$49 Discovery Flight

SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Everything Offends Me
What ever happened to the $49 discovery flight that used to be available on beapilot.com? I used it for my first flight, and I'd love to share that with someone else...but its gone now.

Any ideas where to get something similar?
 
You can typically go to a flight schools webpage and get one....or groupon, amazon local, etc...

They're not $49 anymore though. Expect $99 or more
 
I'd ask the flight school of they'd price match the groupon. I bet they would considering groupon takes 50%
 
Z06_Mir said:
I'd ask the flight school of they'd price match the groupon. I bet they would considering groupon takes 50%
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It depends on the school but I know that the "original price" schools put on groupon are super jacked up. You're paying pretty close to what you'd pay without it. I know at mine it was probably a $5 difference because of tax.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
My intro flight was something like $15.00. I wonder where THAT went. :rofl:
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Discovery Flight at the Cessna Pilot training center, X04, in the booming town of Apopka Fla back in 1980 was 20 dollars.... it was, hands down, the absolute best 20 bucks I have ever spent...:yes::):):)
 
N801BH said:
Discovery Flight at the Cessna Pilot training center, X04, in the booming town of Apopka Fla back in 1980 was 20 dollars.... it was, hands down, the absolute best 20 bucks I have ever spent...:yes::):):)
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Mine was at KMKC in 1977. :yes: :)
 
The groupon thing was really being run by pilot journey...they went out of business this last year.....Groupon is a guaranteed loss for any flight school..horrible decison
 
Just did a discovery flight with my wife for $80, no coupon. Saw another locally (DFW area) for $75 with a coupon. FWIW
 
My discovery flight was $49 but that was for a whole hour. The school was nice enough to split it into two 1/2 hours but I was hooked as soon as the wheels left the ground. The best anyone can hope for now is an "Eagle" flight with an EAA member.
Groupons, Living Scocial, and others sometimes has good deals but that's just to get you through the door. You could probably call up the school and make your best deal. Like most businesses, they are looking for repeat customers. Treat them right, get them in the door, and you've got a customer for life.
 
silver-eagle said:
........ Like most businesses, they are looking for repeat customers. Treat them right, get them in the door, and you've got a customer for life.
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Yuppers... Kinda like drug pushers,, get the victim addicted and you have them as customers for life...:yes::eek:
 
There is place here in North Carolina doing it for either 45 or 49 dollars. I wasn't sure if I could post the name here....
 
Concorde said:
There is place here in North Carolina doing it for either 45 or 49 dollars. I wasn't sure if I could post the name here....
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Sure you can post the name........:yes:

Give um a free plug..... GA needs the shot in the arm..;)
 
SkyHog said:
What ever happened to the $49 discovery flight that used to be available on beapilot.com? I used it for my first flight, and I'd love to share that with someone else...but its gone now.

Any ideas where to get something similar?
Click to expand...

Short answer: it's gone, and has been for some time.

Long answer: The $49 certificate came out January 2001.

In 2000, it was $35:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001203135800/http://www.beapilot.com/register.html

In late January 2006, it went up to $59:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001203135800/http://www.beapilot.com/register.html

By 2008, they were advertising a "$99 (or less) Intro Flight Certificate:
http://web.archive.org/web/20080409214901/http://www.beapilot.com/

By 2009, the certificate was gone...
http://web.archive.org/web/20090602045121/http://www.aopa.org/letsgoflying/ready/index.html

When the $49 certificate came out, gas was $1.50/gallon. Need I say more?
 
Another pilot friend and I gave a free Discovery Flight certificate to a co-worker. He never cashed it in :(.
 
Brad Z said:
Short answer: it's gone, and has been for some time.

Long answer: The $49 certificate came out January 2001.

In 2000, it was $35:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001203135800/http://www.beapilot.com/register.html

In late January 2006, it went up to $59:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001203135800/http://www.beapilot.com/register.html

By 2008, they were advertising a "$99 (or less) Intro Flight Certificate:
http://web.archive.org/web/20080409214901/http://www.beapilot.com/

By 2009, the certificate was gone...
http://web.archive.org/web/20090602045121/http://www.aopa.org/letsgoflying/ready/index.html

When the $49 certificate came out, gas was $1.50/gallon. Need I say more?
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Your point is valid.... My take is... During this challanging time,FBO's need to think outside the box and get creative with their marketing to get potential pilots addicted to our disease... Do like major retailers do and offer a "lost leader" to get them in the store and make up the difference with additional sales... You know,,, they advertise Tide soap at 50% off what they pay to sell you 300 bucks worth of a cart full of other stuff..

Bottom line is if we don't expand the pilot population, FBO's will shrivel up and die..... IMHO..
 
my experience was that very few of the people who took discovery flights actually ended up taking additional training. maybe 10%. most people just wanted a cheap airplane ride. it wasn't worth taking any loss on.

re groupon: one commercial glider operation has done very well selling christams gift glider rides through groupon. However he sets it up very carefully so that he still makes money on any ride given.
 
The local flight school, West Air Aviation, VGT, is advertising the $49 intro.
 
I'd always wanted to fly in a "kid-dreaming-of-being-a-pilot-when-he grows-up" kind of way...my girlfriend bought me a Discovery flight as a Christmas gift for X-mas '11 which I couldn't redeem until this past August....but that was all it took and I was hooked after that. Just as soon as I can deal with some finances I'll be going for official training. Hopefully by this time next year I'll be among the ranks of many of the rest of you of "PP-ASEL"
 
tonycondon said:
my experience was that very few of the people who took discovery flights actually ended up taking additional training. maybe 10%. most people just wanted a cheap airplane ride. it wasn't worth taking any loss on.

re groupon: one commercial glider operation has done very well selling christams gift glider rides through groupon. However he sets it up very carefully so that he still makes money on any ride given.
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10% is much better than 0...
 
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