Over the past couple of years, you’ve frequently seen me write about the Flight Training Student Retention Initiative—a program we created to understand why so many student pilots never complete their training, and then do something about it. We began by conducting extensive research to understand the problem, followed by a nationwide conversation designed to help us identify real-world solutions. During the course of this initiative, we've seen some very encouraging signs. Yes, there clearly are many reasons why completing training is a major challenge—enough of a challenge that the majority of students just don’t finish. But we’ve also uncovered some incredible success stories—schools with extremely high completion rates, instructors who deliver just what their students need to earn a pilot certificate, and students who overcome all obstacles to live their dreams.
It’s the focus on these success stories—finding what works and replicating it—that makes the Student Retention Initiative really different. And now, we are expanding that approach by creating a new division at AOPA dedicated to helping students earn their certificates, helping lapsed pilots get back in the air, and helping to build supportive pilot communities that make flying easier and more affordable. This new division is the Center to Advance the Pilot Community, and we are making it a top priority. The center will be led by aviation advocate Adam Smith and a team of experts on lifelong learning, research, and program development. Like the Student Retention Initiative, which will become a cornerstone of the center’s programs, the center’s efforts will focus on what actually works. In other words, it will build on success.
A theme emerged as we were trying to understand why so many students drop out of training. We discovered that many students feel isolated. They may have little contact with other flight students and pilots, even though they routinely go to a bustling flight school for training. They often discover they have no one with whom to share their excitement and experiences. They lack a sense of community.
This is just one factor in the dropout rate, but it made us ask some questions. What would a supportive pilot community look like? Does being part of such a community really make a difference in outcomes? The answer to the last question is unequivocally “yes.” And we discovered that we need look no further than the most successful flying clubs to see the idea of a strong community become reality.
That led us in a new direction—understanding what makes the most effective flying clubs work so well and re-creating that success so more pilots can find the support and camaraderie they crave.
We continue to make new discoveries about what brings pilots to flying and what keeps them flying. At the Center to Advance the Pilot Community, we will continue that research and develop programs and tools designed to support pilots and future pilots. Ultimately we want to reverse the long, slow decline in the number of active pilots and strengthen general aviation for this and future generations of aviators.
It’s a big job, and we will need your help and support along the way. But it’s also an opportunity to be part of something truly wonderful—a thriving GA community that helps every pilot live his or her dreams.
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