The Future of Flight Schools and Pilot Training

[Fearless Tower]

This is mostly directed at those that are actually in the flight training business. What do you think the future of pilot training is in the US?

GA is obviously not thriving, but I don't believe it will disappear. Regardless of automation, I don't see airlines and other commercial operations not needing some form of trained pilots in my lifetime.

But how will the face of flight training look in, say 20 years? Will it be primarily big schools with feeder agreements to airlines? College flight programs? Will there be a place for the small class G airport based mom and pop flight schools in the year 2035?

Thoughts?

 

[VanDy]

I'm not running a flight school, but have been attending one for the last year and a half~. From just what I see right now, the 141 schools that have ties with colleges are doing the best (GI Bill money) Its hard to get on a schedule without being a couple weeks in advance. Second is just down the road renting cubs and champs training on grass. I think those two will be around for quite a while still.

 

[Velocity173]

Yeah large Part 141 "pilot mill" schools is what I see in 20 yrs. The mom and pop Part 61 school will be scarce by then.

I agree with above on GI Bill as well. Some of these flight programs, especially helicopters, are only kept alive thru GI Bill right now. I used a local program in Savannah through the AVOTEC to get my FW instrument. When that TA money dried up, that school closed up shop.

 

[RyanShort1]

I'm not running a flight school, but have been attending one for the last year and a half~. From just what I see right now, the 141 schools that have ties with colleges are doing the best (GI Bill money) Its hard to get on a schedule without being a couple weeks in advance. Second is just down the road renting cubs and champs training on grass. I think those two will be around for quite a while still.

And as long as the GI Bill schools spin their wheels and try to use up all of a student's government funds, some of those students will get frustrated and finish up with reputable local instructors.

 

[bflynn]

I'm not in the business either, but I see trends. I believe major airlines will eventually begin training some or all of their pilots themselves in exchange for X years of dedicated slavery...errr...low wage employment. They will focus on young people with the longest career time in front of them. 1500 hours of flight time isn't cheap, but if you spread the cost over 10 years and take it out of their salary, you get cheaper pilots trained the way you want them who have never flown any way except yours. Also, it's probably less expensive for a business to do this than the individual. The airlines can wait for the pilots to train themselves or they can bite the bullet and train them in about 9-12 months.

Some pilots will still come through other channels, but there aren't enough other channels to supply the airlines and nobody should pay 100-150k+ of training/flight time cost for a 25k job.

GA will continue to flounder. It's gotten more difficult to fly and to stay flying, but I think there's a mental block with the public that says "oh, I could never do that". If the alphabet soups wanted to do one untapped thing to increase the number of pilots, it would be reaching out to everyone and convincing them that yes, you can be a pilot too. If I see a future for pilot training, this is it.

 

[PPC1052]

and nobody should pay 100-150k+ of training/flight time cost for a 25k job.

Why should flight training be any different than gender studies, or any number of bogus degrees offered by our universities these days?

 

[NJP_MAN]

Why should flight training be any different than gender studies, or any number of bogus degrees offered by our universities these days?

Maybe he is saying the pay should be raised instead of lowering training cost. Otherwise you are correct. Going to school is expensive no matter the field of study.

 

[PPC1052]

Maybe he is saying the pay should be raised instead of lowering training cost. Otherwise you are correct. Going to school is expensive no matter the field of study.

My comment was more an off topic snark at the university system than a real comment on the state of pilot training.

 

[NJP_MAN]

My comment was more an off topic snark at the university system than a real comment on the state of pilot training.

You are right. If you want a women's studies degree or a bachelor's in percussion they should give you a reduced rate and let you test out of all classes for a flat rate of $10k. Then you get to go home and start looking for a barista job right away and not have to wait 4 years and 120,000 dollars before you find that awesome hipster job at an organic deli.

 

[deltafox]

Some people just love to fly. I am running a "Mom & Pop" LSA school out of a small airport in Southeast Pennsylvania. Just for Primary students, Private Pilots and Sport Pilots. Most come into the office with no intentions of flying for commercial airline. They want to have an adventure. I will never be rich. The business slowly grows. I enjoy the challenges. I believe the Part61 kind of school will still exist in 2035, even though I won't be there to see it.

