by Jason Blair

The FAA has released the new ACS standards for the Commercial Pilot Certificate along with updates to the Instrument and Private Pilot ACS. These documents become effective on June 12, 2017.

All parties involved with receiving and/or providing training and administrating FAA practical tests should review these documents to be prepared for their implementation on that date. Students and instructors should note that examiners must apply these new and updates standards on the effective date for any subsequent testing.

The implementation of the Commercial ACS continues the FAA/Industry work to bring all training and testing efforts into the new paradigm of Airman Certification Standards, improving and expanding on the historically applied Practical Test Standards (PTS).

Updates to the Private Pilot and Instrument ACS included minimal corrections and changes, some streamlining of some tasks, and standardization of phraseology in consideration of regulatory changes over the past year since they were initially published. Of note, the Commercial Pilot ACS do include similar changes to slow flight procedures as were implemented initially last year when the Private Pilot ACS were released and put into effect.

The new versions of these standards can be found at http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs/

More information about the current status of the FAA ACS process can also be found in a recent FAA presentation. Click here to see the FAA presentation.

Who better to join the team of FAA specialists at the FAA Safety Team to promote safety than someone who knows the full effects of what happens when things go wrong?

Barry Hyde is a unique individual at the FAA who lost his sight in an aviation accident that he himself will tell you should have been avoidable.

A CFI who went flying with a friend, not acting as a CFI on the particular flight, he didn't check the fuel status of the aircraft himself and trusted that the pilot had done his job. Unfortunately, the result was his involvement in an accident that had lasting effects on his life.

From an early age, this North Carolina native has always loved aviation. Hyde logged over 1,600 flight hours, was a flight instructor, was flying everyday and was one week away from interviewing for a pilots' position with a major airline in Charlotte, North Carolina when tragedy struck. On June 1, 1998 while flying as a passenger, Hyde was involved in a horrific aircraft accident and doctors pronounced him dead on arrival when airlifted from the crash site to the hospital. Hyde's life and the future he dreamed of in aviation were over. Thanks to modern medicine and an overwhelming will to live, Hyde emerged from a 20-day coma, blind, and with a multitude of injuries. After more than 2 years of recovery and rehabilitation, Hyde was determined to continue with life, or his involvement in aviaton.

 
Since he has pursued Doctoral studies to obtain a DBA in Business Administration with Aeronautical Specializations via online with Northcentral University, graduated Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach campus, with a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics with specializations in Aviation Safety and Aviation Operations, and also in 2000, Barry became the FAA's first and only blind Advanced Ground Instructor (AGI) and Instrument Ground Instructor (IGI) in the world, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as he attained his license. The FAA had never administered these tests to a blind person prior. The Designated Examiner read the questions and choices to him orally and then selected the answer Hyde asked for. The FAA awarded the Examiner a Certificate of Achievement for testing Hyde in this fashion. A few of his highlights, he has accomplished more than most pilots who do not face the same vision challenges as he.

On March 1, 2010, Barry Hyde achieved his dream job. He began work for the Federal Aviation Administration as an Aviation Safety Analyst in the FAA Headquarters, downtown Washington D.C. at the Orville Wright building. He is now beginning a new chapter in his life as the Point of Contact for the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) Industry Member Program where he hopes to prevent an accident like what he was involved in from ever happening again to another pilot and to once again be an instructor to future pilots and have them gain insight and knowledge by his experiences in aviation, aeronautics, and inspire blind people to keep reaching for the skies!

FSANA welcomes Barry Hyde to the FAA Safety Team and looks forward to working with him and the rest of the team as a part of the Industry Member Program that support FAA and industry efforts to enhance and promote safety in our aviation system.

Triad Aviation - FSANA Member Develops Promo Video

	Click Here or the Image to See the Video

Marketing is a part of running a good flight school. To do this, it takes more than just putting up a banner outside the airport, and Triad Aviation, in Greensboro, NC, has taken their marketing efforts to the next level by developing a high quality video commercial that can be used in their marketing efforts.

A format that can be used for promotional efforts on social media, embedded in websites, or  used even in TV advertisement locally or beyond.

FSANA and Triad are working together to evaluate this effort, see how effective it is, and if possible, establish a process by which similar videos could be made  at a reduced rate for FSANA members that can be customized to each individual flight school.

For more information about Triad Aviation, visit http://flytaa.com/.

by Jason Blair

In accordance with federal guideline changes, on April 1, 2016, the FAA was required to issue plastic student pilot certificates, breaking from the historically issued joint FAA Medical/Student pilot certificate. Whenever a change like this happens, it is always interesting to see the impacts on certification that take place.

When reviewing FAA certificate issuance data from 2016, it can be seen that the number of student pilot certificates issued on a monthly basis decreased significantly from what were previously very stable monthly averages over recent years. On average, the decrease has been greater than 40% per month.


