Tipping Your Instructor

Ted DuPuis said:
I don't follow. Why would getting tipped for being a CFI be unprofessional?

Would it therefore also be unprofessional to accept a tip for a safe and comfortable flight for my passengers when flying charters? How about from customers when I was a Jag mechanic and they were pleased with my work? None of them ever received preferential treatment for their tips, and I handled all of them in the same, courteous manner. But I definitely appreciated the tips I got.
Click to expand...


That reminds me of a story.

We had an owner fly with a bunch of guests so he had two planes cover it. I was the captain of one of them. The trip sheets had the owner and 4 of his guests in my plane with the other 5 in the other plane.

When the pax showed up they loaded the bags in the wrong planes. No problem, quick weight and balance and we are off with the correct pax in each plane and the other pax baggage aboard.

So we get there and I head over to the other plane to get our pax bags. As I'm rounding the other plane with my pax bags I see MY pax giving the OTHER pilot a tip. The other pilot turned it down. He declined MY (my FOs and mine) tip!!!

Not cool, IMO.
 
Captain said:
That reminds me of a story.

We had an owner fly with a bunch of guests so he had two planes cover it. I was the captain of one of them. The trip sheets had the owner and 4 of his guests in my plane with the other 5 in the other plane.

When the pax showed up they loaded the bags in the wrong planes. No problem, quick weight and balance and we are off with the correct pax in each plane and the other pax baggage aboard.

So we get there and I head over to the other plane to get our pax bags. As I'm rounding the other plane with my pax bags I see MY pax giving the OTHER pilot a tip. The other pilot turned it down. He declined MY (my FOs and mine) tip!!!

Not cool, IMO.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that would definitely be not cool. Usually when I was flying 2-pilot the passenger would give me (as captain) the tip. I always made sure that my FO and I split it evenly.
 
I have a funny tipping story.

A number of years ago, before 9/11 when anyone could still go out to the gate, we had a charter from KDEN. The captain sent me to the terminal to help this passenger, a lone woman. I met her at the gate, went to the baggage claim with her, helped her with her suitcase, took the van back to Signature, and loaded her bag in the airplane. As she walked up the steps to the airplane I was still outside. She turned around, thanked me, and gave me $5. I smiled, thanked her, got in the airplane, closed the door behind me and started the passenger brief. Her eye got big and she said, "Oh, you're one of the pilots." She didn't ask for her $5 back, though.

We have the same policy as Ted does in that we split tips between the crew, so after we were in flight I pulled out the $5 and asked the captain if he wanted half. :D
 
When I got my commercial I bought the whole FBO some pizza, then again, 20 dollars at little Ceaser's treats like 30 people, but everyone of my CFI's that helped me get my comm appreciated it...
 
Donated a nice computer for my CFI's and his buddy's hangar. They had a very old one. Now it's playing aviation movies and documentaries on a plasma that he brought from home.

When I passed my PP ride, gave him a bottle of 15 year old scotch. It didn't last long between me, him and 2-3 more friends.
 
I bought my CFI lunch a couple of times. If I had tried to tip him, I do believe he would have been insulted, and probably would have kicked my ass.
 
I never got the chance to really have the opportunity to buy my CFI lunch since we never had enough time to stop at the other FBOs on cross countries. The school is always packed so we were usually pressed for time.
 
Gubbins said:
I see your point, and I just edited my post. I never actually "tipped" someone as in giving them more cash than they asked for. What I think most of us are talking about are offering to buy lunch occasionally, or buying them a gift in appreciation that is useful for them.
Click to expand...

Actually I've done this on 2 occasions. Both times it was inconvenient for the CFI to meet me and both times I felt they overdelivered on what was originally agreed to. Overpaying their standard rate was my idea.
 
I'm waiting to be tipped....as the one who paid my instructor $40 x almost 70hrs.
 
Side question. Do you pay your instructor by the Hobbs hour or per the hours he/she provides instruction? I had my second lesson last week. The instructor did about 15 minutes with me going over the pre-flight checklists. Then we did 1.0 hours on the Hobbs. Then he gave me another 20 minutes or so answering my questions after we landed. Then I paid the bill which was 1 hour of plane and one hour of instruction. Honestly, I sorta felt bad. It was only my second lesson. Wasn't sure if I should tip him or not. I erred on the side of my wallet being bigger but this thread reminded me to ask the question. Should I be tipping or is it normal to pay for 1 hour even though you rec'd 1.5 hours of instruction?
 
...and some bill for time the student doesn't receive instruction. Watch out for those. Been there done that.
 
My CFI bills me by Hobbs. Since he's always at the airport, and most of the ground stuff I did on my own, whatever help I need, he does not charge.
 
I let several of my instructors use my airplane now and then, but I did ask that they leave the tanks the way they found them. I picked up more than a few lunch tabs.

I remain friends with my last two instructors. Yesterday Bob Lewis (my last instructor) and I drove out to El Cajon and took the Tailor Guitar factory tour, it was quite a place. It is very near KSEE, so if you are ever out there, it is well worth your time. Their tours are every day, Mon.-Fri. at 1:00 pm, all you have to do is be there on time.

-John
 
I don't know who tip?
The first few hours I ever had was in 2000. But, it was to expensive then. I would have to locate that instructor. Fast forward years later to last winter. Really got along with my instructor, and had most of my hours with him. He moved on in his career. Now, I was split between two instructors. One who left, and one who I have had 4 lessons with. Then I was working with one of the new instructors. She finished up my training, but I guess she is busy. Now, I went out with another instructor who was evaluating my flying, and will be working with me out to the check ride. A ground lesson one of these week nights, and hopefully one last flight next weekend.

Should I fly some where, and geo cache a location in a bush somewhere. Leave a tip in a jar in the bush. Send them all a text message, and whoever gets there first wins the tip?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top