Dear Aviators and Aviation enthusiasts and Distinguished Students,
HOW TO LOOK FOR and START A FLIGHT SCHOOL in both FAA and EASA.. I want to convey my experience and troubles I have had coped with so far.. Roughly, The number of Part 141 Flight Training Operators is more than 450 , similarly in Europe are more than 140.
WHY MOST PEOPLE LOSE MONEY IN THE FLIGHT SCHOOL TRAINING ? We lost and learned our lessons. I have had the nights without sleeping due to the troubles of our students.
Pls don’t hesitate to send an e mail to the addresses related to the troubles which are not suitable in accordance with Article 21(1)(b) of the Basic Regulation,
European Aviation Safety Agency
ATO & AeMC Section
P.O. Box 10 12 53
D-50452 Cologne, Germany
For EASA Flight Schools. fcloa@easa.europa.eu
Flying a plane requires a significant amount of knowledge and skill, which must be learned. Flight schools teach individuals who are interested in flying the knowledge and skills they need to attain a Commercial Pilot Licenses. Schools’ curriculum typically consist of both classroom instruction (ground schools, pre/post -flight briefing) and actual flight time.
Our guide on starting a flight school covers all the essential information to help you decide if this flight school you try picking is a good match for you. Learn about the day-to-day activities of a flight school owner, chief instructor, the typical day in the school, sense of competitiveness, target markets near flight school locations,
Before preparing this article, We have experienced couple of serious problems in both USA and Europe. To tell the truth , The troubles in Europe made us and our students very frustrated, disappointed, Moreover, This developing situations caused us too much distress and annoyance over our students. So, Our Main purpose of this article is to give you self confidence and self esteem… From now, We ll share all troubles and distressed events that will flights trainees have run in to.
Nobody can argue that learning to fly is hard work. But it seems to be easier for some students than others. What do they have that the others don’t? To find out, we talked with some leading training experts and assembled a list of things that every student pilot needs to make a training program as successful and enjoyable as possible.
Without any aviation experience on which to base your decision, selecting a good flight school can be a formidable task. Aviation is procedural and not well suited to impatience. Whether you’re flying an airplane or picking a school, making rush, hurried decisions can have negative consequences. Checklists are an aviation mainstay that ensure all procedures are accomplished and, therefore, make for safe flights. This same procedure can be applied to selecting a good flight school.
Here are the main heads-up of Checklist Items..
Number I: Visit the school !
Your first contact will likely be an admissions officer/front desk agent or the chief flight instructor/owner of the Flight school. Listen closely and ask questions about everything. Don’t be shy. If you don’t understand something, ask! ask! ask ! During your tour, ensure that no area is left unvisited, from administrative offices to the maintenance/parking area.
Interview the school’s chief flight instructor or his or her assistant.
Some urgent questions to ask:
- Are progressive flight-checks given? (These checks evaluate your progress during the pilot training program.)
- What’s the instructor-to-student ratio? (Generally speaking, an instructor can adequately educate four of five full-time students, or 10 or more part-timers, depending on their schedules.)
- Who schedules flying lessons, and how is it done?
- What are the insurance requirements of the school, and how do its liability and collision policies work? Will you be responsible for a deductible, and how much is that deductible in the event of a loss? What is your coverage as a student pilot?
- Who keeps your records? (This is important because poor documentation and losing documents, lack of employee, indifference to students’ documents and posts/e mails, can cause you to extend and repeat training.additional cost..)
- Keep an eye on the manners of Chief Flight Instructor.
- What happens when weather or maintenance problems cancel a flying lesson? Who’s responsible for rescheduling lessons and reporting maintenance problems?
- Keep an eye on the manners of Chief Flight Instructor. Does he/she have a smiling face ? Does Chief Instructor has faith and enthusiasm to teach you or has he been acting as a ordinary way? Does he care about you ? Does he have a control over Flight Instructors or not ? Does he apply the general aviation (FAA/EASA Regulations) or personnel rules to keep you informed and familiar.?
After the official tour, get away by yourself and talk to other students in flight training. Ask them to rate the training’s quality and explain what problems they’ve had, if any, and how they were dealt with.
Other important flight training information resources can be the local FAA Flight Standards District Office, EASA CAA called as Country Name (For Example, Hungary, Maltese, Poland CAA) the Better Business Bureau, and the Chamber of Commerce. They may offer important insights on such topics as a school’s safety record and business practices. Don’t forget such applicable sources as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, National Air Transportation Association, Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, if so accredited, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, if you are an international student.
Number II: What happens during a typical day at a flight school (Flight Training Organisation FTO, Approved Training Organisation (ATO)) ?
Starting out, a flight school business owner may double as an instructor. Successful business owners, however, spend more of their time running and growing their business than teaching individual students. except exceptions !!
A flight school business owner’s daily activities can vary a lot from one day to the next. On any given day, they might:
- Have to address a maintenance or repair issue with a plane
- Manage and schedule instructors
- Promote classes to prospective students
- Bill and collect payment from current students
- Ensure students are satisfied with their training
- Schedule exams and relay scores to students
- Force himself to keep the students motivated, excited.
- Show considerable interest to the Students/their families. (imagine that Your kids could be one of them! do empathy If you can… )
- Obey the time schedule for every student. (If one of the students felt frustrated or disappointed about the service, ground training, pre/post flight briefing, practical flight presented by Flight School, It means that You could have losing the credibility and reliability of the all students. No way OUT. ATO may be on the way of BLACK List one step ahead bankruptcy ! We have witnessed 2-different cases similarly.)
Number III: Compile a List of Flight Schools
Once you’ve given some thought to what you want, start putting together a list of possible flight schools. Then request all available literature from each. Ask them to send an outline or curriculum for each pilot training program in which you’re interested, and a copy of the school’s regulations and flight operations procedures.
Don’t base your decision on the literature alone! You’re looking for informative substance, and this can be found as well in photocopied sheets as it can in full-color catalogs. While scrutinizing the material, take notes for use during the flight school visit, when you’ll check the veracity of its claims. Some things to look for:
- The school’s philosophy, goals, and objectives, and how they match your needs.
- Who s managing the flight school ? Owner, assigned manager, Chief Instructor ex.
- Are there such benefits as housing, financial aid, and additional pilot training, such as aerobatics, that will broaden your experience?
- How important is flight training to the organization?
- How long has the flight school been in business?
- What about the school’s instructional staff, its enrollment numbers, and credentials?
- How many and what types of aircraft are used in the school’s flight instruction program?
- What are the school’s classrooms like?
- What services are available at its airport (instrument approaches and control towers)?
- What is the school’s reputation on flight regulations and safety policies (any accident and incident, results..)?
Another Checklist Items are in the process…