What the data in this chart does not help us to determine is if with the now non-expiring student pilot certificates if the industry will experience greater completion rates of certification beyond the student pilot level than historically seen, or if previous numbers were abnormally high because renewals were required periodically (student medical certifications remained valid for 24 calendar months for pilots age 40 or older, and for 60 months for pilots under the age of 40), or if this is a broader indication that the number of people pursuing pilot certificates is actually decreasing. If this is the case it is yet another indicator of a future constriction in the supply of pilots to the aviation industry.

A note from the FAA publically available data:

* As of April 2016, combined medical certificate and pilot certificates are no longer issued, and there will be no expiration date on the new student pilot certificates. Designated examiners, FAA inspectors, and Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs) process student pilot certificates, and FAA issues the new plastic certificate. There may be some seasonal backlogs, which result in monthly fluctuations especially during the first year of implementations.

May 15, 2016 San Diego CA - Drone pilots who want to fly their drones in furtherance of a business have a fun and quick way to prepare to pass the required Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate written test with Version 2.0 of the King Schools Drone Pilot License Test Prep Course. The course can be purchased at an introductory price of $99 until July 1, 2017 from KingSchools.com.

John King, Co-Chairman of King Schools, said, "Since it was released in January of 2017, over a thousand drone operators have passed the test using version 1.0 of our course. We have more than 70 reviews for this course and almost all of them have a 5-star rating. One drone course taker, Jennifer U., commented that 'The course was so much more enjoyable than reading the manual. It helped me remember the information through acronyms and other fun educational measures.' Version 2.0 will be even more of what they tell us worked so well for them. We've added more humor, video and graphics to make things clearer and more fun."

Martha King, the other Co-Chairman of King Schools, added, "Probably the most difficult subject on the Knowledge Test for the Remote Pilot Certificate is airspace. That's where our 33 years of experience in teaching with video really pay off. Learning drone pilots will see a 3-D recreation of airspace so when they see it on a 2-D sectional chart, they will be able to visualize it in the air."

"We are thrilled to bring techniques that we have developed over the past decades of simplifying and clarifying these concepts," continued John, "to help drone pilots truly understand and safely participate as partners in our national airspace system. New users and current owners of our course will also enjoy all new HD-video in the regulations lesson, interactive FAA-style questions and extended content throughout the course."

Martha King commented, "This new version of our course is a reflection of our policy of continually updating all of our courses. We expect the drone course will be updated frequently since the drone industry is in such a state of flux and the FAA is scrambling fast to keep up." Current course users need not worry about information expiring since King has a policy of automatically updating the courses of all current customers. This course includes the KING guarantee that if a customer fails their FAA test within one year of purchase, they get their money back AND they keep the course.

The King course gets drone pilots ready to pass the FAA test and gives them the tools they need to both safely integrate into the National Airspace System and stay out of trouble with the FAA. The course is the result of collaboration between King Schools and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

The King Schools online Drone Pilot License Test Prep Course can be purchased at an introductory price of $99 until July 1, 2017 from KingSchools.com or by calling (800)-854-1001 or worldwide at +1 (858) 541-2200.

About King Schools

For over 30 years, students and pilots at all levels have enjoyed King Schools´ clear, simple and fun video courses. King Schools estimates that over 50% of the pilots flying in the U.S. today have learned with King. The company is also a leader in on-line pilot certification and avionics training for pilots of high-performance and turbine aircraft.

King Schools
3840 Calle Fortunada * San Diego, CA 92123
KingSchools.com
Toll-Free (800) 854-1001
Worldwide (858)-541-2200
Email: [email protected]

Be Recognized as a FSANA Supporting Partner

FSANA is a dynamic trade association that represents the interests of flight training providers. Our members are motivated and successful business operators that provide flight training in the United States and foreign countries. Your company, or a company you know, is encouraged to support FSANA in its achievements by becoming a "Partner." 

 

FSANA's core platforms include:

• Helping flight training businesses operate successfully and profitably;
• Increasing the pilot population;
• Working with other aviation and aerospace industry associations and companies to promote quality flight training pipeline development;
• Providing programs and services that will assist FSANA members to better serve their customers and local communities;
• Promoting best practices in the flight training community;
• Reducing the general aviation incident and accident rates;
• Engaging both youth and adults to explore aviation and aerospace.

For their part, FSANA Partners receive year-round brand exposure in both print and electronic platforms in multiple channels and a host of other benefits.  To learn more, please contact Debbie Sparks , vice president, at [email protected] or 561-767-6826. 

Private airport 2FA6 with 4,170 ft. long improved turf runway seeks flight school to locate onsite to provide flight instruction to local demand. New hangars being built, can buy or rent new hangar to operate. 2 miles from Florida Turnpike and 5 miles from  I-75 near Wildwood.

Airport one mile from growing area near The Villages adding 200 homes per month - great location for kids AeroCamp, many affluent grand parents to sponsor their grand kids.

For details please contact: Frank B. Arenas, 1511 Taylor Ave. Coleman, FL 33521-0600 - [email protected] (352) 748-6629/FAX 748-3681 www.freeflightairport.com