"There is no sport equal to that which aviators enjoy while being carried through the air on great white wings. The exhilaration of flying is too keen, the pleasure too great, for it to be neglected as a sport." The Wright Bros.

http://lsaeronaut.blogspot.com/

 

[VanDy]

I'm doing it in conjunction with my local Community College. PPL was around 8k, and that included check rides and writtens. I had money left over from my PPL and Instrument, that covered almost all of my commercial as part 61. YMMV.

I'm not in the business either, but I see trends. I believe major airlines will eventually begin training some or all of their pilots themselves in exchange for X years of dedicated slavery...errr...low wage employment. They will focus on young people with the longest career time in front of them. 1500 hours of flight time isn't cheap, but if you spread the cost over 10 years and take it out of their salary, you get cheaper pilots trained the way you want them who have never flown any way except yours. Also, it's probably less expensive for a business to do this than the individual. The airlines can wait for the pilots to train themselves or they can bite the bullet and train them in about 9-12 months.

Some pilots will still come through other channels, but there aren't enough other channels to supply the airlines and nobody should pay 100-150k+ of training/flight time cost for a 25k job.

GA will continue to flounder. It's gotten more difficult to fly and to stay flying, but I think there's a mental block with the public that says "oh, I could never do that". If the alphabet soups wanted to do one untapped thing to increase the number of pilots, it would be reaching out to everyone and convincing them that yes, you can be a pilot too. If I see a future for pilot training, this is it.

 

[schmookeeg]

I think we're headed to the Yacht club model.

500 dues-paying oldsters who meet every sunday to eat french toast and cheap mimosas.

Occasionally someone charters the rusted barnacle out on the slip.

They all get to talk about their sailing days with one another.

I think the flying club model will be similar. $200/year from a few hundred oldsters in bomber jackets to eat hangar pancakes, and occasionally, someone flies the club 172F around the patch. They all get to tell stories about aviation with one another.

 

[OkieAviator]

My comment was more an off topic snark at the university system than a real comment on the state of pilot training.

I put the blame less on the Universities and more on the students. Universities are institutions of education and Academic in nature. Students need to determine if their program will help them in a job and earn a living.

The two schools I'm around are the part 141 out of the KSWO (Oklahoma State) and the part 61 at my home field, KHSD (Sundance). Flying into KSWO the other day there were about 3 OSU pilots doing their training and about 5 Air Force pilots in T6 or T1s doing their training. Flying out of Sundance I may see 1 student a week flying... could just be the times I fly, or could be because no one is flying. Based on that I would think 141's are thriving and 61's struggle.

20 years from now? No clue I think there will always be people like me who start to fly in their late 30s, have no desire to make it a full time job and will seek out a part 61 school.... now the cub on grass strips sounds like a blast... anyone know of one in Oklahoma?

 

[jordane93]

I put the blame less on the Universities and more on the students. Universities are institutions of education and Academic in nature. Students need to determine if their program will help them in a job and earn a living.

The two schools I'm around are the part 141 out of the KSWO (Oklahoma State) and the part 61 at my home field, KHSD (Sundance). Flying into KSWO the other day there were about 3 OSU pilots doing their training and about 5 Air Force pilots in T6 or T1s doing their training. Flying out of Sundance I may see 1 student a week flying... could just be the times I fly, or could be because no one is flying. Based on that I would think 141's are thriving and 61's struggle.

20 years from now? No clue I think there will always be people like me who start to fly in their late 30s, have no desire to make it a full time job and will seek out a part 61 school.... now the cub on grass strips sounds like a blast... anyone know of one in Oklahoma?

It's tough when students have no guidence. Students don't realize that they do not need an Aviaton degree from ERAU or UND to get into the airlines. They just get sucked in and don't know any better. I was lucky to have guidence from my dad who is an airline pilot andurged me to get a degree in something else. I will be graduating next semester with only a couple thousand dollars worth of loans and my CFI in the next month.