As we head toward the start of summer, the aviation industry is experiencing both headwinds and tailwinds. The airline and GA Airports are having their unique challenges.
Many airline-served airports are seeing record passenger counts as the public continues to emerge from the days of zero travel during COVID.
Both airline and GA airports are feeling the economic realities of rising operational and capital costs. As capital costs rise with far above normal annualized inflation rates, airport sponsors need to find matching funds for their local FAA, AIP share of the construction.
One may ask, where does that money come from? In the end, the money will come from increases in various fee schedules adopted by the airport sponsor. In many parts of the United States, based flight schools are not required to pay landing fees including touch and go's. Recently, FSANA has learned that this posture on flight school landing fees could be evolving.
A tailwind appears to be evolving whereas flight school owners are starting to create new schools focused on the training of aircraft maintenance candidates. What a wonderful idea which also makes sense.
Flight schools are major generators of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).
Flight schools are beginning to build maintenance technician training schools which will help create a flow of new maintenance staff coupled with a new revenue stream.
People in the aviation world tend to be thinkers and explorers and they deploy their ideas in order to create never-ending improvements and processes. FSANA sees many opportunities on the horizon and we are excited to see the creation of hopefully many new maintenance technician schools that are connected with their related flight school.
Have a safe summer and please know that FSANA is here for you when and if you require input and/or guidance. We strive to help our members when the need arises.
CAVU and wings level.
Respectfully,
Robert Rockmaker
President & CEO
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ATEC 2023 Pipeline Report - Severe Maintenance Technician Shortage
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The Aviation Technician and Education Council (ATEC) recently released their "Pipeline Report" through 2023 that discusses the aviation mechanic workforce and trends being experienced.
An obvious connection is that flight training operations need maintenance professionals to keep the aircraft flying safely and actively. While much focus has been put on the "shortage of pilots," less is given to the challenges in the recruitment and training pipeline for maintenance technicians.
The report notes that "New AMTS entrants increased by just 1.8 percent last year, the survey found. Pre-pandemic, this figure was routinely in double digits."
A bright spot that was noted, " The percentage of military veterans transitioning to civilian maintenance jobs grew by double digits for the second consecutive year. While encouraging, the pool of untapped veterans with maintenance experience remains large. ATEC estimates that less than 10 percent of veterans with maintenance backgrounds are transitioning to similar civilian roles."
"Getting more candidates into and through the mechanic training pipeline is the only way aerospace will have enough skilled technicians to keep aircraft flying safely and on schedule," said ATEC President and Dean of the Aviation & Manufacturing Technologies program at WSU Tech James Hall. "The latest Pipeline Report spotlights the most pressing needs facing our schools and other training pathways. ATEC along with other stakeholders are focused on capitalizing on these opportunities by developing meaningful, sustainable solutions."
One pathway primed to help meet demand is accredited aviation maintenance technician schools (AMTS) that prepare candidates for the FAA's airframe & powerplant (A&P) tests. ATEC’s latest survey found that 67 out of every 100 new mechanics went through school. The other 16 came from military and 18 from civilian work experience.
FSANA is hopeful to expand its work with ATEC and the maintenance sector collaboratively going forward. There are obvious synergies for the flight training community and we are hopeful that the two sectors can work together to keep feeding both pilot and maintenance technician training pipelines.
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US Aviation Academy has a Growing Maintenance Technician School
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US Aviation based in Denton, Texas continues to grow their maintenance technician school. Started in January 2021, the school enrolls approximately 12 new students each session. The near term goal is to increase that number to 20 plus students each session.
Having a built in technician school affords many opportunities for both the flight school and the candidates who are receiving the training. Concurrently, the flight school can establish a natural pathway for graduates to help them enter the workforce and gain experience.
FSANA is hopeful to expand its work with our flight schools, ATEC and the maintenance sector collaboratively going forward. There are obvious synergies for the flight training community and we are hopeful that the two sectors can work together to keep feeding both pilot and maintenance technician training pipelines.
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in their aviation maintenance training program.
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IAAC Visits Thrust Flight in Texas
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Beginning work to accredit flight training providers, International Aerospace Accrediting Commission (IAAC) Chair Pete Hatchett and Executive Director Tom Kube recently staffed a Readiness Visit to Thrust Flight in Addison, Texas. The Readiness Visit is the step immediately prior to the submittal of a Final Self-Study document and receiving a Full Team visit.
A part of the overall accrediting process, site visits allow accrediting personnel to verify accrediting application information on-site. Thrust Flight is one of the first schools going through the accrediting process that the IAAC has established and, once accredited, will allow accreditation holders to gain access to U.S. Department of Education benefits non-accredited schools may not be able to access.
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The Commission currently has seven schools in the applicant process, with several inquiries preparing Initial Applications for Accreditation. Schools with interest may email the IAAC Executive Director at tkube@iaac.aero, of phone at (480) 451-7205. Current information may also be found at www.iaac.aero.
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Landings Fees - Effects on Flight Training Operations
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FSANA knows that the cost of flight training is something that is of concern for many of those training and providing training within our national airspace system. Sometimes, airports get creative with the fees they are going to be charging and how they do that may affect flight training efforts.
