Comments for Flight School Business http://blog.aopa.org/fsb Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:27:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on Where are the instructors? by Douglas http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=76#comment-120 Douglas Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:27:47 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=76#comment-120 I would like to see my airline allow me to continue to flight instruct when I am off. If I could, I would love to continue to instruct as I truly enjoy it and students will benefit from my charter and airline background. I would like to see my airline allow me to continue to flight instruct when I am off.

If I could, I would love to continue to instruct as I truly enjoy it and students will benefit from my charter and airline background.

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: An end and a beginning by Jim McCord http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=173#comment-115 Jim McCord Wed, 15 May 2013 22:22:30 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=173#comment-115 Just found this thread and it has been very interesting. I am curious as to why there are so few comments. Most aviation blogs have entries galore, beating dead horses to death over and over on landings, stalls, whatever. Where are the other comments? Just found this thread and it has been very interesting. I am curious as to why there are so few comments. Most aviation blogs have entries galore, beating dead horses to death over and over on landings, stalls, whatever. Where are the other comments?

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: An end and a beginning by Mike Dempsey http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=173#comment-111 Mike Dempsey Thu, 09 May 2013 00:32:34 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=173#comment-111 As the consultant involved with this project, the rest of the story has to be told. We were approached to work with Cirrus Aviation to IDENTIFY areas for increasing the profitability of the flight school. Our methods have been proven to work, the most difficult aspect of consulting with a flight school is changing the way THEY think about doing business. Rod and I introduced business methods that would cover the weaknesses inherent in most flight schools, those methods provide a better presentation to the prospect, while identifying the high quality prospects. In most flight school methodology, the idea is that anyone who shows up is the best student, and that is where the distinction of being good at business management to that of not taking care of business properly comes into play. Having a high quality customer, and creating value to the product is essential at this time. The flight schools are trying to put the poor performance of the business on the flight instructor, which is absolute non-sense...it is a management problem period! Whether it is incentivizing the instructor with a pay plan that keeps the instructor interested in the student progress, to identifying prospects and taking care of them so that they not only finish their training, but also purchase an airplane. As the consultant involved with this project, the rest of the story has to be told.

We were approached to work with Cirrus Aviation to IDENTIFY areas for increasing the profitability of the flight school. Our methods have been proven to work, the most difficult aspect of consulting with a flight school is changing the way THEY think about doing business.

Rod and I introduced business methods that would cover the weaknesses inherent in most flight schools, those methods provide a better presentation to the prospect, while identifying the high quality prospects. In most flight school methodology, the idea is that anyone who shows up is the best student, and that is where the distinction of being good at business management to that of not taking care of business properly comes into play.

Having a high quality customer, and creating value to the product is essential at this time. The flight schools are trying to put the poor performance of the business on the flight instructor, which is absolute non-sense…it is a management problem period! Whether it is incentivizing the instructor with a pay plan that keeps the instructor interested in the student progress, to identifying prospects and taking care of them so that they not only finish their training, but also purchase an airplane.

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: Package pricing practice: Does it work? by Jonathan Drake http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=165#comment-110 Jonathan Drake Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:05:55 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=165#comment-110 I think this goes back to what Rod and Mike said earlier that it does not matter if what they say makes sense or $$ the most difficult part is to get the actual owner of the flight school to make the needed change. I believe that in brining in people to help and then not using the advice is truly up to the owner. At the same time another way to go is to only use it half the time. A split test will allow the results to speak for themselves instead of a wholesale no or yes. It seems from previous blog posts that you were ready for a change...did something else change? I think this goes back to what Rod and Mike said earlier that it does not matter if what they say makes sense or $$ the most difficult part is to get the actual owner of the flight school to make the needed change. I believe that in brining in people to help and then not using the advice is truly up to the owner. At the same time another way to go is to only use it half the time. A split test will allow the results to speak for themselves instead of a wholesale no or yes. It seems from previous blog posts that you were ready for a change…did something else change?

