AOPA Flight School Business Resources

Below is a list of articles from Doug Abramowitz, co-founder of Flycore, on the AOPA Flight School Business Resources

• Why Customer Service is your Flight School's Best Investment

• The Future of Flight Schools: Creating Demand, Not Just Responding to It

• Discovery Flights: Necessary Evil or Significant Opportunity?

Maximizing Flight School Success: Lessons from Flycore & AOPA

Discovery flights represent a significant opportunity for flight schools rather than a necessary evil. When properly priced and executed, they serve as both a valuable standalone product and a powerful pipeline builder. The key is offering a memorable experience focused on enjoyment rather than overwhelming prospects with technical details. By treating discovery flights as premium experiences—charging fair market rates, providing brief ground instruction, personalizing the flight experience, and implementing strategic follow-up—flight schools can create positive impressions that extend beyond potential student pilots to build broader community support for aviation.

Creating demand rather than merely responding to it requires a shift in how flight schools approach their sales process. Despite genuine public interest in aviation, many schools immediately highlight barriers instead of building excitement. An effective sales approach starts by inspiring prospects, offering enjoyable introductory flights, providing clear support throughout the process, and maintaining consistent follow-up. This methodical approach recognizes that flight training competes with other priorities for customers' resources, and when people truly want what's being offered, they'll find the time and money to make it happen.

Customer service represents a flight school's best investment, particularly in understanding that re-engaging existing or former students is significantly more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. With customer acquisition costs ranging from $400-$1,000 per new student, schools should allocate resources to maintaining relationships with current customers and reconnecting with inactive ones. Simple outreach like text messages to former students can reignite interest and bring pilots back to the flight line. By implementing systematic customer service processes and follow-up procedures, flight schools can build a solid base of satisfied students while reducing their reliance on the constant influx of new prospects during slower seasons.