7 Steps To Become a Flight School

If you ask an average person whose dream is to become a pilot, chances are that he or she is fascinated by the way airplanes moved up in the sky before the ambition came about. Flights have existed as a means of transportation for centuries, and people have continued to find them one of the quickest ways to move around.

 
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people eager to learn how to fly airplanes. Perhaps this might be because of the relatively low cost of smaller bodied planes. Pilots who are already in the line of business do all they can to see that they train people for fees. Therefore, if you are a licensed pilot, you can take advantage of this demand and make good money by starting a flight school.

 
A flight school exists to train people. There are three categories of people that may have a need to attend a flight school are. They are the wealthy people who wish to learn how to fly planes just for fun, persons who just bought new planes and finally, people who are training to acquire a pilot license.
In starting a pilot school you would need a pilot license because you couldn’t be allowed to teach other people how to fly if you are yet to obtain your own pilot license. One other thing to note is that running a flight school does not come cheap, but you are sure to receive returns on investments (ROI) in a short while. Now let us see how you may possible start a flight school soon.
Starting a Flight School – Sample Business Plan Template

 

1. Draw a Definite Business Plan

By a definite business plan, I mean a plan that covers all the details of how the flight school will operate. For instance, it should cover the following details: Will the school buy its own personal airplanes or lease them from others? What will be the cost of setting up the school, putting every single expense into consideration? Which State will the business be located in? How many students will you take at a time?

 
Also, remember to set business goals and work out a plan on how to achieve them. For instance, you can say, in the next 2 years after start-up, I want my flight school to be able to take in 30 students. That means you have to make plans to expand your school within that period to accommodate 30 people.

 

2. Apply and Get all Your Licenses

To operate a flight school, there are some licenses you are required by the State to have. For instance, you need to apply for a business permit or license from the Town County or any other agency approved by the Government to issue a business license. Also, you need to get an Employee Identification Number (EIN) if you will hire some employees to work in your school.

 

3. Develop a Curriculum

You have to develop your school curriculum following the guideline provided for by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The category of students your school will take in, will determine the school curriculum.

 
For instance; the FAA stipulated that persons applying for a Private pilot license should have completed 35 to 40 hours of flight school training, while persons applying for a commercial pilot license are expected to have completed 190 to 250 hours of flight school. You have to choose whether to take in only students for private certification or both private and commercial and develop your school curriculum accordingly.

 

4. Accreditation 

Your flight school must also be accredited by any agencies operating under the U.S Department of Education. Locate any of the agencies in your State and start the accreditation process.

 

5. Get a Space for Your School

The next step is to lease a space for your flight school. You will need a large or extended space to accommodate all the airplanes your school uses and be large enough for moving around. If you can purchase property, that's acceptable; if not, you have to make a long-term lease arrangement.

 

6. Get Your Flights

There are two options here: You can either rent your airplane, which is the cheaper option but expensive in the long run, or you can purchase your own airplane. Purchasing your own airplanes is expensive, but you won’t need to pay regular lease fees.

 

7. Hire Employees

You will need to hire employees who will work together with you to make your flight school a success. Some basic employees you need to hire are instructors and advanced Engineers to handle aircraft maintenance. Your instructors should all be certified by a pilot license.
In conclusion, the number of students you can admit into your school depends on the number of flights available to handle the training sessions and the number of certified instructors available in your school.