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3 Answers

Aircraft rental for student instruction

Asked by: 4089 views Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Student Pilot

Hello all,

I have a friend who has recently retired from his work career, obtained all the required ratings, and become a CFI. He has been flying for 35 years as a private pilot, but owns and operates an experimental. Therefore, Im to understand he cannot instruct in it.

I own a PA-28 and am wondering about occaisionally renting it out for him to use while instructing students.  Does anyone have information on the requirements etc to do this? I understand the 100 hr inspection requirement. 

Would the CFI rent it or would the student provide insurance etc.?

And what about soloing?

Im not looking to make money or necessarily start a business. I would just like to see people learn how to fly and help my CFI friend by having an airplane available occaisionally, for instructional purposes. He is getting a lot of interest by people who want to start instruction, and has been busy with clubs and others who own airplanes already, but what about those who come to him who are not in a club etc.?

It seems quite difficult for someone to begin to get instruction unless they are part of a club or can find an instructor with their own airplane, or go to a FBO flight school of some sort. 

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3 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Apr 18, 2018

    There are multiple ways of accomplishing this but the devil is in the details. Technically, the airplane can be rented to either the CFI or the student. In either case, there are advantages and downsides, most of which have very little to do with the FAA, other than whether or not a 100-hour inspection is required.

    In both cases there will be insurance considerations. I hesitate to generalize but owner insurance policies typically exclude use for paid flight instruction (except to the owner), and commercial.

    This is not a good subject for a discussion with SGOTI, but one which should really be discussed with an aviation attorney or other professional.

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  2. Wheels Wings n Strings on Apr 19, 2018

    Thanks for the insight. The “ devils’s in the details” alright.
    I dont necessarily want my airplane continually beat up by students, but I thought I could help by occasionally providing an airplane for training.
    If we were both partners in the aircraft, would that be an alternative? How about a club? Can the student who is just starting out, buy some renters insurance or get added to an owners current policy?
    Many students, would rather learn from someone other that a young new trainer at an FBO that is trying to build time. That said, there is also a good amount of money to be saved by using a local instructor to get a Privte certificate before going to an aviation college.
    Some people want to learn to fly for fun, others want to start a career in aviation.
    There are articles in almots every aviation publication about the lack of new airline pilots, and more recently about the lack of instructors to train those new pilots.
    There seems to be no way an individual could afford to purchase an aircraft to train in, and buy insurance after recently paying for all the all the instruction for ratings to become a CFI.

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  3. John Scarry on May 13, 2018

    I have rented out my Cherokee and had a couple of CFIs that I know give instruction in it. Insurance will be substantially higher. Last year with an open pilot clause letting me rent to students it was $2,960 for $25,000 hull. This year a couple of friends and I are named on the policy and it is $795.

    Since I provide the plane and the student provides the instructor, there is no 100 hour inspection required. You still need to do 100 hour ADs which you probably don’t need to worry about now.

    Depending on your airport, they might require you to have them named as additional insureds on the policy and may require you to have business insurance to protect them from liability when the students are on the ramp. Our airport requires additional hoops as well.

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