How to become a flying instructor

Official title: Flying instructor (excluding air force)

Also called: Aviation instructor (excluding air force), Check pilot, Flight instructor (excluding air force), Ÿ Check pilot

Flying instructor (excluding air force) teaches trainee pilots to operate the controls of an aircraft and instructs them in aircraft piloting techniques and procedures. He/she explains use and operation of aircraft components, such as rudder, flaps, ailerons, compass, altimeter and radio and accompanies trainees on training flights while demonstrating techniques for controlling aircraft during taxing, take-off, turns, stalls and landing.

Main tasks

• Applying knowledge of principles and practices of flying in order to identify and solve problems arising in the course of their work
• Preparing and submitting flight plan or examining standard flight plan flying and navigating aircraft in accordance with established control and operating procedures
• Controlling the operation of mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment and ensuring that all instruments and controls work properly
• Examining maintenance records and conducting inspections to ensure that aircraft are mechanically sound, maintenance has been performed and that all equipment is operational
• Signing necessary certificates and maintaining official records of flight
• Obtaining briefings and clearances before flights and maintaining contact with air traffic or flight control during flight

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $240,000 a year. The middle half earn $96,600 to $360,000 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Commercial airline pilot
• Aircraft pilot (excluding commercial airline and air force)
• Flight engineer

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Questions people ask

How much does a flying instructor earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $240,000 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $96,600 to $360,000.

Will AI change the work of a flying instructor?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026