May 28 issue of Flight School Business

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VOL. 9-ISSUE 11-May 28, 2019

TRAINING TRENDS

Tough love

The FAA sets minimums for pilot proficiency. But yours can be tougher. Your policies can make your customers more proficient, and they're likely to increase profitability. Jason Blair explains how these policies can look. READ MORE ›

NEWS

House bill would clip veterans' wings

Veterans who want to pursue commercial pilot careers might find their wings clipped after a bill to cap their flight training benefits passed the House of Representatives on May 21. AOPA and 13 other industry groups objected to those provisions. That letter noted that the bill does include language that would provide an accelerated payment process, and would enable veterans to earn a private pilot certificate when it is incorporated into the requirements of a professional flight training program. READ MORE ›

FAA finalizes new ATP standards

The FAA has published new ATP Airman Certification Standards with an effective date of June 28. Draft standards were published in October 2018. The new standards include "specific, observable behaviors for risk management and decision-making." READ MORE ›

TSA to upgrade alien flight student program web portal

The Transportation Security Administration will upgrade the web portal it uses to process flight training applications from non-U.S. citizens. The portal will be offline from May 31 to June 3 for a software update. READ MORE ›

Cirrus adding Texas satellite facility

Cirrus Aircraft will build a new facility at McKinney National Airport near Dallas as the company expands its flight training, maintenance, and aircraft management operations. The expansion is set to begin with service operations in August and by late 2020 it will add factory support and training. The company is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, but has a similar facility in Knoxville, Tennessee. READ MORE ›

All FAA ADS-B rebates reserved

If you blinked you missed it: The last FAA $500 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out rebate was reserved May 11. No rebate reservations are available now, but you can check the FAA rebate website each Wednesday to see if any expired, unclaimed reservations have opened up. READ MORE ›

POLL

Veteran customers

A bill passed in the House of Representatives seeks to cap flight training benefits for veterans. Does your flight school provide flight training for veterans under the GI Bill? Tell us in this week's poll.

Results

In the May 14, 2019, survey, we wanted to know how often your flight school utilizes the FAA Wings program. Here are the results.

MARKETING

Are you ready for Father's Day?

It may seem like a slam-dunk for business, but you shouldn't take Father's Day for granted. Here are some suggestions to promote your flight school for the upcoming holiday. READ MORE ›

QUICK TIP

Are your insurance rates going up? Have your rates increased even though you haven't had a loss? Changes in the aviation insurance market are probably driving some of the increases, but others have to do with the trend of large judicial awards associated with aviation accidents. Take a look at this article from AssuredPartners Aerospace.

SAFETY

The rudder—it gets no respect

Maybe your students have lazy feet. Or maybe they have a hard time grasping the importance of yaw recognition and coordinated flight. Whatever the reason, show them this 4-minute video from the AOPA Air Safety Institute to help students appreciate the oft-neglected rudder.

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Flight School Business Editor:
Jill W. Tallman

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Sylvia Horne

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Donna Stoner

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