Time flies when you are having fun. It is hard to believe that we will be coming together in Las Vegas in just a few months to collaborate on all things flight training. The learning and exchange of information that takes place at the conference and trade show is beyond words.

Some interesting news. Based on recent data gathered by FSANA, the flight training industry has added approximately 165 new training schools between January 1, 2022 and October 23, 2023.

There are now over 1,750 flight schools in the United States as compared to approximately 1,600 in 2022. That is an exciting number which has grown for the first time in quite a few years. In 2001, there were over 2,400 flight schools in the United States. Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, we have seen a loss of approximately 30% or 800 flight schools.

Today, flight schools are busy and in overdrive. Flight instructors can easily book 75-90 hours each month. Many school owners are limiting their flight educators (CFI's) with respect to monthly total flight time. They are also mandating that their CFI's take at least one day off each week.

Safety starts with the creation of a positive safety culture. Keeping all team members including CFI's healthy is one of the many factors that helps to create a positive safety culture. There is no reason to push the envelope and create CFI burnout. That leads to a poor safety culture and does not create a quality learning environment.

We encourage all flight school owners, operators and managers to take a breath. Sit back and see what your team is doing. How is the educational delivery system working at your school. Step out of your shoes and view your business model as an outsider.

The United States is the leader in Ab Initio flight training. We have the best schools and management coupled with a dedicated group of educators (CFI's), all striving to create quality airmen for both pleasure, business and career pathways.

We look forward to seeing all of you in Las Vegas in February 2024. We will be celebrating our 15th conference and trade show and 15th anniversary. We appreciate all of our wonderful members, partners, suppliers and FSANA board members. Together, we collaborate to practice and deploy the concept of "Never Ending Improvement".

FSANA is there for you when you need us. It is not a question of if, it is a question of when. Wings level and CAVU.

Robert Rockmaker

President & CEO

FSANA

The FSANA safety committee will be meeting in December 2023 to discuss a variety of topics all focused on GA safety. Flight training safety will be front and center along with methods to be deployed to further reduce the GA accident and incident rates. All FSANA members are welcomed to attend the meeting which will be via E platform.

FSANA members who would like to join the safety committee can email info@fsana.com and request to be added to the committee.

There will be no reinventing the wheel, however, nothing will be off the table according to Robert Rockmaker, president & CEO of FSANA. Safety has always been a major target for FSANA. As FSANA continues to grow, all things safety will become even more paramount.

We must improve the depth of engagement to help make a positive difference in the GA safety space.

The FSANA safety committee will also be meeting in person on February 21 at 10am at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas. The February meeting is open to everyone who gets to Las Vegas.

The FSANA 2024 Annual Conference and Trade Show and 15th Anniversary celebration is slated for February 21-23, 2024 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

David Morse with CAE, Conference chairman along with Amanda Aldea from Carolina Sky Flight Training, Conference Vice Chair are working with a great team of people to create an extra special event since it will also be the 15th Anniversary of FSANA.

FSANA's 2024 conference will again help raise the bar for the flight training community. Bob Rockmaker, president & CEO commented, "The aviation industry is seeing very serious changes post COVID" and it is almost like the years that followed the October 24, 1978 passage by Congress of the Airline Deregulation Act".

Evolution is a common word today in both the airline and general aviation segments. We are getting very close to the real-time world of George Jetson according to Rockmaker. Soon, people will be able to Uber by EVTOL across the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey in 8-10 minutes. Or cross the LA Basin in 8-10 minutes. Various companies are stating that fares will be between $50-$80 for a one-way trip.

The 2024 Conference and Trade Show is where current and future flight school owners and operators, managers, chief instructors and others along with a major portion of the supply chain come together to meet and discuss the state of flight training. They exchange and learn together in a collaborative process which yields positive results for all attendees.

Several FSANA committees will be meeting on February 21, 2023 at Caesars Palace. The committee meetings are open to everyone who makes it to Las Vegas. Below are the meeting times for each committee.

9am Airman Practical Testing

10am Safety

11am Training aircraft

1pm Legislative affairs

In the FAA's recent Safety Briefing, a focus on best practices for flight training providers, DPEs, CFIs, and their applicants to ensure that when a practical test is scheduled, it is able to proceed.

In Tim Pence's article, he highlights how preparation can go a long way to making sure a test can proceed. A good stage check to verify readiness, a folder audit of qualification requirements, and a good review of the aircraft logbooks ahead of time can identify any roadblocks and offer time to solve them.

He notes how there is a role for the instructor or pilot school manager to help decrease stress for the applicants and ensure they will be able to proceed. He offers some tips here that many flight training providers are already doing, but you might find an extra tip or two by reading the article.

DPEs aren't without some work they can do ahead of time either. A little communication ahead of time goes a long way if they can review IACRA applications and some instructions for the applicant with expectations and planning information.

The goal of the article is to try to help all parties work best together to maximize the utilization of available DPE resources. Check it out for some tips you may not have already considered or implemented.

Tennessee Flight Training has announced the purchase of the flight training division of Azure Flight Support, which includes Shelbyville Flight Academy as well as flight training locations in Crossville and Cleveland, TN. The acquisition also enables a long-term strategic partnership for Fixed Base Operator (FBO) services and maintenance.

