by Bob Rockmaker

FSANA President & CEO

Have you ever had a student in your school that has not been able to recall certain key facts that are required in order to pass a written and/or practical flight test? In many cases the test applicant may have an unknown medical diagnosis termed Auditory Processing Disorder or APD.

APD is not to be confused with Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. While APD and ADD are separate medical conditions, there are people who have both conditions working at the same time.

APD is a neurological defect that affects how the brain processes spoken language.

One example is when a CFI teaches about carburetor heat which can be found on many reciprocating aircraft engines. The CFI explains and demonstrates how the system works. This includes a cable that extends from the carburetor heat knob inside the cockpit which is attached to a metal cable. The cable extends to the engine compartment and is connected to the flap that moves and allows heated air to enter the carburetor.

A person with APD will either forget the purpose of carburetor heat and/or how it works as part of the engine operation. During the oral portion of practical test, a test candidate can be expected to know the basics of the engine system. This is especially true if the practical test is being conducted in an aircraft with an engine with a carburetor heat system.

Unlike ADD or AD/HD, there is no medication for APD. There are several programs that people can engage with to help mitigate APD. 99% of the audiologists are not trained to detect and diagnose APD. There are several specialists across the U.S. that specialize in APD.

Dr. Jay Lucker, Ed.D., CCC-A/SLP, with Ashburn Psychological and Psychiatric Services in Ashburn, Virginia, is one of the nations leading medical providers who specializes in APD. Lucker estimates that between 30-40% of the population has some level of APD.

Read a paper published by Dr. Jay Lucker.

APD impacts peoples ability to learn and/or retain information. Please share this with your flight training staff in order to help them better understand when a student is having challenges with learning.

Learn more about APD.

One more reason to register now. Check out the program to see all of the topics that will be covered during the 2022 conference.

Make your Bally's room reservations by January 21 for our special room rate.

Are you or your business interested in exhibiting or sponsoring at the 2022 event?

To exhibit / To sponsor

In a move that was probably intended to be quiet, Delta Airlines has made a change to part of their hiring requirements. It got noticed and is getting lots of sharing around the social media sphere. The change is a removal of the historic requirement of having a degree to be hired as an airline pilot. Delta recently changed the requirements to list a degree as "preferred" instead of "required."

This change may not seem like a big deal, but it is an indicator that a college degree does not necessarily guarantee that an airman can deliver consistent and quality airmanship in the front office of an aircraft. It also indicates that Delta is seeking to expand its applicant pool and recognizes this.

FSANA estimates that between 60%-65% of new pilots that are hired by the airlines are trained at the independent flight schools of America. FSANA forecasts that this number will continue to grow over time.

FlytFinance, a Phoenix-based aircraft leasing company recently announced the launch of its factory-new aircraft leasing program for Part 61 and Part 141 flight schools.

FlytFinance has purchased a fleet of 2022/2023 Cessna 172 Skyhawks, Piper Archer TX and Seminoles, and is focused on supporting flight school fleet development around the country.

“We are transportation finance people, as well as aircraft owners and pilots, and we recognized a tremendous need for accessible and affordable fleet-build opportunities for flight schools,” says Craig Berry, co-founder of FlytFinance. “This is an unprecedented time in GA flight training and we are excited to partner with flight schools and aviation degree programs to ensure they have the modern aircraft they need to support their flight training.”

FlytFinance offers 5-year leases with purchase options on all their aircraft, and flat monthly lease rates with no minimum flight hour requirements. They also encourage flight school custom branding on their aircraft and will reserve aircraft a full year in advance to facilitate flight school fleet planning.

“We are committed to supporting flight schools around the country as they keep up with surging demand for flight training,” says Jay Taffet with FlytFinance. “We believe we’ve created a very accessible and competitive aircraft leasing program, and we look forward to developing long-term partnerships with our clients to ensure they have the advanced training aircraft they need now and into the future,” according to Taffet.

More information on the FlytFinance aircraft leasing program is available at flytfinance.com.

In an effort to continue to collect data about the flight training industry, Redbird has launched its second State of Flight Training survey. The information shared is intended to provide insights that will help guide the flight training industry.

The manufacturer of civil and defense FBS flight simulators, Simloc, announced its integration into the new Audere Global group. Audere Globalis a company with 100% Spanish capital, which was born to offer solutions in services, training and engineering, in different sectors, providing its clients and associates with a set of synergies and products to improve and increase their value.

