News

Medical reform included in FAA extension

House and Senate negotiators have agreed on an FAA extension deal that includes third class medical reforms and will keep the agency operating through September 2017. The House and Senate are expected to send the legislation to the president for his signature before Congress adjourns for the summer. The reforms would exempt from medical certification requirements all pilots who hold a current U.S. driver’s license and have held a valid medical, regular or special issuance, within the past 10 years from the date the legislation becomes law. Read more >>

Last chance to register for Rusty Pilots webinar

Don’t miss tonight’s Flight School Business webinar, Welcome to Rusty Pilots 2.0! The program will show you how to hold a Rusty Pilots program at your flight school and get new business as you help lapsed pilots return to the air. The webinar will be held at 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, July 12. Register on the website >>

Join us at AirVenture for the Flight School Business social

Coming to EAA AirVenture 2016? Join us for refreshments and great networking at the Flight School Business Social on Tuesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m. Meet the AOPA Flight Training Initiative team. Learn how to get your flight school or CFIs recognized in the 2016 Flight Training Excellence Awards—our presentation will feature results from the 2015 Flight Training poll, and tips from last year’s winners. Sporty’s Academy representatives will share their experience on training recreational pilots—an affordable option to getting started in flight training. Admission to the grounds is required to attend. Register at the website >>

‘Fearless’ student lands safely after engine failure

Social media was ablaze after a 17-year-old Georgia student pilot on a solo cross-country made an engine-out landing on a golf course shortly after takeoff from her home base. Sierra Lund has been flying with her father since she was a young child. She has logged about 45 hours of dual instruction. When the engine quit at 400 feet agl, “I didn’t really have time to freak out and I figured I’d land the airplane anywhere I could,” she said. Read more >>

Pan Am Academy, Silver Airways announce alliance

Pan Am International Flight Academy, Miami, Florida, and regional carrier Silver Airways announced June 30 an alliance that will funnel qualified pilot applicants to the airline. Pilots who meet Silver Airways’ hiring criteria will be given an opportunity to interview with the carrier. “This Strategic Alliance between our two companies is a true win-win scenario,” said Mark Johnson, executive vice president and chief compliance officer for Pan Am. “Silver Airways now has a new source of qualified and enthusiastic pilots and Pan Am cadets and instructors have the chance for exciting career advancement.”

Training Trends

A Florida flight school’s take on ab initio

As flight schools try to keep up with the demand for professional pilots, Florida-based Pilot Training Center has rolled out a program that gets applicants from zero to 250 hours—and then helps them find employment overseas. Read more >>

Poll

Specialized training

Spins? Tailwheel? Aerobatics? Bush flying? In this week’s poll, we’d like to know what type of specialized training your flight school offers. Take the poll >>

Results

In the June 28 issue, we wanted to know what your flight school’s pass/fail rate was for the previous year. Here are the results:

Marketing

‘Loyal’ versus ‘satisfied’

It’s great to have satisfied customers. But what about going a step further and turning those satisfied clients into loyal ones? Ed Helmick explains why loyal customers are more than business statistics, what they can do for your company, and how you can cultivate them at your flight school. Read more >>

Quick tip

Want some free advertising? List your business on search engines so that your flight school shows up when people search for flight training on the Internet or a mobile device. According to USA Today, you can get listed free at Google, Bing, and Yelp. See more tips here.

Safety

Unaccountable lapses, part one

We all have bad days. It’s a flight instructor’s responsibility to make sure those off days don’t compromise his or her students’ chances to learn, much less their physical safety. In the first of a two-part series, David Jack Kenny examines CFI lapses in judgment, focusing on a night cross-country in 2014. Read more >>

Editor: Jill W. Tallman

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