FLIGHT TRAINING NEWS

The Flight School Association of North America has announced a name change to Flight School Association International (FSAI), reflecting the organization’s expanding global reach and growing international membership.

Founded in 2009, FSAI represents a wide range of independent flight training entities that serve aspiring aviators at every stage of pilot development, from the private pilot certificate through structured career pilot pathways.

The rebranding decision was approved by the members during the Association’s annual membership meeting, held on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in San Diego, CA. It was driven by increased demand for advocacy, guidance, and industry insight from international flight training providers as well as the global supply chain that supports the industry.

FSAI was the first trade association established specifically to serve flight training organizations focused on foundational pilot education. As the aviation and aerospace industries evolve, the Association will continue to collaborate with partners to advance shared priorities and long-standing objectives. Foremost among these is safety, which underpins every aspect of an industry built around aircraft operations and flight training.

“Our Association remains firmly aligned with its original mission, unchanged since our founding,” said FSAI President & CEO Robert Rockmaker. “The fact is, we have supported flight training organizations outside of North America for several years, and this transition reflects a formal acknowledgment of our growing international role and membership.”

FSAI represents more than 850 member organizations worldwide, encompassing flight training providers of all sizes. Whether operating a small fleet or a large training operation, each member receives equal consideration, respect, and access to association resources, Rockmaker added.

About FSAI

Founded in 2009, Flight School Association International is dedicated to strengthening the flight training industry and increasing the pilot population through advocacy, collaboration, and education. FSAI’s members include flight schools, training providers, and aviation businesses across the globe, working together to promote excellence in flight instruction and testing.

FLIGHT TRAINING NEWS

The FSANA 17th Annual Flight School Operators Conference & Trade Show finished on Friday having brought together a record number of attendees and service or product providers in the flight training industry.

The conference couldn't have ordered better weather in sunny, warm, and gorgeous San Diego. But the weather wasn't the best part; that was the sharing of information and discussion within the flight training industry.

Each of these conferences offers the flight training community and its supporting vendors an opportunity to address current issues facing the provision of flight training in our national airspace system. This conference was no different.

With topics ranging from new technologies to be leveraged in upcoming years, to financing and insurance best practices and concerns, and even old die-hard concerns like the ability to get DPEs with available time to provide practical tests, the conference tackled hard and new issues head-on, like always does. FSANA isn't an association to shy away from the challenging topics in its conference footprint.

This year's conference was at maximum planned attendees and exhibitors.

"We can't say thanks enough to all those who attended and exhibited or were partners for this year's conference," said FSANA CEO, Robert Rockmaker "The participation of the industry is critical to making this a success each year, and we look forward to doing all we can to continue to expand and improve the conference we believe is best placed to bring together flight training providers of all sizes."

William Lynch, Managing Director from Mesirow Investment Banking, spent time discussing the current status of lending markets and financing structures related to flight training sectors. He highlighted the strength of the sector as business that have high recurring revenue, strong domestic and international service demand, that the United States continues to have the best landscape for training, certainly with respect to airspace, airfields, costs, and much more. He highlighted the fact that there remain robust capital markets for flight training operations in the United States.

The session then transitioned into a discussion from Everette Rochon, Manager of the Training & Certification Group (AFS-810) under the GA & Commercial Division, which is part of Flight Standards Service, further discussing the efforts the FAA is making to gather input from the aviation training industry on what changes and improvements are needed to modernize the 141 training regulations and processes. This has been an ongoing effort over the last year in which FSANA has had representation, and a final report out from the series of meetings and workgroups is expected in the upcoming months. This report will be offered to the FAA and the public for further discussion and comment before the FAA moves into any regulatory development or modification process.

Keith West, President of Rexair Flight School finished the morning session with a discussion of how "consensus standards" have been used in other sectors, specifically the LSA aircraft that have been developed under ASTM standards, and may not be applied in the pilot certification standards development process, as evidenced in the 141-modernization effort. The key is that the industry develops and works with industry-led consensus standards instead, providing a structure for the industry to regulate itself, without having to work through as much of a formal agency regulatory process. This can allow the industry to move together more effectively and potentially more quickly as developments are desired and agreed upon within an industry. This is normally done through voluntary committees with representatives from the industry directly engaged with and affected by the particular regulatory sector. This model may have significant potential for helping 141 regulations, aircraft under the new MOSAIC allowances, and other regulatory sectors to help the flight training industry move forward in a more nimble and responsive way in the future than it has in the past.

With a conference taking place in their hometown, it was the perfect time for FSANA to grant its inaugural "AeroPreneur Award" to King Schools, led for so many fantastic years by John and Martha King.

Their dedication to aviation education has spanned over 52 years at this point and has transitioned from the early days of paper training materials and travelling ground schools, to the VHS tapes many of us watched over and over as we learned, to modern online learning platforms that continue to serve the next generations of pilots.

While there are many fantastic training product providers in the landscape, no one that can argue that King Schools has been an entrepreneurial force that has helped bring training forward into the modern systems we have today.

In recognition of that, FSANA greatly appreciated the King Schools team joining for the last day of the conference to receive the new award.

A key part of every FSANA flight school operators conference is the ability to bring the providers of services and equipment in the flight training community together with those that provide the training. This year was no different, with sold-out vendor space that brought a record number of exhibitors and attendees together.

Service and product providers offered services, new products, insights into new technologies, and everything in between. There are no places that bring together as effectively these two groups as the FSANA conference for the flight training community. FSANA is truly grateful to all the vendor participants that attended and exhibited at this year’s conference, improving the overall access to information and awareness for the flight training community.

The last day of the FSANA 2026 Flight School Operators Conference included more breakout sessions, hitting on topics ranging from creating legal infrastructure for flight school long-term success, electric aircraft panels, and how that aircraft may be integrated into future flight training operations, discussion of flight operations, maintenance, and CFI jobs, and marketing practices that work in flight training.

Both Wednesday and Thursday offered round-table discussions for flight training providers. These workshop sessions allowed training providers to share information and concerns with each other and have long been one of the most well-reviewed parts of the FSANA conference every year by attendees. These sessions continue to offer free and open discussions that regularly bring up training concerns that many don't realize others also have, and in some cases, that others have already solved, and they can learn from to improve their own operations. While the flight training landscape is one in which training providers do compete for students, it is also one in which we can share information that improves the entire training system.

A key factor to the success of the FSANA conference each year is bringing information together in a way that flight training providers can leverage it to improve the quality and efficiency of their operations around the country. We all have more to learn, and we can learn from each other's operations as we share best practices in events such as this conference.

With the 17th annual conference just wrapped up, FSANA is already looking ahead to the 2027 conference. And we hope you are also!

The 18th annual FSANA Flight School Operators Conference is set to be hosted in New Orleans, 
February 9-11, 2027.

Put the date in your calendar, and we will be sure to get you hotel information and details on the conference to start your travel plans early in the upcoming months.

The FAA has recently provided a briefing and a MOSAIC fact sheet for Designees who may be working with applicants for sport pilot certificates or who may be exercising sport pilot privileges.

These documents include information that may additionally be of interest to applicants, pilots who are or are exercising sport pilot privileges, or CFIs who are working with students or pilots who are pursuing sport pilot training.

These documents help provide clarification of some questions that may arise in relation to recent regulatory changes related to the MOSAIC process.

Click here for the FAA MOSAIC Fact Sheet

Click here for the MOSAIC Final Rule Designee Briefing