From the Archive: Flight Schools, Time to Think Outside the Box

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Originally Published on Thursday, March 24, 2011.

“He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and dance; one cannot fly into flying.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900

Friedrich Nietzsche, a controversial philosopher for his time, made this statement before the Wright Brothers even flew, so we may assume he was not referring to the business of training people to fly. However, this quote has much relevance to our FBO flight training activities today.

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Pilot Shortage Means Big Business for Flight Academies

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Profound change is coming to the flight-training industry, prompted by new legislation in the U.S. and by the rapid growth of airline and business aviation in countries where aviation is finally gaining a stronger foothold. The changes are underscored by what many predict will be a shortage of pilots, thanks to fewer new pilot entrants, large numbers of retirements and lack of general aviation infrastructure in emerging countries such as India and China.
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Flight Schools: Time to Think Outside the Box

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It wasn’t that many years ago that the majority of FBOs were defined as “full-service companies” offering flight school training, new and used aircraft sales, charter, maintenance, hangars, and terminal facilities.

The business model was to market to potential pilots, both professional and recreational, train them, sell them an airplane, hope they would trade up, maintain the airplane, hangar it and, of course, sell them fuel and various services. As the pilot grew in experience and need, the FBO could make a good living by selling the next biggest aircraft.

It was a cradle-to-the-grave concept, and it seemed to work just fine.

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