with the owner, and I see a ton of potential for growth. I think it's a place that I could make a decent living at if I stick around for a while.

Working as a CFI for the flight school side of things, I'll make $20/hour starting out, fly very nice late model 172s, probably will have more students, fly more often, and can continue to fly with my previous students in their aircraft. Although the school will take a cut out of my previous freelance pay, the upside is that their insurance policy will cover me when teaching in non-owned aircraft.

On the sales/brokering side of things, I'll be dealing with mostly older, used aircraft that my boss hasn't accepted in the past because he's been too busy working with larger deals on newer aircraft. So if any of you are interested in buying or selling a used aircraft, or buying a new Cessna (we're the most active Cessna dealer in Nebraska), let me know. Seriously! My boss is a well established broker in this area and I can probably help you out.

I think the job will be a lot of fun, especially the sales side. It's something out of the ordinary and could open a lot of doors for unique jobs in the future. Who knows!

[dc3flyer]

Good luck!

It sounds like you will experience a part of aviation that not everyone gets a chance to see. On the sales side, will you be getting commisions or just an hourly rate? You will probably meet a lot of people, and make a lot of connections!!!!

[tinman]

Boss says he wants a nice 182 RG to play around in. So if you find anything.....

[jrh]

Originally Posted by dc3flyer

It sounds like you will experience a part of aviation that not everyone gets a chance to see.

Yep, that's one of the reasons I decided to go for it. It's not like just anybody can wake up in the morning and say, "I'm going to sell aircraft." Pretty much everybody who is in the sales/brokering business has had an "in" in the past. Aircraft sales jobs aren't listed in the classifieds. It's sort of one of those jobs people fall in to by being at the right place at the right time. I couldn't pass up an opportunity I might not get again.

Originally Posted by dc3flyer

On the sales side, will you be getting commisions or just an hourly rate?

Commissions. My boss is a very entrepreneurial (sp?) kind of guy. He's set everything up, both for flight instructing and sales work, to pay based on performance, rather than seniority or other factors.