Flight Schools

At last weeks Redbird training conference, I wouldnt say the attitude toward using LSAs in training was exactly hostile, but it wasnt warm and fuzzy, either. During his talk on the Redhawk diesel, Redbirds Roger Sharp said that LSA resale values are a relative unknown and, at least in Redbirds view, LSAs havent yet demonstrated […]

Redbirds San Marcos, Texas, Skyport made quite a splash earlier in October when it sold avgas for two weeks at a buck a gallon. Yet two weeks after the cheap gas experiment ended, flight activity is still up threefold at the airport, according to Redbird CEO Jerry Gregoire. Redbird launched the cheap gas experiment on […]

Game theory is gaining favor as a means of training in all sorts of disciplines, and now Redbird wants to try it with aviation. At the company’s third annual Migration training conference in San Marcos, Texas on Tuesday, Redbird’s Jeff Van West explained the new program. It’s currently in the experimental and testing phase but […]

By now, you’re likely familiar with Redbird’s diesel-powered Cessna Skyhawk conversions (called “RedHawks“). At the Redbird Migration conference in San Marcos, Paul Bertorelli asked Roger Sharp when and flight schools can get their hands on them. Duration: File Size: download here

As AVweb has been reporting, the partial government shutdown has impacted aviation at a number a levels, from aircraft registration to aircraft safety inspection. But the effect on the provision on airman FAA knowledge tests is more critical than many realize. Along with the shutdown of the knowledge test process, the provision of FAA airman […]

A new direct to final rule issued Sept. 16 by the FAA introduces a subtle but substantive change for CFI candidates, and according to NAFI chairman of the board Robert Meder, “This is a good thing.” The new rule considers practical tests flown for the issuance of a flight instructor certificate, or renewal of a […]

Letter of the Week:It’s the Instructors, Stupid I own a small flight school with three to five planes in central Massachusetts. It’s the kind where everyone is always greeted properly when they walk in, the kind the fosters a large pilot community, not just a pilot’s certificate. Otherwise, you’ll only watch them leave and their […]

Boeing Thursday released its 2013 Pilot and Technician Outlook that predicts the need for nearly 500,000 airline pilots by 2032, and the company says the number shows an increase over previous forecasts for nearly all regions. The company says the demand is driven by steady increases in airplane deliveries, most of which are single-aisle jets. […]

Why hasnt some simulation enthusiast created a simulator to teach a child how to ride a two-wheeled bicycle? Imagine all the advantages of a simulator like that. You could teach in any weather, day or night, with no more skinned knees or jogging to keep up as they figure it out. And just think of […]

It’s one thing to get people in the flight school door; it’s another challenge to bring them through to the check ride and beyond. This week, Bob Meder, president of the National Association of Flight Instructors, hosted a webinar to discuss those issues and develop an action plan. He spoke with AVweb’s Mary Grady about […]