CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 11 Issue 4 - 31

YOU CAN FLY

FLIGHT SCHOOL CONNECTOR
LEARN FROM EACH OTHER

BY YCF STAFF

and discuss the issues that are important to them,
without worrying about competition-a natural
thing among schools that are on the same airport
but that lack the ability to gather at events to meet
and get to know each other.

AOPA'S YOU CAN FLY (YCF) TEAM HAS LISTENED
TO FLIGHT SCHOOLS WHO HAVE EXPRESSED AN
INTEREST IN GETTING HELP TO ADDRESS THE
CHALLENGES THEY FACE IN THEIR BUSINESS.

So, they went to work to connect the flight school
industry and provide a platform that provides
guidance, support, and connectivity.

How? Well, the You Can Fly team did some
investigations. First YCF asked flight schools the
type of things they needed help with and how they
could learn from each other. Then YCF looked at
what would be the best way to help these schools
as they manage their business and make business
decisions. This led to more research on how to
create the best format to deliver information to
flight school owners and operators and to meet

The outcome of this effort is a monthly one-hour
online meeting, every first Wednesday of the month
at noon Eastern time. This format (instead of a
traditional webinar) allows everyone to talk to and
see one another.
Ready to join in? The sessions typically start with
a short (15 minute) presentation on a business
topic-past topics have included things like reading
income statements, marketing, website design,
and moving your business through the various
stages of development (the topics are guided by the
group-they drive the conversation about what they
want to know more about). The second segment
is usually where YCF interviews a flight school
owner about a topic that the group has expressed
interest in (for example, past topics have included
growing the business and experiences with
different types of training aircraft). The third, and
longest, segment is a discussion where YCF invites

everyone to participate-these can be free ranging
as people can raise topics they're interested in
and participants are encouraged to share their
own experiences. Those discussions are the best
part because participants can talk to fellow school
owners, managers, and CFIs from all over the
country and learn from their experiences.
So far, YCF Flight School Connector has had more
than 500 participants joining from all corners of
the country.
The best thing coming out of this is that everyone is
building relationships and reaching out to others to
solve problems, share ideas, and learn from each other.
If you'd like to participate, email YCF at
ftinitiative@aopa.org.
The latest Flight School Connector recorded
meeting discusses stages of growth in a
flight school.
You Can Fly and the Air Safety Institute are
supported by donations to the AOPA Foundation
(aopafoundation.org/donate).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQN8TPbsv5I&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=AOPALive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQN8TPbsv5I&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=AOPALive https://www.aopa.org/donation/oneclickdonation?keycode=R17XXWP03

CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 11 Issue 4

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 11 Issue 4