What the Government Shutdown Means for FAA Knowledge/Practical Tests

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We all are hoping that the government shutdown will be over soon, but in the mean time, a few things that are important for instructors and examiners to know:

FAA Knowledge Tests Halted

– FAA knowledge test providers have been notified that they will no longer be able to give FAA knowledge tests after the close of business Friday 10/4/13 until the staff who oversee this operation at the FAA are brought back to work.

This means that anyone that has not already completed their FAA knowledge tests before this time will not be able to do so until the government staff has returned. This effectively stops applicants who are pursuing training to have the ability to become eligible for practical tests that require any FAA knowledge tests. Continue reading →

Determining the True Cost of Aircraft Rental

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Aircraft rental and instruction rates are too low in many places around the country. I know, this sounds blasphemous and like I am advocating that companies raise their rates just so they can make more profit. There is no doubt a concern that any increase in rates may drive more potential pilots out of the world of aviation when they are not able to afford the prices. I have the same concern, but there is another concern that I think is even more important. If businesses that provide instruction and aircraft rental don’t increase their rates, they aren’t charging enough to break even or make a profit from a business viewpoint. The result of not charging enough to cover costs is simple to determine, they will go out of business and we won’t have places to rent aircraft.
Many providers of rental aircraft set their prices relative to other providers of similar aircraft in their market area. In many instances this is done without consideration of what the real hourly operational costs for the aircraft are and what is required for the aircraft to support its own cost. This is less than scientific from a financial perspective and does nothing to ensure business success. Continue reading →

Goodbye to the Flight Bag…

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The image of the senior pilot carrying his big flight bag full of charts, plotters, headsets, and other goodies is one that remains strong in my mind from my initial days of flight training. The big flight bag full of all of the tools of the trade seemed like a mark of an experienced professional to me. Who knew what special and important goodies such a pilot carried with them as they headed out to the ramp to pilot aircraft larger and faster than the first training aircraft I was flying. Continue reading →

Keeping Pilots Active, Growing Aviation, New Student Completions Isn’t All We Need

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New students and their completions isn’t the only answer to the dropping activity levels we have seen in aviation over recent years. Over the past two years, much has been highlighted about instructors need to “do a better job” at any number of things to help students improve their completion rate in training. Numbers being cited indicate that there is something near a 70% non-completion rate for pilot training. I agree, this is something that we as instructors should and can work to help improve. We can try to improve our training process, the service we provide, and give good clear paths for our students to follow to success. But once we have done that, the aviation industry needs to help find something for these pilots to do once they have completed their certificates. Continue reading →