March 12 issue of Flight School Business
| VOL. 14-ISSUE 6-March 12, 2024 |
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TRAINING TRENDS
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| FAA grants exemption for Velis Electro |
| The FAA on March 1 granted Textron eAviation an exemption to allow the Velis Electro to be certified, operated, and maintained under a special airworthiness certificate in the light sport aircraft category. With this exemption, owners and operators of flight schools can use the Velis Electro in their flight training programs, offering a lower-cost, emission-free training platform that is quieter than traditional piston training aircraft. READ MORE › |
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NEWS
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| Recognizing excellence in aviation |
| Years of experience, the ability to build student confidence, and going above and beyond for students and employees were just some of the characteristics that the top instructor and flight school in the 2024 AOPA Flight Training Experience Awards shared this year. Having a family-like dynamic, however, proved to be the most predominant trait of all. AOPA announced the national winners of best flight school and CFI at this year's Redbird Migration held at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston, Texas, on March 5 and 6. Margaret Watt was named national best CFI, and Mike Smith Aviation was voted best flight school in the nation.
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| Piper rudder AD tarnishes process |
| Aviation groups including AOPA called for the FAA to rescind a proposed airworthiness directive that would affect nearly 31,000 vintage Piper aircraft. The groups cited a lack of evidence of risk, unjustifiably broad scope, and a broken process. The proposed AD was drafted in response to two separate accidents that took place in 2020 and 2021 involving rudder component failures in flight. Both aircraft landed successfully with dog-eared rudders and a broken post.
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| Missouri pilot group to open flight school |
| Private pilot Lute Atieh earned a pilot certificate in 2014. In April he and five other individuals plan to open a Part 61 flight school at Rosecrans Memorial Airport (STJ) in St. Joseph, Missouri. FlyTech Pilot Academy will offer sport and private pilot training to start, with commercial and instrument training coming soon. FlyTech said it will be leveraging technology to help students achieve their flying goals, and will be using ForeFlight, CloudAhoy for post-flight debriefings, Garmin avionics that transmit data to other applications, and Garmin VIRB in-cockpit video so that students can listen to their pilot and air traffic control communications and view their flights. Atieh told News-Press Now that 14 students have enrolled and are ready to start learning when the flight school opens its doors.
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POLL
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| Results |
| In the February 27, 2024, issue, we wanted to know if your airport or flight school is planning any activities around the total eclipse on April 8. Here are the results.
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MARKETING
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Careful what you post
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| Videos are a great addition to your website. Videos that show dangerous or illegal behavior are not great for your flight school's reputation. What's more, just because you remove them doesn't mean they have vanished forever. READ MORE > |
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QUICK TIP
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| If you are giving or receiving flight training in an aircraft weighing under 12,500 pounds, whether you are a U.S. citizen or a foreign national, the Transportation Security Administration's alien flight training/citizenship validation rule affects you. AOPA has compiled easy to understand information on the parts of the rule that are relevant to flight training providers. Find information on applicability, step-by-step guidance to compliance, and answers to frequently asked questions online. |
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SAFETY
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| AOPA Air Safety Institute offers speaking engagement request form |
| Planning an aviation event at your airport or flight school? ASI has shifted its national seminar program resources and efforts to monthly seminars, but still wants to connect with the general aviation community in person. The form will help ASI to identify, assess, and respond to requests for an ASI representative to speak on general aviation safety topics at an aviation event, whether in person or virtual. View the form here. |
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