Many pilots stop flying at some point. Family and work obligations, financial constraints, health issues—these are just a few of the reasons pilots may take a break from aviation. But many of these lapsed pilots are eager to fly again. You can help them get back in the air by hosting a Rusty Pilots seminar—at virtually no cost to you.
AOPA research shows there are hundreds of thousands of inactive pilots—and most of them want to get back into the cockpit. By reaching out and inviting them to rejoin the aviation community, you can help these lapsed pilots get back into flying.
AOPA will provide an instructor who will deliver an engaging multi-media presentation. We’ll also provide take-home materials for each participant. PLUS, we’ll help market the Rusty Pilots seminar by putting our database to work, reaching out to inactive pilots within 75 miles of your location. The instructor will also support your promotion efforts before and after the presentation.
Here’s what to expect as you prepare to hold a Rusty Pilots seminar:
Next to nothing! All you have to provide is a facility to host a seminar, tables and chairs for participants, a screen and speakers for the presentation, and refreshments.
Generally speaking, attendees at Rusty Pilots seminars have been out of aviation for more than 2 years – some even up to 30 years! We want attendees to have the opportunity to see the planes and “smell the avgas” again. For this reason, AOPA requires Rusty Pilots presentations to be held at a publicly accessible on-airport location. Such locations might include a large conference room, classroom or a climate-controlled hangar.
When planning, please consider the environmental conditions and potential extreme weather at your seminar location to ensure attendees' comfort throughout the event.
We’ll provide all the materials for the class, including high quality Resource Guides and Scenario Handouts for each attendee. You have the option of providing brochures or other information about your school or club.
Our AOPA Foundation instructors are CFIs and AGIs who have been hand-selected to present the material to your participants in a fun, engaging way that will encourage them to complete their flight review and get back in the air with your flight instructors. Meet our seminar instructors.
The presentation was designed to be completed in three and a half hours, but we encourage you to spend some time before and after the seminar to get to know your attendees.
Rusty Pilots was designed to address the major areas covered in the Flight Review. It's designed to follow a scenario-based approach of a typical VFR cross-country flight from pre-flight to landing. Major topic areas include:
The Rusty Pilots seminar is a free benefit of AOPA membership. Non-members can attend by joining AOPA for $89 and registering as a member, or by registering as a non-member for $89 (plus a 5% credit card processing fee). No other fees can be charged for the seminar, but you can charge for any additional training at your standard rates.
Yes. Each participant will receive a logbook endorsement for the approximate 3 hours of ground instruction provided. The logbook endorsement, signed by the AOPA Foundation Presenter, will be emailed to the participant from [email protected] within 1-2 weeks from the presentation date. The logbook endorsement, in PDF format, can then be printed by the participant, and put into their logbook. The ground training is an incentive for rusty pilots to overcome the flight review hurdle, as well as an encouragement to complete the flight portion with your facility. While the Rusty Pilots presentation meets the minimum requirement of FAR 61.56 for one hour of ground instruction, it is the final authority of the flight instructor completing the review in the airplane to identify the rusty pilot as safe.
Usually. The purpose of Rusty Pilots is to encourage the completion of a flight review for pilots whose experience has lapsed. Your facility should be at an airport, must have aircraft available for rental and flight instructors on staff. In addition, flying clubs must be accepting new members. You must also have adequate space to present to a group of at least 35 pilots.
We have a collection of sample slides (50MB) to give you an idea of what to expect from the seminar. Feel free to review them as you make a decision about hosting a seminar.
A room full of lapsed pilots is a great opportunity to promote your school or club! Make sure your brochures are up-to-date and available. Have information about your rates and instructors available. Add a little incentive by offering a special promotion just for attending the Rusty Pilots seminar.
Yes, but you must complete a new application form if you wish to host again. This gives your local pilot community multiple opportunities to attend and helps spread the word about your school or club!