March 31 issue of Flight School Business

Flight School Business

VOL. 10-ISSUE 7-March 31, 2020

TRAINING TRENDS

AOPA suggests best practices for flight schools during pandemic

As the aviation industry grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, flight schools are wondering how to cope with state mandates, sanitary practices, and more. While no one can predict exactly what the future holds, there are steps schools can take as they strive to protect their employees, students, and businesses. READ MORE ›

NEWS

FAA eases pilots' worries about medical certificates

The FAA acted on March 26 to protect pilots whose livelihoods faced further disruption, in the form of expiring certifications, during the global coronavirus pandemic. The agency said it will not enforce airman medical certificate expirations during the period March 31 through June 30. READ MORE ›

Interpretations vary on flight training during pandemic

The question of whether flight training qualifies as an essential function during stay-at-home advisories caused by the coronavirus pandemic remained subject to interpretation by industry groups and individual operators. READ MORE ›

Knowledge test provider PSI temporarily closes centers

PSI, the FAA knowledge testing provider, is temporarily closing testing centers that it owns and operates in the United States and the United Kingdom. The closures come in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. Other third-party operators are still open. READ MORE ›

Textron furloughs workers

Textron Aviation announced four-week furloughs on March 23 for most of its U.S. based employees in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it is adjusting production to align with anticipated market demand, which could mean cuts to Cessna or Beechcraft production lines, or both. READ MORE ›

Prospective pilots urged to stay the course during pandemic

Stay the course, start a plan, and act now to advance your aviation career, said airline pilot and career counselor Carl Valeri. As airlines swing from a "hiring frenzy to a hiring freeze," he suggested prospective career pilots gain additional certificates and ratings to better position themselves when commercial air travel returns to normal. READ MORE ›

POLL

March flying hours

On average, how many hours has your flight school's aircraft flown during the month of March? Tell us in this week's poll.

Results

In the March 17, 2020, survey we asked whether your flight school had been affected by closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Here are the responses.

MARKETING

Instagram: Why?

If you have not expanded your flight school’s social media presence into Instagram, now is the perfect time. We’ll give you two good reasons: It’s free, and millions of potential customers are migrating to this platform. Read more on how to get started >

QUICK TIP

With many businesses facing shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic, what can you do right now? Review your business’s current financial position; determine the cash position, to whom you owe money, and who owes you. From this, identify a short-term 12-week cash flow. If forced to close, what do the liabilities look like, and is there enough cash to pay them? Find more suggestions in this article from DrapersOnline.com.

SAFETY

Too nervous to talk?

Do your customers struggle with talking to ATC? The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s “Ask ATC” series tackles how to call up a busy controller, how to get a fast-talking controller to slow down, and several other topics in bite-size videos that any nervous pilot will appreciate. See the latest in the series online.

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Flight School Business Editor:
Jill W. Tallman

Production Specialist:
Sylvia Horne

Advertising Production Coordinator:
Donna Stoner

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