Go to our Facebook Page and enter the “I Want To Be A Professional Pilot” Photo – Video contest. Upload your favorite aviation photo or video with the caption “why YOU want to become a professional pilot” to our Facebook page and you could WIN a new GoPro camera!
FindTheData's new AME directory makes finding an FAA doc in your area a snap
I’ve always hosted a tinge of jealously towards those who pursue a lifestyle in aviation. While pilots have fulfilled a near celebrity status, the hard work and dedication required to achieve a successful aviation hobby (or career) is often times overlooked. With intense competition and huge educational costs, pilots understand that the glamor associated with flying is sometimes a hazed stereotype.
For those still interested, finding a credible flight school can be a daunting task. While asking around at your local airport may offer useful information, it’s only a starting point. Whether you’re looking for flight schools that offer part 61 or part 141 flight training programs, Kyle and the folks at AviationSchoolsOnline.com have compiled a great resource that offers insight to the processes of becoming a pilot.
Similarly, FindTheData recently finished building a directory of Aviation Medical Examiners that will allow pilots to get or maintain their medical certificates with ease. You can easily compare and analyze examiners based on several factors (location, medical specialty, first class examiner, etc). Whether you’re a pilot in need of obtaining your medical certificate or simply interested in getting your 60 month renewal (pilots under 40 years old), check out this resource and feel free to offer suggestions or feedback.
Aviloop says it features the best aviation products and experiences at 50-90% off
We just love the rush of zooming down the runway and pulling back the yoke to lift off. Amazing, isn’t it? Sure, we know flying is no miracle, yet we still feel like the luckiest folks on the planet when we experience Newton’s laws and Bernoulli’s principle in action. Aaah, the wonders of flight…
If you’re anything like us, you are constantly trying to get your friends to join in on the best hobby ever. But we all know that becoming a pilot is no easy task. It sure takes a lot of time and even more money. Yes, in the end it is totally worth it! That’s why we find it saddening when someone with a dream and a passion for aviation can no longer continue on their journey because they run out of funds. Unfortunately, it happens all too often.
At Aviloop we think no one should be turned away from doing what they love just because they are short a few bucks. We feel even stronger about the other outcome of costly flight lessons – pilots cutting corners and not getting enough training to fully grasp all that flying is. Did you know that the cause in 70% of non-commercial plane accidents is pilot-related?* Wow! This is something that can be fixed. We say, let’s start by providing flight lessons at more affordable rates. Let’s give aviators one less reason to cut corners and get the training they need to stay safe and proficient. This is why Aviloop was launched…
Aviloop.com is a group buying aviation website. We feature deals on the best aviation products and experiences at 50-90% off. Our mission is to change the face of general aviation by making it more accessible, more affordable, more fun, but most importantly – safer. Safety is our number one priority, because we think flying should be a fun and exhilarating experience, not a life threatening one. We even take our safety philosophy one step further – To ensure the safety of our customers, we only feature deals with flight schools that pass our rigorous inspection to become “Aviloop Approved”. We live and breathe aviation and we are here to improve it.
Wouldn’t it be nice to move up a level in your pilot career without emptying out your bank account? Whether you are new to aviation, looking to take an introductory class, get your private pilot license, multi-engine rating, or instrument rating, we have a deal for you with a safe and credible flight school.
Why pay full price when you could get a jaw-dropping discount with a grade “A” instructor? Right, there is no reason… That’s why you should register at www.aviloop.com and learn about the best aviation deals going on in your airspace.
Endangered species? Many students can't afford flight training
Despite a recent Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) research study to the contrary, cost remains the primary hurdle to both new pilot starts and general aviation industry growth, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in an unprecedented position to change all that. The aviation industry as a whole, and especially the recreational side of general aviation (GA) is suffering the devastating effects of the perfect storm: skyrocketing fuel prices, declining discretionary incomes, virtually no financing for instruction or aircraft, increasing maintenance costs, community efforts to close airports, and punishing coverage of the industry as a whole from the media. It’s no wonder most aviation-based business are struggling.
