President and CEO (and son) George Allen, vice president of marketing (and mom) Debra Allen, and chief instructor (and dad) Bill Allen make customers at AeroVenture Institute feel like part of the family.
The sun is shining brightly,
but it’s freezing outside. Late fall in New England can be deceiving. With only two days to go before Thanksgiving, it’s usually a pretty slow time at flight schools as students focus more on family than flying. Yet here in the modest offices of the AeroVenture Institute Flight Training Center in Southbridge, Massachusetts, there are so many people it’s hard to move without bumping into someone.
It’s usually like this at AeroVenture. A light schedule on the books doesn’t mean an empty flight school. Many of the students on this day weren’t on the schedule. They came to hang out, gossip, swap stories, and support each other. It has all the benefits of a close-knit family with none of the drama.
Many schools might claim a relaxed or family atmosphere, but AeroVenture has something special. Maybe that’s because it starts with family—literally. George Allen is the CEO; his father, Bill, is the chief flight instructor; and his mother, Debra, takes care of much of the work behind the scenes. George says Debra’s also a phenomenal ambassador to the parents of students involved in one of their many youth programs. Together they have cultivated an environment that’s friendly but structured, a school that feels like home but provides access to big new horizons. It’s one of many reasons AeroVenture has been named Best Flight School of 2015 in AOPA’s Flight Training Excellence Awards.
AeroVenture’s win is impressive for many reasons, not the least of which is geography. Southbridge isn’t a city with a natural large base of student pilots. It’s a small town tucked south of Worcester. Southbridge Municipal Airport (3B0) has a 3,500-foot runway, no FBO to speak of, a restaurant that has been closed for a few years, and only recently a self-fueling pump. When AeroVenture moved here in 2013 pilots had to fly to Worcester to get fuel. “The town was on the fence about closing the airport,” George says. “It had been mismanaged for 20 years.”
Many visits to the town council later, things are looking up. The town is investing big in a new building where AeroVenture will have space for proper classrooms, a place to put its simulator, and a hang-out space to further encourage students to enjoy the airport.
George says that despite the current building and the hangars and ramps surrounding the school, things are considerably better than when AeroVenture was based in Worcester. It was there in 2010 that he and Bill finally decided to take the risk and act on what they thought could be a superior flight training experience. A few years later Debra came on board. According to George, the airport operator in Worcester was indifferent to the based businesses, which resulted in multiple moves and rate hikes in a few short years.
Every one of AeroVenture’s students followed the school to Southbridge. Given the love students have for the school and its ability to thrive in difficult circumstances, it’s easy to see that a successful flight school is less a physical place and more a philosophy.
For George, that philosophy is simple: It centers on providing great service in a structured environment that doesn’t impede the students. “Behind the scenes it’s disciplined, but the student in the end shouldn’t be able to see the process,” he says. “Flying is the same way. There are procedures, checklists, rules, stuff going on behind the scenes, but in the end flying is an art. It’s a natural way we handle things.”
Each intro flight customer is taken through a very deliberate process, including time in the simulator, in the airplane, and talking with the instructor. AeroVenture also handles each student’s schedule. This provides regular touch points with customers and a more personal service. George also said he’s come to realize that a phone call is huge, so there’s a dedicated person at the front desk. And Debra will call to check on students who haven’t been in for some time.
“The biggest thing is treating people right,” George says. “They feel like they become a part of the family. At the core they are getting a professional flight training experience, but they don’t just feel like they need to come in, take their lesson, and leave.”
AeroVenture’s community outreach is its most unusual feature, primarily because of the sheer volume. A cynical view holds that community outreach is nothing more than marketing, but the Allen family sees it differently. Bill’s uncle had a Piper Cub, something Bill learned after it was gone. It was only later in life that he discovered flying. “These kids have a gift,” he says. “I tell them that they get to learn about aviation now—an opportunity I never had.”
Much of the outreach comes down to that simple goal—to share the joy of aviation and aerospace with as many young people as possible. George does most of the events, which range from high-school ground schools to facility tours and career days. “The next Charles Lindbergh or Robert Goddard could be in that classroom waiting to be inspired,” he says.
For three consecutive years, the flight school has hosted a special day on which anyone in the local community has a chance to take a free flight, and it runs a program that gets high school kids college credit and a pilot certificate. To draw it all together, adults who are learning to fly come out to help. That doesn’t happen by accident. The Allens purposely create the opportunities for students to give back. It’s all for a larger goal. “I’m trying to make the airport for more than just pilots,” says George. “It’s for the community—all the community.”
Joe Grillo is one of those students who give back. He had visited other schools and said they almost felt separate from the airport. Grillo says Bill has introduced him to everyone at Southbridge. Now Grillo is known to bring the doughnuts and give a hand with various airport community days. He’s part of the family now. Debra often will have coffee waiting for him and other students when they come back from a lesson. “I’ve never felt like just a customer,” he says. “What they’ve done here is very inspiring.”
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