The decline of instructor numbers

Noticed how many flying instructor job ads you see these day? Figures obtained from CASA for the financial years (FY) 2002 to 2007 reveal that the number of instructors, in particular the experienced grade 1 instructors, has decreased dramatically.

The reasons for the decline in the number of instructors can be attributed to a number of factors such as older instructors retiring and leaving the flight training industry; new instructors only obtaining their grade 3 and a few hours instructional time before moving on to charter and airlines; and grade 1 and 2 instructors leaving the industry to try their hand at flying for an airline.