February 23, 2016, issue of ‘Flight School Business’ newsletter

News

Creative compensation packages could attract, retain CFIs

As flight schools struggle to hire and retain instructors, compensation packages might have to become more creative, according to the results of a compensation trends survey conducted by the Flight School Association of North America. The survey found that 68 percent of respondents are having a tough time hiring enough instructors to meet customer demand or simply finding experienced, qualified instructors. Read more >>

National conventions will bring major TFRs in 2016

Temporary flight restrictions—the bane of any flight school’s existence, particularly on weekends—will continue to be a force in 2016. In particular, TFRs associated with the Republican and Democratic National Conventions will have 10-nautical-mile inner rings and 30-nm outer rings. Read more >>

Aviation groups oppose bill limiting flight training for veterans

AOPA and six other general aviation groups sent a joint letter to House leaders opposing legislation that would make it harder for veterans to pursue aviation careers. The proposed Veterans Employment, Education, and Healthcare Improvement Act (H.R. 3016) would cap flight training tuition and fee benefits at $20,235, a move that will “cause immediate and alarming changes to collegiate flight training degree benefits for our nation’s military veterans,” the letter said. Read more >>

Liberty adds Piper twin, Cessna single sims

Liberty University has ordered two additional Frasca flight training devices, one each to simulate a twin-engine Piper Seminole and a single-engine Cessna 172. The Level 5 flight training devices include the company’s TruVision global vision system with laser-hybrid projectors and angle-of-attack devices designed to assist pilots during critical phases of flight. Liberty’s School of Aeronautics manages more than 250 active flight students on its main campus in Lynchburg, Virginia, and partners with more than 40 flight training affiliate schools around the United States for online courses.

Signature selling six FBOs to acquire Landmark

The U.S. Department of Justice will require London’s BBA Aviation, owner of Signature Flight Support headquartered in Orlando, Florida, to sell fixed-base operations at six airports as a condition of its $2.065 billion acquisition of Landmark Aviation. BBA Aviation is selling the FBOs under the terms of a proposed settlement with the department’s antitrust division. Antitrust officials were concerned that without selling the FBOs, the acquisition would create a monopoly for Signature at three airports and reduce the number of competitors from three to two at three other airports, with higher prices and lower-quality service likely to result.

Autogyro school opens in Louisiana

Terry and L. Stephen Rastanis have opened AutoGyro of Louisiana, a flight school and autogyro dealership at Feliciana Airpark Airport (LA3) in Jackson, Louisiana. The school held an open house on Feb. 20. The husband-and-wife team said they fell in love with autogyros after realizing that their powered parachute pastime meant they were grounded on windy days—something their MTO Sport can handle easily, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate.

Training Trends

High expectations, high success

Coast Flight Academy in San Diego, California, has achieved high student success rates in part by making sure clients understand the challenges of flight training. The school’s leadership team says the best and most difficult choice was to “step away from the dollar.” Read more >>

Poll

Love is in the air

Valentine’s Day fell on a Sunday in 2016. Did your flight school offer any type of special promotion for this day? Take the poll >>

Results

In the last issue, we asked whether you sell paper charts, and many of you do. Here are the results:

Marketing

‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’

What’s the funniest thing that has ever happened at your flight school? For Alpine Flight Training in Eagle, Colorado, it was a surprise introductory flight arranged by a fun-loving grandparent. Read more >>

Quick tip

Introductory and scenic flights work well for Father’s and Mother’s Day promotions—but what about proms? A Pennsylvania flight school says proms and high school graduations are great hooks for introductory and scenic flights. Parents come out to the airport to be part of the fun, and they compare the cost favorably with renting a limousine. Prom-goers get a selection of photos when the flight is concluded.

Safety

Hang up and fly!

A student pilot on his second solo crashes, and it’s later determined that he was distracted by a cellphone. Are you doing enough to teach your students about the dangers of in-flight distractions? Read more >>

Editor: Jill W. Tallman

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