AOPA’s annual salute to the best in the flight training industry has a new name but the same mission. The 2017 Flight Training Experience Awards recognize the top flight schools and instructors, based on recommendations from their students. For the past five years, AOPA has conducted a survey of flight training students across the country to find the schools and instructors who exemplify the best in flight training. Award recipients are named from the results of the survey, which is now under way.
Part of AOPA’s You Can Fly program, the survey is based on AOPA’s research into the optimal flight training experience and focuses on four key factors: educational quality, customer focus, community, and information sharing. Individuals who have taken flight training within the past 12 months are encouraged to complete the survey, which consists of 31 questions about flight schools and 25 questions about flight instructors. The questions are designed to measure the overall performance through the eyes of their customers.
The Flight Training Experience Survey is conducted online and includes measures that prevent ballot stuffing. Individuals can nominate both flight schools and flight instructors. In 2016, this resulted in reviews of 789 flight schools and 1,515 flight instructors. Awards are selected in each category for the following regions: West, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast.
“Our goal with the Flight Training Experience Survey is to provide schools and instructors with insight into what their customers are seeking,” said Chris Moser, AOPA director of the flight training initiative. “We introduced ‘report cards’ last year to give schools and CFIs even more detailed feedback into their strengths and potential areas for growth. As we expected from the passionate and dedicated people in the flight training industry, we’ve heard from quite a few folks who are glad to know what they should keep doing and what they can focus on to serve their customers in even better ways.”
Whether you’re preparing for your first solo, brushing up on regulations, or taking a flight review, AOPA wants to hear from you. Think of this as a customer satisfaction survey; your constructive feedback helps AOPA identify the best flight training providers, and helps flight training providers identify their strengths and target areas for improvement. The Flight Training Experience Survey is available from May 22 through August 14, 2017 (www.aopa.org/ftsurvey).
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