Availability planning
Flight Instructor Availability Template and Buffer Checklist
Copy a practical CFI availability template with teaching windows, named timezones, briefing buffers, aircraft constraints, and instructor approval.
Quick orientation
What this guide helps you do
Availability states when a lesson request may fit. It should protect briefing, travel, and postflight time and leave the final review with the instructor rather than implying a confirmed aircraft reservation.
Key takeaways
- Use named timezones and explicit start/end windows.
- Protect briefing, travel, and postflight buffers.
- A student request still requires instructor review.
Linked sources reviewed . Check the current source before applying a requirement.
Write the constraints before publishing times
List the airports you teach at, the time needed between locations, and the periods you cannot realistically review. Account for ground briefing, postflight, and known aircraft access constraints.
Use a named timezone rather than a fixed UTC offset so daylight-saving changes are understandable. Confirm the displayed timezone with the student when people are traveling or booking across regions.
Window setup
- Workspace timezone
- Airport or meeting location
- Briefing and travel buffer
- Maximum workable lesson duration
- Known blocked periods
Copy a weekly availability outline
Use this outline for planning before entering recurring availability in the application. Fictional sample windows illustrate the distinction between teaching time and protected buffer time.
Reusable template
CFI availability worksheet
- Week and timezone
- [Week beginning] · [America/New_York or your actual named timezone]
- Teaching window
- Example: Tuesday 09:00–12:00 at Sample Field
- Protected buffer
- Example: 30 minutes after instruction before the next commitment
- Blocked period
- [Known personal, travel, maintenance, or unavailable time]
- Request review
- [Preparation, aircraft access, objective, and confirmation checked by CFI]
Review one request against the real day
A request that fits a published window may still conflict with aircraft access, student preparation, or a changed commitment. Review the proposed objective and duration before confirming it.
When changing a recurring pattern, check already-confirmed lessons separately. Tell students how to propose a change instead of assuming an availability edit has moved every existing booking.
- No silent conversion from available to confirmed
- Review a daylight-saving transition week
- Check airport travel time
- Preserve existing confirmed bookings while reviewing changes
Worked example: protect the buffer after a lesson
Morgan can teach 09:00–11:00 and needs a 30-minute buffer after a 90-minute lesson. A proposed 09:00–10:30 booking leaves 10:30–11:00 for the buffer; that remaining half-hour is not another lesson slot.
Keep the named timezone with the window. A student's device clock should not be the only explanation of the start time, especially after travel or a daylight-saving transition.
Reusable template
Adapt this fictional example
- Window
- Tuesday · 09:00–11:00 · America/New_York
- Proposed lesson
- 09:00–10:30, subject to instructor review
- Protected buffer
- 10:30–11:00; record travel, aircraft constraints, and blocked periods separately
Fictional administrative example, not a flight procedure, eligibility assessment, or endorsement.
Primary sources
Check the current official material
Rules, standards, and guidance can change. Open the current source before using this resource for a real training or recordkeeping decision.
Use the workflow in Voyage
Set instructor availability
Review the supported workflow, example interface, and workspace limits before starting your trial.
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