Chief Flight Instructor Salary in the United States

How much does a Chief Flight Instructor make in the United States?

As of February 01, 2026, the average salary for a Chief Flight Instructor in the United States is $59,177 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $28.

However, a Chief Flight Instructor's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $77,443
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $51,398 to $68,738
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $44,315
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View as table View as graph 25% $51,398 10% $44,315 90% $77,443 75% $68,738 $59,177 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Chief Flight Instructor Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $68,738 $5,728 $1,322 $33
Average $59,177 $4,931 $1,138 $28
25th Percentile $51,398 $4,283 $988 $25
Check out Chief Flight Instructor Job Openings in the United States
Instructor Simulator Flight

Valiant Integrated Services - SAN DIEGO, CA

AIRPLANE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

Department of the Air Force - SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT

AIRPLANE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

Department of the Air Force - MARCH, CA

UAS Flight Instructor

AOC Global Services - FORT HUACHUCA, AZ

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Key Factors That Influence Chief Flight Instructor Salaries

A Chief Flight Instructor's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Chief Flight Instructor Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Chief Flight Instructor's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $58,474
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $71,108
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $87,039
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $112,710
  • Expert (over 8 years): $145,337
Levels Salary
Chief Fli... Level Chief Flight Instructor$58,474
Materials... Level Chief Flight Instructor$71,108
Materials... Level Chief Flight Instructor$87,039
Materials... Level Chief Flight Instructor$112,710
Materials... Level Chief Flight Instructor$145,337
$58,474 0 yr
$71,108 < 2 yrs
$87,039 2-4 yrs
$112,710 5-8 yrs
$145,337 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Chief Flight Instructors

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $74,640
  • San Francisco: $73,906
  • Oakland: $72,267

What Skills Can Increase a Chief Flight Instructor's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Planning (Mentioned in 17.57% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
  • ERP (Mentioned in 2.63% Job Postings): Enterprise resource planning (ERP) refers to a type of software that organizations use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management and compliance, and supply chain operations.
  • Supply Chain Management (Mentioned in 1.28% Job Postings): In commerce, supply-chain management (SCM), the management of the flow of goods and services, involves the movement and storage of raw materials, of work-in-process inventory, and of finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption. Interconnected or interlinked networks, channels and node businesses combine in the provision of products and services required by end customers in a supply chain. Supply-chain management has been defined as the "design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of supply-chain activities with the objective of creating net value, building a competitive infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with demand and measuring performance globally." SCM practice draws heavily from the areas of industrial engineering, systems engineering, operations management, logistics, procurement, information technology, and marketing and strives for an integrated approach.[citation needed] Marketing channels play an important role in supply-chain management. Current research in supply-chain management is concerned with topics related to sustainability and risk management, among others. Some suggest that the “people dimension” of SCM, ethical issues, internal integration, transparency/visibility, and human capital/talent management are topics that have, so far, been underrepresented on the research agenda.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Planning 17.57%
ERP 2.63%
Supply Chain Management 1.28%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Chief Flight Instructor's salary.
  • Project Management: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Presentation: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Program Management: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Project Management
$65,095
10%
Presentation
$65,095
10%
Program Management
$62,728
6%
Flexibility
$62,728
6%
Demand Planning
$62,136
5%
Analytical Skills
$62,136
5%
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How Education impacts a Chief Flight Instructor's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Chief Flight Instructors enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Chief Flight Instructor with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $60,067 and $63,270).

Chief Flight Instructor Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Chief Flight Instructor
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.4%
High School 17.7%
Associates 16.0%
Bachelors 54.7%
Masters 11.1%
Doctorate 0.0%
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Chief Flight Instructor Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Chief Flight Instructor's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on February 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Chief Flight Instructor

Salaries for a Chief Flight Instructor can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $57,179 in 2023 to around $56,387 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Chief Flight Instructor salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Chief Flight Instructor Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$57,179
2024
$56,955
2025
$56,387
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $57,179
2024 $56,955
2025 $56,387
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Chief Flight Instructor

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Chief Flight Instructor

Here are companies hiring for Chief Flight Instructor and their salaries, click below for more details.

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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