AOPA Project Pilot

An expanded Project Pilot enters its second year

There's no question about it: AOPA's Project Pilot, launched last year to bring 10,000 new people into flying, has been an unqualified success. The innovative program, in which AOPA members nominate new pilot prospects and then mentor them through the completion of their private pilot checkrides, will have met its goal by its first anniversary on April 1. Results have been so encouraging that Project Pilot's first phase is being expanded, even as its second phase — Project Pilot Instructor — is being launched for flight instructors and their current students.

In the first 11 months of the program, some 9,000 AOPA members had already nominated more than 9,500 men and women as prospects for flight training. And 94 percent of the Project Pilot students responding in a recent AOPA survey indicated that they would earn private pilot certificates within a year.

Let's put those numbers in perspective. AOPA enrolled more than 10,000 Project Pilot participants during the 12 months that ended April 1, while the FAA reported 62,603 student pilot starts during 1994. In other words, nearly one in six beginning student pilots were Project Pilot participants.

But Project Pilot is about people, not statistics. It's also about the future of general aviation. The program's potential was acknowledged during Project Pilot's ceremonial debut in March 1994, when almost 200 people — including members of Congress, their staffs, federal officials, and industry executives — streamed into the Pioneers of Flight gallery at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Senator John Glenn (D- OH), the first American to orbit the earth and an active general aviation pilot, and three-time National Aerobatic Champion Patty Wagstaff joined AOPA representatives beneath the Spirit of St. Louis to launch the initiative.

Dallas Kerley of New Castle, Delaware, was nominated by AOPA member Bob Moor of Hockessin, Delaware, to become Project Pilot's first enrolled student. Kerley, who began his flight training at the New Castle County Airport last May, has already received his private pilot certificate.

David Larson, a software engineer in Colorado, was the first Project Pilot participant to pass his private pilot checkride. Larson, who earned his ticket at the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport in June, was nominated by coworker Mike Myshatyn. "I'd thought about learning to fly for years," Larson said, "but it was Mike's enthusiasm and Project Pilot that really got me started."

AOPA Expo '94 in Palm Springs, California, last October gave Project Pilot's national mentor an opportunity to reflect on the program. "The numbers that prove the success of the program have come to life," Barry Schiff said during an Expo session on learning to fly. "I've had the pleasure — I really should say the joy — of meeting people whose bubbling enthusiasm is infectious and serves to remind us what we felt, you and I — and still feel, to some extent — when we first began to fly.

"There is, for example, the remarkable feat of Pam Burton," Schiff continued. Her father, Carl Burton, became a Project Pilot mentor and encouraged Pam to begin flying. "She did so with a vengeance and obtained her private pilot certificate in — now get this — from start to finish, in 18 days. By the way, she apologizes; she says she could have done it in 17, but she had a weather delay."

Schiff said it seems that every mentor and every Project Pilot participant he's met has a wonderful story to tell. One pilot told Schiff that he and his son had been drifting apart for years, but when he encouraged his son to begin flying, they got closer — "'much closer. I am so grateful to Project Pilot for having brought father and son together again.' This gentleman told me this yesterday while attempting to hold back tears of happiness and gratitude," Schiff recalled.

Students have also been very complimentary of the program, he added. "It was just the right push to get me started. I always wanted to learn to fly, and now I'm doing it," one student told him. Another reported that Project Pilot's student newsletters helped him to hurdle the obstacle of landings. Yet another said, "Learning to fly has indelibly changed my life for the better, and probably forever. Flying and the freedom it has given me is a dream fulfilled."

Project Pilot's most visible student might be Lois Boyer, the wife of AOPA President Phil Boyer. Her progress was frequently one of Phil's topics at recent AOPA Pilot Town Meetings — but no more. After scoring a perfect grade on her written exam, Lois passed her private pilot checkride and earned her certificate November 15.

What do all these successes mean to Project Pilot? First, that the program is being continued and expanded; AOPA is producing more kits for both new AOPA mentors and additional student pilot prospects. Second, Project Pilot Instructor is being launched to recognize the key role of flight instructors in attracting and retaining new pilots.

Project Pilot Instructor continues Project Pilot's original goal of reversing the decline in student pilot starts — and the resulting drop in the number of new private pilot certificates issued. "General aviation's flight training infrastructure is not what it once was, especially when it comes to the marketing of flight training to prospective students," said Karen Detert, who heads AOPA's membership marketing department. "We recognize that CFIs are the central point for any pilot going through primary or upgrade training. By dedicating this special effort to energize flight instructors and help them motivate their students, we believe we can make a difference in this area."

Project Pilot Instructor also seeks to recognize instructors for their contributions to general aviation. "After all, CFIs are pivotal — they project GA's image to new student pilots, as well as interact with any pilot who obtains proficiency training or seeks to upgrade a certificate," Ms. Detert said. "Given this key role, it's a shame that CFIs all too often feel they don't receive enough meaningful support from their flight schools."

About 56,000 of the nation's most active flight instructors will receive information on Project Pilot Instructor during March and April. That includes about 10,000 invitations that will be sent to CFIs who are not AOPA members; they will be asked to join the association if they wish to participate (Two-thirds of all flight instructors are already AOPA members). By the end of this year, every flight instructor in the country will have been contacted regarding Project Pilot Instructor.

The program's free instructor kit includes an instructor recognition document that identifies participants as CFIs and as Project Pilot instructors; an instructor lapel pin; instructor decals for airplane, car, and headset; and custom instrument covers ideal for flight training. Project Pilot instructors will also receive a bimonthly newsletter with instruction tips and aviation career advice, and access to a toll-free hotline staffed by experienced CFIs who can answer tough aviation and training questions. If three of a CFI's students join AOPA, the instructor will receive a free year's membership in the association.

Each student nominated by a Project Pilot Instructor will receive a complimentary copy of Proficient Flying — Volume One, an educational videotape featuring Schiff, who is an airline captain, flight instructor, and aviation writer. The video is geared to student pilots working toward certification.

The program also features PilotsPlus Rewards, a frequent flier- style program for instructors in which CFIs earn points for incentive gifts based on the number of students they nominate to receive the free videotape. Any new or current student actively training for a pilot certificate or a rating upgrade is eligible for nomination.

PilotsPlus Rewards premiums are earned at the two, five, 10, 15, and 20-student levels. Introductory premiums include a distinctive AOPA Project Pilot Instructor cap, with the program's unique logo, and three "Proficient Flying" videotapes. Other new premiums will be announced periodically as CFIs accumulate points toward higher premium levels. Each point also earns a separate entry in this year's First New 172 sweepstakes; the winner will receive the first Cessna Skyhawk to roll off the company's new production line being constructed in Independence, Kansas.

Part of Project Pilot Instructor includes asking FBOs and flight schools across the United States to promote the program to their flight instructors. Flight school managers will be offered promotional material designed as part of Project Pilot Instructor to attract and retain flight training prospects. Participating FBOs and flight schools will also receive AOPA's new Flying Friendly videotape, which shows how to avoid problems with airport noise in the surrounding community.

Inquiries and correspondence regarding Project Pilot Instructor should be directed to AOPA, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701. For more information, call 800/USA-AOPA.