AudereGlobal's action plan will be based on three main axes: Technology, thanks to its own engineering development capacity; the services, specialized by sector and that will help all its clients and associates to have a global and efficient approach, which allows them to put 100% of their effort and value in their businesses; and finally, an ecosystem of companies, network of contacts and entrepreneurship, to establish a benchmark model in technology, financial and training consulting with a global impact and presence.

In line with this strategy, Audere Global has acquired Simloc, with the aim of further enhancing its technological capabilities and the commitment to generate value, through the incorporation of highly qualified personnel to its workforce.

In this way, Simloc continues its excellent career in the field of simulation and guarantees its customers higher levels of quality thanks to its integration within the Audere Global group. For more information about Simloc, visit www.simloc.aero.

The aviation industry is without a doubt in need of pilots to serve in the front offices, airline flight decks, that transport people and goods throughout the United States and internationally. There was a certain downturn in 2020 and a big part of 2021, but it appears that the downturn is recovering. While aviation training in many lower-level certificate issuance efforts didn't change to a great deal, we did see 2020 indicate a large reduction in the number of ATP certificates issued. This was directly related to the fact that airlines stopped running hiring classes at which ATP CTP classes were completed and where pilots completed ATP certification.

As 2021 continued and hiring again ramped up, many of these airlines started running classes and certifying the next batches of ATP pilots. We can see this from the preliminary data that has been shared with some in the industry.

From the following table and chart, we can see that ATP certificates increased in 2021 from the low point in 2020 when COVID-19 shutdowns were most greatly affecting certification efforts (and service needs).

When we look at the 10-year table of certificates issued we still see the trends of heavy issuance years when the "1500 hour rule" took effect during 2015 and 2016, and then a more normalized flow of ATP production in 2017, 2018, and 2019 as active hiring took place and airlines trained their next generation.

The dropoff in 2020 was obvious and big, but it does appear that the trend of certification numbers is increasing as 2021 continues and airlines provide most of the training for and certification of the next generation ATP applicants.

This trend will need to continue to serve the needs of the aviation transportation industry. The good news is that it appears the numbers are heading in a positive direction as we look at preliminary reporting of ATP certification numbers from 2021.

The Regional Airline Association (RAA) has recently released its 2021 annual report. The RAA notes that the report “offers a critical overview of the data, statistics, and trends surrounding the regional airline industry.” Focusing on data looking back at 2020, the report shows indicators and data of effects through a year affected by Covid19-created conditions, with some of those conditions having major effects on regional airline operations.

In a letter introducing the report to the industry, RAA President & CEO Fay Malarkey Black noted: “The data between these pages offer a look back at 2020, the year that Covid-19 first made its unprecedented impact across the aviation industry. Regional airlines started 2020 healthy and growing – and alongside this growth, small and medium-sized communities were rebuilding their air service – only to enter the industry’s worst and longest demand shock, starting in March. The data inside tells the story of an industry whose statistics declined by nearly every measure: departures, load factors, fleet flying hours, RPMs and ASMs, yet managed to uphold air service to 627 communities, including 439 U.S. airports served solely by regional airlines.”

Only to be followed by: “A year later, our recovering industry is still navigating this ongoing and evolving pandemic. Simultaneously, the challenges that faced aviation before the pandemic have returned in full force.”

There is no doubt that the regional airline industry is connected directly to the flight training industry through both hiring the students we train, and the CFIs who gain the requisite experience to be employed at an airline. With this in mind, the training industry may find the content of this report a worthwhile read. 2021 RAA Annual Report

FSANA has been collecting DPE names who have expressed a willingness to travel to help flight training providers secure practical tests.

An up-to-date List of Travel-Willing DPEs with contact information is available on the FSANA website. If you are a flight training provider who is finding a challenge of scheduling DPEs in your local area, feel free to reach out to these individuals. They may be able to serve some of your local testing needs.

While this effort is being made in general, it is even more relevant as many DPEs self-selected to delay a return to providing practical tests during this period of COVID-19 uncertainties.

If you are a DPE who is not on this list but would like to be, please let FSANA know by emailing us at info@fsana.com with your name, city, state, email and phone number and we will add you.