Training manuals and instructor vacancies

[hiflyer_777]

hi all im looking at flight safety academy to do my training and was wondering if they provide jeppesen training kits or their own proprietary material.Also are there openings for flight instructors just in case i plan on doing the CFI ratings as well.I would like to meet anyone whos done the J1 exchange visitor program.Thanks and looking forward to your replies.

[jonboy34]

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Also are there openings for flight instructors

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They interview for flight instructors every month. As soon as you complete your CFI rating you sign up for the interview, and yes they hire some every month, just do your best.
good luck

[Texpilot]

HI, Jon's not exactly telling it straight to you. From talking to some of my instructor buddies down there, FlightSafety is absolutley dead right now. Somewhere around 70 students. I think guys are figuring out they don't need to spend $60K to get all their stuff and still get excellent training.

And about working there, although they hold interviews often they haven't hired a flight instructor in many many months because there are no students.

Good luck wherever you go!

T

[FlyingDawg]

[ QUOTE ]
HI, Jon's not exactly telling it straight to you. From talking to some of my instructor buddies down there, FlightSafety is absolutley dead right now. Somewhere around 70 students. I think guys are figuring out they don't need to spend $60K to get all their stuff and still get excellent training.

And about working there, although they hold interviews often they haven't hired a flight instructor in many many months because there are no students.



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That's not quite right. They conduct interviews each month and so far there have been people hired each month. Those people then go on a waiting list. There is a waiting list for instructors to start standardization but that should go away soon since many of the current instructors have been hired. The summer time from what I understand is usually a slow time. Right now there are about 100 students who are flying and 40 more started yesterday so it's starting to pick up again.

[Texpilot]

FlyingDawg, if by hired you mean not being paid, no benifits, no W2, and if a reference called they would say your not an employee... then yes, I guess your hired.

Your put in a pool of people waiting to get hired and FSI hasn't HIRED a new instructor in 4 months.

And I guess your right, they had a spike and are up to 90 students... Way to go marketing!!! Thats excellent when your talking 40 instructors!!

[rausda27]

The fact that there are less than 100 students there absolutley depresses me. When i was there only a few years ago there were hundreds of students. I wish I could say that it was an industry epidemic of student shortages, but it seems exclusive to FlightSafety. They offer a good product, and if I could do it again, I would probably go the same route, but they need to figure out a way to market themselves better. Word of mouth just isnt going to cut it anymore.

[CLR4ILS]

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They offer a good product, and if I could do it again, I would probably go the same route, but they need to figure out a way to market themselves better. Word of mouth just isnt going to cut it anymore.

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I too would definatley go the FSA route if I were to do it again. The training is by far the best I have seen in the industry.


As for the marketing of the school. You are absolutley correct. If New York doesn't wake up, the school is going to suffer tremendously.

I have spoken my opinion several times at the academy with respect to marketing and nothing has changed. Something needs to change.

The biggest problem are the ads posted by schools like Pan-am, DCA, and westwind. They lie through their teeth and make rediculous promises to get the numbers. By the time the student realizes that they have been screwed, it is either too late, or they are afraid to switch schools in the middle of training.

Flight Safety has ALWAYS been up front with their students and what they will recieve at the academy.....excellent training and the tools neccesary to make it in aviation, no more, no less.....

However, word of mouth will not cut it anymore. Here again are a couple of things I have noticed...

1. The "my dad told me to attend FSA" ads in the magazines go un-noticed. I have been told this by 5 students who did not know of FSA until I spoke of the academy. When asked where they learned of PA, DCA, Worstwind etc.....They said in the magazines. They thought FSA's ad was an article....

BTW...All 5 are either at FSA now or have just completed. No thanks neccesary, just a hug. Just darn happy to help a new aspiring pilot get good training.....

Suggestion:
Place new ads that talk about the programs, SIMS, upset attitude recovery training, Spatial disorientation training. Show pics of the academy, 120+ aircraft, SIMS etc. People are visual, let them see it.


2. People are really starting to complain about aviation training pricing. I know this is not easy to adjust with all of the expensive top notch facilities that we have coupled with the fuel prices BUT...... If you can offer the same great training, new facilities and aircraft priced just below people like Pan-scam then you will see the enrollment. Of course you will have to get them to notice FSA with your new attention grabbing ads .


My biggest suggestion....

A mass media blitz......

Now is the perfect time of the year to change the ads, lower the pricing (just enough), pound the internet with the new site (especially on JC), and have one hell of a marketing party/rally. Hire on some new motivated blood to tour the schools (no offense Jay, we love you, of course they will work under your supervision) and get FSA's name out there once again.

What about a Flight Safety Academy fly in????? Like a field day so to speak. Maybe Doug will sponsor it....

The quality is there, and when they tour the facilities they will see it.

Sign me up.... There are 5 FSA grads here in AZ that will handle the Phoenix area for a few hours in that ERJ Sim..

ILS

[CLR4ILS]

Some more helpful hints to the marketing department.

I pulled a search on google titled "flight training".

Pan-am came up, some other smaller schools, but no Flight Safety Academy.

The Flight Safety International website showed up on the first page but that is worthless to the academy. The corporate website is hard to navigate through to get to the academy website.

Make sure you talk to your webmaster and have he/she change your "key" words for search so that FSA "the academy" comes up when people search numerous titles such .......Flight training, flight training Florida, Commercail pilot training etc...

Hope this helps....

ILS