Find the Right Flight Instructor for Your New Airplane

Here are some tips to vetting CFIs, understanding insurance, and securing safe training.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Flight instructor and student inside small Piper aircraft [Credit: FLYING Archive]

Key Takeaways:

When seeking a flight instructor for a newly purchased aircraft, explore resources like aircraft-specific type clubs, professional CFI organizations (NAFI, SAFE), and local flight schools.
Prioritize insurance requirements for both the aircraft owner and the CFI, as policies often demand the instructor has specific, recent experience in the aircraft's make and model.
Ensure fair compensation for experienced flight instructors and commit to essential ground instruction, as a learner's willingness to follow rules and consistently engage in training is crucial for safety and skill development.

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Congratulations! You just bought an airplane—or a share of one—and now you need to find a flight instructor who can teach you how to fly it.

Luckily for you, pilot hiring at the airlines appears to have slowed down a bit, which means commercial pilots who became flight instructors to build their hours for jobs at airlines are staying flight instructors for a bit longer than they were even a year ago. This means they have more time to develop as teachers.