April 16 issue of Flight School Business

VOL. 9-ISSUE 8-4/16/2019

TRAINING TRENDS

Drug testing and your CFIs, part two

If the FAA doesn’t require you to randomly drug test your employees, why should you bother? In the second part of a two-part series, designated pilot examiner Jason Blair says safety and liability are two considerations. READ MORE ›

NEWS

Piper unveils new trainers at Sun ’n Fun

Piper Aircraft unveiled two new training airplanes at the kickoff of the airshow season earlier this month. The Piper Pilot 100 and 100i, trimmed-down variants of the PA-28 Archer TX, were introduced at the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo. The new models are designed for smaller flight schools that want new airplanes. They swap a Lycoming O-360 for a 180-hp Continental Aerospace Technologies IO-370 Prime engine, which comes standard with fuel injection. The 100 and 100i are priced at $259,000 and $285,000 respectively. READ MORE ›

King Schools announces courses, scholarship award

King Schools announced a new course for instrument rating applicants and a flight instructor scholarship winner during the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo in Lakeland, Florida. The new all-HD online course Instrument Rating Ground School and Test Prep Course was completed in March and includes extensive new content. READ MORE ›

Calls grow to pare down Piper wing spar AD

AOPA and other aviation organizations are continuing to press the FAA to modify a proposed airworthiness directive that would require logbook reviews and possible wing-spar inspections of up to 20,000 Piper PA-28 and PA-32 series airplanes. READ MORE ›

New online aviation marketplace launches

A new web-based marketplace for anything related to flying promises to bring a high level of functionality and user friendliness to the aviation segment. Aviators Market also said it will release one or two new features or element updates a month following the rollout, which took place earlier in April. READ MORE ›

Piper announces largest order ever

Piper Aircraft announced its largest order ever, to L3 Technologies Commercial Training Solutions, at the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo. The aircraft order includes up to 240 Archer TX and Seminole models. L3 said it is building capacity to fill the strong demand for pilots through its Sanford, Florida, operation, as well as sites in Portugal, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The company plans to phase out other aircraft models and fly only Pipers as the new airplanes are delivered over the next several years. READ MORE ›

Embry-Riddle instructor helps student pilot in distress

An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University flight instructor received an FAA Flight Standards District Office safety award for his role in helping a student pilot in distress on her first solo. The pilot, who was flying at Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, tried to land three times unsuccessfully before asking the control tower for help. The tower controller, who was not a pilot, talked to the student and radioed for an instructor of “any other training flights at the airport to see if they could help render assistance,” according to The Embry-Riddle Newsroom. CFI Muhammad Omar landed, parked by the tower to watch for the airplane, and then coached the student through her fourth attempt. She landed without incident.

POLL

Action cameras

Action cameras are growing in popularity among the pilot population. Do flight instructors at your flight school use these cameras during flight lessons? Tell us in this week’s survey.

Results

In the April 2, 2019, survey, we wanted to know when your flight school is at its busiest. Here are the results.

<em>Flight School Business</em>

MARKETING

Stage checks—they’re not just for training

Don’t overlook the marketing value of something you’re probably already doing every day at your flight school—stage checks. Ed Helmick explains how you can show customers that your flight school earns a higher pass rate with designated pilot examiners. READ MORE ›

QUICK TIP

Baseball is back. That means more peanuts and cracker jacks, and more temporary flight restrictions over stadiums and ballparks across the United States. Remind your customers to check notams for current and future TFRs before they fly.

SAFETY

Minimum fuel versus fuel emergency

What does it mean when a pilot tells ATC that that you have minimum fuel? How about a fuel emergency? Air traffic controllers explain all in this video from the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

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Flight School Business Editor:
Jill W. Tallman

Production Specialist:
Sylvia Horne

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