In a recent article in Aero News Network (ANN), “Fernandina Beach Airport Eyes Automated Landing Fees to Target Flt Training” it was noted that the airport had implemented an automated landings capturing system that will be utilized to bill operations per landing. In an area in Florida where training density is heavy, this effort is a way for an airport to begin capturing revenue on a per-landing basis.
FSANA is concerned about this precedent and how it might spread to many more airports looking to capture more revenue for their airport. Many challenges can potentially become present with landings associated fees that can, but are not limited to, accounting for who was flying the aircraft on a particular operation, how to recoup the landing fees with customers after the flights were completed when billings were received weeks or months later, and whether the billing is even going to the correct entity. An aircraft that is being used as a lease back may not have the billings go to the operator, but to the owner.
Many questions relate to new user fees related to specific landings fees and they are of sincere concern to the flight training community.
FSANA will be engaging with this topic to get more information and discuss with our community how we can work best together with airport operators going forward.
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Third DPE Symposium October 23-24, 2024 Orlando
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Locking in dates of October 23 and 24, 2024, FSANA will again host a conference for DPEs, this time in Orlando, FL. A hotbed of training and home to a large number of DPEs in the United States, Florida is a natural location to host this, the third annual DPE symposium.
"Our goal is to bring current and future DPEs along with the FAA together and allow them to discuss concerns, common issues in the field, and best practices as a group," said FSANA President & CEO Bob Rockmaker. He continued, "The first two Symposiums have benefited all attendees and learners in the of these we have done turned out to be unique and well-received opportunities to share information between DPEs from around the country that just does not happen anywhere else."
The Symposium will be hosted at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. Conference and hotel registration information will be available shortly, but until then, hold the date in your calendar if you are a current DPE or someone working to become one.
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FAA Updates ACS/PTS Documents -
Effective Implementation Date May 31, 2024
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Not to be thought of as an April Fools joke, the FAA published on April 1st, 2024 much-awaited updated Airman Certification Standards and Practical Test Standards for numerous certification tests.
Applicants, CFIs, and DPEs are encouraged to become familiar with the updated and new documents for upcoming testing activities.
The documents are available for review now, but do not become immediately effective. These testing standards will become effective as of May 31, 2024. All tests after that day will be conducted in accordance with the new standards.
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RAA Issues First Quarter 2024 Workforce Report - Notes Hiring Disruption Temporary
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The Regional Airline Association (RAA) recently released its First Quarter 2024 Workforce Report in which it analyzes the pilot pool available for hiring for regional airlines.
RAA President & CEO Faye Malarkey Black offered the comment, "Let me be very clear: an abrupt, temporary hiring disruption – driven entirely by an abrupt, aircraft delivery disruption – is not the same thing as fixing the pilot shortage. Despite misleading reports to the contrary, the pilot shortage has not been fixed and if we do not act now to address the pilot shortage, small communities will continue to feel its impact."
In RAA's press release, they indicated that "Today’s pilot pool is not just shallow; it lacks diversity. Fewer than 10% of today’s pilots are women or people of color. Using a lull in attrition as an excuse to discourage policies to improve career access and training would shortsighted and harmful."
These viewpoints seem at odds with some other sections of the industry, but regional airlines are in different hiring positions than major airlines. The direct next employment path for many of the CFIs who work for flgiht training operators, regional airlines are a key part of the industry pilot hiring pipeline that FSANA monitors.
To see more information on the report that RAA issued, click here.
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST FROM THE INDUSTRY
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FSANA has been collecting DPE names who have expressed a willingness to travel to help flight training providers secure practical tests.
The latest 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.
If you are a DPE who is not on this list but would like to be, please let us know. Write us at info@fsana.com with your name, city, state, email and phone number and we will add you.
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Email Feedback Concerns about FAA Practical Tests to:
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Tell us what is important to you as a school owner, manager or chief flight instructor. We will share comments in an upcoming edition of Flight Training News. Send your thoughts to info@fsana.com.
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FSANA LEGISLATIVE ADVOCATES
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Legislative Advocates are flight schools, businesses and individuals who support FSANA’s efforts to advocate for public policy that benefits the flight training industry.
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FSANA SUPPORTING PARTNERS
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Annual Partners are flight schools, businesses and individuals who support FSANA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the flight training industry.
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V I S I O N A R Y •• P A R T N E R S
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D E V E L O P E R •• P A R T N E R S
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B U I L D E R •• P A R T N E R S
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L E A D E R •• P A R T N E R S
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Established in 2009, the Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) is the first and only association of its kind dedicated solely to the flight training industry. FSANA represents flight schools, firms that provide products and services to the flight training or aviation industry, and other supporting partners.
The Mission of the Flight School Association is to support, promote and advocate for the business of flight training; to provide knowledge, programs and services that help its members thrive and better serve their customers and communities; to foster best business practices; to educate and inspire youth; to increase the global pilot population; to improve general aviation safety; and to work in alliance with the aviation and aerospace industry.
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