Flight School Spotlight: AeroVenture
Beyond mom and pop
It sounds like a good idea—work in a business you love with the people you love. But many who have tried will tell you that running a family business isn’t easy. And a “mom and pop” business runs the risk of being considered small, informal, homelike. That’s all well and good but when you’re training pilots who may make a career out of the lessons you teach them, perhaps that lack of formality can be a downside.
George Charles Allen considered this when he and his father planned AeroVenture, the flight school they established in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2010. AeroVenture was named Best Flight School in 2015 and was the top school again in 2019. The Allens’ school is now located in Mansfield, Massachusetts, about 40 miles east of its original location, but its company profile is the same: George Allen, CEO; Bill Allen, chief CFI; and Debra Allen, vice president of marketing. Yes, mom and pop and their son run this successful venture, but while students praise the relaxed atmosphere of the school, it is the “professional edge” that its CEO believes has the school achieving its stature in the industry.
“This is a proper business and we wanted to do it properly,” George Allen said. “We did not want to be perceived as simply a mom-and-pop school; we were looking to be the most professional flight school we could be. After all, many of our students are on a professional path, the airline pathway.”
Allen says it has been important to establish boundaries and to work as a cohesive team and, he admits, that work ethic has “tested us and improved us.” Each family member has a distinct role and stays in his or her lane.
“But this business would not exist without our family,” he said. “My father and mother have been at the heart of this venture; my father has set the bar for excellence in instruction and my mother’s tenacity and dedication has kept our spirits up throughout our growing years.”
When You Can Fly Executive Director Elizabeth Tennyson joined the Allens on stage during the Flight Training Experience Awards she found Debra Allen in tears. “These flight school owners and instructors put their hearts and souls into building safe, proficient pilots,” she said. “Being recognized for their dedication by their customers means a great deal to them.”
“The biggest thing is treating people right,” George said. “They feel like they become a part of the family. At the core they are getting a professional flight training experience, but they don’t just feel like they need to come in, take their lesson, and leave.”
The family business has been active in the community, and innovative in its offerings. The flight school has challenged traditional norms, such as the intro flight.
Almost every student starts with an introductory flight. But there are thousands of people every year who walk away from that flight and never come back. AeroVenture wanted to offer a better introduction to flying, so it developed the Top Gun package. For $750 new students get three hours of ground and simulator instruction and three hours in the airplane. They also walk away with a logbook, a commemorative photo, and a completion certificate. George said it’s a way for students to dive in without making a commitment, and it gives them a chance to test-drive their instructor and see if he or she and the flight school are a good fit. Despite its significant cost as compared to an intro flight, Allen said the Top Gun package vastly outsells the traditional one-hour intro, and the conversion to full-time student is higher.
For George Allen, the family affair continues—he met his wife through the business. She designed the company logo and branding. “Every inch of this business—be it the high-quality instruction, smoothness of operations, or beautiful website and branding—all owes its brilliance to our family,” he said.
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