Redbird sets schedule for Migration

Redbird Flight Simulations’ fifth annual Migration aimed at flight instructors, educators, and flight school managers will offer breakout sessions on new technology, instructional techniques, and marketing. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta will deliver a keynote address Nov. 4, the final day of the San Marcos, Texas, gathering.

The free conference opens Nov. 2 with a dinner talk by Hartzell Propeller President Joe Brown and includes a keynote address by marketing specialist Gary Smith, CEO of Big Red and All Sport, and a year-in-review presentation by Redbird Chairman Craig Fuller.

Brittney Miculka, director of Redbird’s ImagineFlight program, said this year’s event would include tips about marketing directly to consumers and ways that flight school managers could improve their bottom line while offering advanced instructional techniques. “A lot of our focus is on flight training methods and the future of flight schools to keep improving business and success rates for students,” she said.

Previous Migration presentations have included disruptive technologies, strategies to embrace change and its associated risks, and techniques to harness the potential of the Millennial and Digital Native generations, who have grown up with technology.

A highlights video from the 2014 conference demonstrated how the firm’s RedHawk Cessna 172 aircraft push attitude and heading reference system information, engine data, and flight performance from training flights into a “connected flight school” that instructors use to analyze and improve students’ performances.

“The power of having all that data makes operations and billing run smoother, and maintenance and inspections are managed better with the RedHawks and Sidekick [data transmitters]. We’ll definitely be talking about that at Migration,” Miculka said.

Breakout sessions include Redbird Founder Jerry Gregoire talking about flight analytics, AOPA Flight Training Initiative Manager Chris Moser discussing customer service, and representatives from BoldMethod covering digital aviation and flight training content.

Redbird and AOPA teamed up at Sun 'n Fun 2015 to demonstrate how three potential flight students with no aviation experience could be ready to solo an aircraft in only one week during the One Week Ready to Solo program.