Less than one year ago, AOPA announced plans to do something unusual when it comes to flight training—give credit where credit is due. Our idea was to publicly recognize CFIs and flight schools that provide exceptional training experiences for their students. Our hope was that these schools would serve as real-world models of what works and provide inspiration for other schools and instructors. Thus were born the AOPA Flight Training Excellence awards. The concept grew out of our extensive research into the reasons so many student pilots never complete their flight training. We wanted to understand the challenges, but we also wanted to focus on the positive, on what works. So we invited you—pilots, students, instructors, schools—to nominate training providers who get it right. We never expected what happened next.
In the course of just a few months, we had nearly 2,500 nominations from all across the country. We heard about independent CFIs who use social media to keep their students on track. We heard about flight schools that are developing a sense of community by sponsoring fly-outs, cookouts, and unusual aviation adventures for their students. We discovered that the most successful training programs recognize that the needs of their students are changing, and they are finding ways to meet those needs—whether that means providing brand-new aircraft with state-of-the-art glass cockpits, saving students money by giving them more time in simulators, or keeping an open-cockpit airplane on the line for those who want to experience the romance of a bygone era.
With so many wonderful nominees to choose from, it was tough to narrow the field. But in the end, the awards committee managed to select five flight schools and three flight instructors to recognize. For my part, I couldn’t decide on just one President’s Award winner, so I chose two.
I’d love to see the day when every flight school and instructor in the U.S. provides the optimum training experience and we no longer worry about students dropping out before earning a pilot certificate. Many schools are doing a good job for their students, and the flight training community is looking for ways to do even better.
To those who nominated a school or instructor for an award, thank you. By getting engaged, you’re helping to build a better flight training experience for everyone. Soon we’ll start taking nominations for 2013. Tell us about the flight training professionals who have made a positive difference for you. Let’s share what works.
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