April 18 2017 issue of Flight School Business

VOL. 7-ISSUE 8-4/18/2017

TRAINING TRENDS

Discussing finances with flight students

Marketing your services to customers who ultimately can’t afford them doesn’t help anyone. But how do you broach this delicate topic? It’s not a question of judging whether someone gets to learn to fly. Jason Blair provides tips on how you can prequalify a customer so that you can focus your efforts into the people who will be strong revenue generators. READ MORE ›

NEWS

AOPA offers flight school certification improvements

The FAA could make the certification of Part 141 pilot schools more efficient by streamlining approval of training courses and dropping requirements for flight standards district offices to approve programs previously reviewed by the agency, AOPA said. The comments were in response to the FAA’s proposed update to AC 141-1B, Part 141 Pilot Schools Application, Certification, and Compliance. READ MORE ›

Graphical forecasts become operational

The National Weather Service’s project to replace the area forecast with interactive forecasting moved into a key phase April 13 when a graphical forecasting tool that has been available online as an experimental offering was upgraded to operational status. READ MORE ›

Continental Motors advances diesel Skyhawks

Continental Motors Group announced the addition of a Turbo Skyhawk JT-A to Purdue University’s flight training fleet, and noted the approval from U.S. and European government agencies to retrofit older Cessna 172s with its diesel-powered engines. The engine offers single-lever operation, simplifying pilot operation and familiarizing student pilots with engine controls like those they would encounter in turbine or jet-powered aircraft, Continental said. READ MORE ›

Kings develop Cessna Pilot Center app

John and Martha King announced April 6 that they have developed an iPhone/iPad app for Cessna Pilot Center flight instructors that they can use online or offline, allowing them to go paperless. The Kings also announced a partnership with 1Step Prep to offer Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 courses to help pilots prepare for the type rating and recurrent training. READ MORE ›

Switch to ICAO flight plan form to take effect June 5

The FAA set June 5 as the date when use of the international flight plan format, also known as the International Civil Aviation Organization format, will be required for all civil flight plans filed with flight service for flights within the National Airspace System and to Canada. READ MORE ›

POLL

The money talk

Do you discuss the affordability of flight instruction with potential clients? Take this week’s survey.

Results

In the April 4, 2017, issue, we wanted to know whether your flight school sells aircraft as well as flight instruction. Here are the results:

<em>Flight School Business</em>

MARKETING

Marketing by the numbers

If your approach to marketing your business resembles a wager in a Vegas casino, it’s time to change your thinking. Colin Jordan explains how to gather pertinent data on clients and website visitors, how to analyze that data, and how to target your marketing efforts at the right people. READ MORE ›

QUICK TIP

Be on the lookout for great marketing ideas or new ways of working from other industries. Could these be adapted to your flight training business? You’ll want to research trends in your industry, subscribe to industry publications, attend conferences, and keep an eye on competitors’ websites. Read more growth tips from Account(able).

SAFETY

Conventional wisdom

Aviation has its share of conventional wisdom—beliefs that are so deeply ingrained for so long that nobody questions their validity any more. But maybe it’s time to revisit some aviation-related conventional wisdom. How about the early first solo? Or stall avoidance versus stall recovery? Or the V_MC demonstration? READ MORE ›

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Flight School Business Editor:
Jill W. Tallman

Production Specialist:
Sylvia Horne

Advertising Production Coordinator:
Donna Stoner

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