AOPA announced an online poll April 10 that will be the basis for its 2013 Flight Training Excellence Awards.
“Our awards program, and this unique pilot poll, will give people a great opportunity to share feedback on their flight training experiences,” said Shannon Yeager, vice president of AOPA’s Center to Advance the Pilot Community. “The awards shine a spotlight on the best practices among flight instructors and flight training centers, encouraging new students to enter flight training and experienced pilots to pursue advanced ratings and improved proficiency.”
This year, anyone who has had a recent (within the last two years) flight training experience is encouraged to go online and complete the poll. Participants will be able to share feedback about a flight school and individual flight instructors.
Apart from asking participants to nominate a flight school and instructor, the poll asks students to rate their learning experience. Questions include the condition of the rental aircraft, quality of ground and flight instruction, the attitudes of the instructors and schools, and the methods used to set goals and mark progress.
The deadline to complete the poll is Aug. 9. Participants do not have to be AOPA members.
AOPA first launched its flight training excellence awards in 2012, and winners were announced at last year’s AOPA Aviation Summit in Palm Springs, Calif. The 2013 winners will be recognized during AOPA Aviation Summit Oct. 10 through 12 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Last year, the awards competition drew more than 2,400 nominations and resulted in 11 awards to individual flight instructors and flight schools and manufacturers. In addition, 50 more made a flight training honor roll.