“The commercial aviation industry continues to face an unprecedented pilot shortage due to many pilots reaching retirement age and an overwhelming rebound in demand following the pandemic,” said Chris Erlanson, President of Tennessee Flight Training. “This partnership allows Tennessee Flight Training to expand beyond our current market and to continue providing the aviation industry with top-notch pilots from this region. We couldn’t be any more excited about working with Azure Flight Support with their years of expertise combined and outstanding integrity in their operations.”

“We are excited about Tennessee Flight Training taking our flight training programs and elevating them to the next level. Chris and his team are singularly focused on delivering high-quality flight training. As a strategic partner we will work with Tennessee Flight Training at our FBO locations in a support role,” stated Allen Howell of Azure Flight Support.

Industry experts estimate a global shortfall of at least 34,000 commercial pilots by 2025 as current trends persist. Meanwhile, demand for commercial airline pilots is expected to increase significantly over the next 10 years, outpacing the average growth rate for most occupations. In many cases, aspiring pilots can expect to go from no experience to qualifying for regional airlines in fewer than three years and at one-third of the cost of a typical college education.

“Opening the door to high-demand careers like aviation requires students to have easy access to education and training. Our goal is to continue breaking down those barriers and making aviation more accessible and affordable for all types of students, especially those who traditionally haven’t seen a viable path to the pilot’s seat,” Erlanson added.

Tennessee Flight Training offers a range of customized options – from recreational to career pilot training – at a pace that fits each student’s needs. An FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) can provide a personalized training path based on the student’s schedule.

Check out https://beta.aviationweather.gov/gfa/#obs to see how this will look and what new tools you will have!

ALSIM recently announced another implementation of their AL250 Simulator, making it the fifth location in France at Carbon Flight Academy. The Valenciennes-based flight training provider Noted their desire to utilize cutting-edge equipment of the latest generation in their training operation.

You can learn more about ALSIM and Carbon Flight Academy on their recent release about this implementation by clicking here.

The AOPA Flight Training Experience Survey allows student pilots and pilots to express their thoughts and experiences regarding their training, whether primary or advanced. In addition to recognizing outstanding flight training providers, survey feedback helps shape and improve flight training programs, making them more effective, efficient, and enjoyable for future students.

Survey results will be used to select the 2024 Flight Training Experience Awards recipients. Instructors and flight schools receiving at least five (5) valid survey responses will be issued a customer feedback report showing their strengths and weaknesses. This anonymized feedback helps flight schools and instructors understand how they can provide better training experiences in the future. To be eligible for an award, instructors must receive at least five(5) valid survey responses, and flight schools must receive at least ten(10) to qualify.

Award winners will be announced at Redbird Migration, March 5-6, 2024, at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston, Texas.

FSANA is pleased to announce that it is finalizing planning for a 3rd Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Conference in March 2024 in Orlando, Florida. More details will be announced in the near future.

The event will again bring together current and future DPEs along with the FAA. The quality of information and educational sharing is high level and attendees are provided with loads of insights, all aimed to help the DPE community to improve their knowledge and quality delivery of airman practical tests.

The International Aerospace Accrediting Commission (IAAC) headed by Thomas Kube, executive director, will piggyback its Spring 2024, "Seeking Accreditation Workshop" with the FSANA 2024 Annual Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas. The all-day IAAC workshop is being held on Tuesday February 20. Independent of the FSANA conference, it requires a separate registration fee.

For more information, contact the IAAC at 480-451-7205 or tkube@iaac.aero

Crown Consulting, Inc. was awarded a subcontract in support of Parsons Corporation’s recompete of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Technical Support Services Contract 5 (TSSC-5).

The ten-year contract has a $1.8 billion ceiling and will be used to support the agency’s Aviation System Capital Investment Plan (CIP). The contract includes a four-year base period with two three-year option periods.

Crown has a strong legacy of working with both the FAA and Parsons on the previous TSSC contract and on related projects and programs. “This is the perfect opportunity for Crown to bring its decades of aviation infrastructure experience to the FAA at a critical time, and the opportunity to take this on with Parsons makes it even more exciting,” said Crown CEO Al Khan.

The FAA’s CIP is a 5-year plan that describes the National Airspace System (NAS) modernization programs and lists the activities the agency intends to accomplish during that period. The CIP contains both programs that modernize existing systems and programs that continue the transformation to the Next Generation Air Transportation System. It also contains the NAS Enterprise Architecture roadmaps which show the timetable for the introduction of new technology to achieve the planned NextGen capabilities and capacity increases.

“Crown and Parsons have a long-standing partnership with FAA and our teams are ready and eager to continue to support the agency as it lays the foundation for the future of commercial aviation,” said Ravi Singh, Crown vice president of Integration & Infrastructure.

About Crown: Founded in 1989, Crown Consulting (www.crownci.com) applies engineering, information solutions, analytics, and infrastructure expertise to assist government and industry in enhancing performance and planning for future challenges. Specializing in the field of aviation, Crown has earned a reputation for forging system and service solutions based on analytic rigor and real-world perspectives – as reflected in contributions to challenging programs with the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA. Today, the company is at the forefront of integrating emerging technologies and advanced aviation systems into the National Airspace System through dedicated support to federal agencies, state and local governments, and private sector clients.