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: The test subject by Hal Harris http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=145#comment-109 Hal Harris Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:28:26 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=145#comment-109 I can only concur with you on the gross over regulation of this industry! I work 80 - 100 hours weekly at my flight school. I learned to fly in 1974, and have been in this industry since the late 70's. The government, especially the FAA, is like a cancer. They are going to kill their host! We need less government regulation and the ability to conduct our business without the undue burden of all the government's red tape and other B.S. The redundancy and inefficiency of all the government red tape is a hindrance to business productivity. My impression is that the public has reached the limit financially of what they are willing to pay for flight training. The government is going to price us out of business! Furthermore, the more time pilots and flight instructors spend on worthless government paper work, the less time they spend flying and flight training. The less proficient the pilots and flight instructors become. Many times I and my flight instructors have put in long hours trying to productively fly and flight instruct, spend countless hours performing worthless paperwork tasks only to be exhausted flying the following day. This government is compromising safety and our lively hood. My conclusion, government is the least effective way of accomplishing anything! We need relief from the inept and incompetent government and their grossly over regulatory requirements and oversight. We should all begin complaining to our Congressmen and Representatives to reduce our government and their wasteful spending. We need fewer government agencies regulating our businesses. Put government on a starvation diet! (FAA, TSA, DOT, NTSB, IRS, OTC, DMV, State & local governments, airport authority, etc.. the list goes on and on...) I can only concur with you on the gross over regulation of this industry! I work 80 – 100 hours weekly at my flight school. I learned to fly in 1974, and have been in this industry since the late 70′s. The government, especially the FAA, is like a cancer. They are going to kill their host! We need less government regulation and the ability to conduct our business without the undue burden of all the government’s red tape and other B.S. The redundancy and inefficiency of all the government red tape is a hindrance to business productivity. My impression is that the public has reached the limit financially of what they are willing to pay for flight training. The government is going to price us out of business!
Furthermore, the more time pilots and flight instructors spend on worthless government paper work, the less time they spend flying and flight training. The less proficient the pilots and flight instructors become. Many times I and my flight instructors have put in long hours trying to productively fly and flight instruct, spend countless hours performing worthless paperwork tasks only to be exhausted flying the following day. This government is compromising safety and our lively hood. My conclusion, government is the least effective way of accomplishing anything! We need relief from the inept and incompetent government and their grossly over regulatory requirements and oversight. We should all begin complaining to our Congressmen and Representatives to reduce our government and their wasteful spending. We need fewer government agencies regulating our businesses. Put government on a starvation diet! (FAA, TSA, DOT, NTSB, IRS, OTC, DMV, State & local governments, airport authority, etc.. the list goes on and on…)

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: An introduction and perspective by Nayda Cattin http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=139#comment-107 Nayda Cattin Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:50:24 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=139#comment-107 Will do - thank you! Will do – thank you!

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: An introduction and perspective by Nayda Cattin http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=139#comment-106 Nayda Cattin Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:50:06 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=139#comment-106 We have a FANTASTIC crew! We are so lucky! I love the people I work with everyday - wouldn't have it any other way...It takes more than that, with all due respect. We need profit - I would love nothing more that to pay these people handsomely and show them fiscally what they are worth to me and to Cirrus! We have a FANTASTIC crew! We are so lucky! I love the people I work with everyday – wouldn’t have it any other way…It takes more than that, with all due respect. We need profit – I would love nothing more that to pay these people handsomely and show them fiscally what they are worth to me and to Cirrus!

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: The test subject by Nayda Cattin http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=145#comment-105 Nayda Cattin Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:47:35 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=145#comment-105 TSA, FAA, SEVIS, CATS...I spent the last two months of my year in 2012 and the first part of Jan 2013 going through inspection after inspection, prepping for them with internal audits, corrections, babysitting while inspectors were there and REFILING our entire Student Visa program to top it off! It was a tremendous amount of stress, as well as a total show stopper on my productivity. There is redundancy and inefficiency in all of the govt bodies. Now that the FAA has stepped into the CATS realm, that is only getting worse as well. We are not increasing safety here, we bogging down the administrators and putting more expense on an industry that operated on VERY thin margins. Can we all just charge more? Will we have any students left standing if we do? TSA, FAA, SEVIS, CATS…I spent the last two months of my year in 2012 and the first part of Jan 2013 going through inspection after inspection, prepping for them with internal audits, corrections, babysitting while inspectors were there and REFILING our entire Student Visa program to top it off! It was a tremendous amount of stress, as well as a total show stopper on my productivity. There is redundancy and inefficiency in all of the govt bodies. Now that the FAA has stepped into the CATS realm, that is only getting worse as well. We are not increasing safety here, we bogging down the administrators and putting more expense on an industry that operated on VERY thin margins. Can we all just charge more? Will we have any students left standing if we do?

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: The test subject by Nayda Cattin http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=145#comment-104 Nayda Cattin Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:40:54 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=145#comment-104 Rough 4.5 years indeed! We are starting to see some pick up as well. Having the international students help - though we only have a few. Anyone know how to capture more of these guys? Rough 4.5 years indeed! We are starting to see some pick up as well. Having the international students help – though we only have a few. Anyone know how to capture more of these guys?

]]> Comment on Project Flight School: An introduction and perspective by Ravi "The Raviator" http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=139#comment-103 Ravi "The Raviator" Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:45:16 +0000 http://blog.aopa.org/fsb/?p=139#comment-103 Sounds like a great initiative, and certainly in my "wheelhouse." Please let me know if I can be of assistance. Sounds like a great initiative, and certainly in my “wheelhouse.” Please let me know if I can be of assistance.

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