Flight Training Initiative
The AOPA Flight Training Student Retention Initiative is a long-term, industry-wide effort dedicated to increasing the percentage of students who earn a pilot certificate. Facilitating a positive flight training experience will help student pilots achieve their goals while growing the pilot population and strengthening general aviation. See below for resources designed to help student pilots, instructors, and flight schools get the most out of the flight training experience.
Research
Research Report: The Flight Training Experience
Download the PDF (4MB).
This comprehensive study provides a deeper, more objective understanding of the flight training experience and serves as the foundation of the AOPA Flight Training Student Retention Initiative.
AOPA Flight Training Field Guides
AOPA is excited to preview three innovative and exciting books about learning to fly. They are packaged as field guides on flight training. One book is for the student (PDF 56KB). The second book is for flight instructors (PDF 66KB), and a third is for flight training organizations (PDF 56KB).
AOPA will introduce the Field Guides to Flight Training at the Flight School Business luncheon on Wednesday, July 25 at Airventure. If you would like to attend the luncheon, you may register online.
AOPA Launches MyFlightTraining Website
AOPA has launched the new MyFlightTraining website, designed to be a powerful tool for student pilots to help them through flight training and track their progress. MyFlightTraining takes the content of Flight Training magazine and personalizes it for students anywhere in their flight training curriculum.
Open only to student pilots, the site tracks a participant’s progress with six key milestones—first flight, the student pilot certificate, solo, the written exam, solo cross-countries, and the practical test. Students come to the site and enter the successful completion of a milestone. The milestones help to break the flight training journey down into manageable stages, while making sure that in addition to celebrating the end goal of a pilot certificate, other successes along the way are acknowledged and celebrated. Learn more.
AOPA Flight Training Excellence Awards
The AOPA Flight Training Excellence Awards, brought to you by Flight Training magazine, are designed to encourage best practices and recognize flight schools and independent training professionals who put those practices to work every day. They are based on AOPA’s flight training student retention research.
AOPA Live®: AOPA Aviation Summit Keynote Presentation
Watch APCO Insight® Chairman Mark Benson’s presentation on the research findings and hear more about AOPA’s initial plans from Director of Flight Training Initiatives Jennifer Storm.
News
- Flight Training Summit 2011 - Shifting the training paradigm
- Student Retention Initiative gains frontline perspective at regional meetings
- AOPA launches flight training scholarship program
- CA bill could ease concerns of flight school certification
- New pilots key to future of aviation
- AOPA convenes major flight training summit
- Research identifies what students need
- President’s Position: Seeking a new training paradigm
Please email comments or questions about the AOPA Flight Training Student Retention Initiative to FTinitiative@aopa.org.