To prove my point, let’s consider a hypothetical world where the cost of earning a private pilot license in today’s dollars is around $500, total. How many people would be signing up at your local flight school right now? I believe the sky would be dark with trainers as a huge percentage of the population flock to their local airport in search of flying lessons. And how many times have you heard a former student pilot say, I have all the money I need to earn my pilot’s license, I just didn’t like the instructor”? If you’re like me, it’s never happened. After providing all the excuses about “not enough time” or “can’t pass the test”, student pilots who did not complete their training usually complete the discussion with “and flying is just too expensive”.
AOPA’s 2010 study concluded that about 70% of the people interviewed expressed a desire to learn to fly for recreational or personal business. From these numbers it’s easy to see that most prospective pilots are going to have to pull the money out of discretionary income. Sure, outfits like Pilot Finance, Inc. can help, and some people resort to using a credit card to foot at least part of the bill, but the reality is many student pilots have to decide whether to put gas in the car, or gas in the plane, because they can’t afford to do both.
And that’s exactly where the FAA is poised to make a difference. Over the years, the FAA has created a truly remarkable air transportation system, and they deserve credit for merging air travel, training, and maintenance practices together into an extremely safe aviation industry. But that success has come at price, and I believe we’re all paying that price now. The very layers of paperwork and oversight that have created our safe system have inflated prices to the obscene for just about everything in the aviation world. Aircraft parts, when compared to their automotive counterparts for example, are typically many times the price for virtually the same piece of equipment, and most of that cost difference can be traced to FAA bureaucracies (with a fair share spilling over to liability insurance as well). Just this week, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt commented that the agency is possibly facing large budget cuts and layoffs. If that’s the case, this seems like the perfect time to re-analyze the current state of aviation regulation and loosen the grip, just a little, in key areas the FAA oversees. While we’re at it, why don’t we pass legislation that could severely limit the legal liability of aviation manufacturers. Both of these efforts could help drive down the overall costs of flying.
Let’s face it, aviation world… learning to fly is just too expensive. That’s the problem. And until that changes, we’re in for a long, painful “recovery” from our current state. I think the aviation industry has reached TBO and needs an overhaul. The sooner the better.
I’d like to hear what you think… please answer our poll question on Facebook “Is the cost of flight training the primary hurdle to earning your pilot license?”
Sources:
Babbitt: Budget Cuts Are At Tipping Point
AOPA – A Survey of Students, Pilots, and Instructors (pdf)
Even student pilots can earn money while flying according to FlyandEarn.com
Paying for flight training is now a major obstacle for most would-be pilots. Past sources of financing have all but dried up, gas prices are skyrocketing, and the cost of earning a license or rating have never been higher. But in times like these people get creative about pursuing their passions, and that’s exactly what Jay Taffet of Fly and Earn did. Taffet developed a revenue-generating system that he says even student pilots can use to earn money while flying. According to Taffet, his system is 100% compliant with all FAA regulations regarding pilots’ compensation and that a traditional requirement, the commercial pilot certificate, is not necessary to earn money with his program.
Taffet set out to find a way to pay for his own flying ten years ago and created the Fly and Earn program for the aerial photography market, even though he had no experience as a professional photographer. “I started this side-business ten years ago to pay for my flying and, by the second year, I earned $35,000 and bought an aircraft. It has been exciting flying and the best income supplement ever since” says Taffet on his website. Taffet tells pilots that aerial photography is a simple, lucrative side business that requires no experience or skills, no photography experience, and can be started with a digital camera and a small investment.
For more information on the Fly and Earn business model, please visit www.flyandearn.com.
Which pilot license will suit your mission best?
The dream of flight captures many but only a few have the will to push forward and begin their training to become licensed pilots. Student pilots today have to make decisions about the initial pilot certificate they will pursue… Private Pilot, Recreational Pilot, or Sport Pilot.
So, with all of these options, how can a new student pilot make a decision about the initial pilot certificate they should pursue? The following series of questions should provide a starting point.
1. Do you have any current or past medical issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, etc that may keep you from passing an FAA medical exam?
2. Can you pass the FAA medical exam? Do you have limited budget and/or time to complete your initial pilot training?
3. Do you have good health, several hours per week for flight training, and cost is not a major obstacle?
To learn which license is right for you, read the full article Learning To Fly – Which Pilot License Is Right For You? at AviationSchoolsOnline.com.
This article was written by Russell Frame, owner of High Country AeroWorks, provider of aircraft rental and flight instruction in Coeur d’Alene Idaho
