AOPA Flight Training Experience Survey open

In either instance, AOPA wants to hear about it to help make your flight instruction experience worth every bit as much as you paid for it—and with luck, more than that.

With that goal in focus, AOPA’s 2018 Flight Training Experience Survey launched April 9, giving pilots and pilots-to-be who have participated in a flight training activity during the past 12 months a chance to offer valuable feedback on the quality of the instruction received. AOPA will use the survey results to recognize outstanding individual aviation educators and flight training businesses that deliver top-notch service. AOPA also uses the data from the survey to provide “report cards” to flight schools and CFIs. The report cards help schools and instructors identify their strengths as well as opportunities for improvement.

The survey, which you can take online, will be open until Aug. 13.

Based on AOPA’s extensive research, the Flight Training Experience Survey considers four key factors of an optimum flight training experience: educational quality, focus on the customer, community, and information sharing.

The 2018 Flight Training Experience Awards will be presented at AOPA’s new You Can Fly Academy at the Frederick, Maryland, Municipal Airport during Redbird Migration 2018, Oct. 9 through 11.

The Flight Training Experience Survey and Awards are part of AOPA’s You Can Fly initiative, an umbrella program to support flying clubs, encourage best practices in flight training, get lapsed pilots back in the air, bring AOPA's resources and expertise to pilot groups across the country, and help high school students learn more about careers in aviation.

In 2017, survey participants reviewed 1,048 flight schools and 2,012 CFIs. Award recipients included Zoan Harclerode of Rocky Mountain Flight Training Center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, honored as the Best National Flight Instructor; and SkyTrek Alaska Flight Training, of Anchorage, Alaska, earning the title of National Best Flight School.

Anyone who has taken flight instruction, including a flight review, in the past 12 months is encouraged to complete the survey and help make the flight training experience better for everyone.

Participants in the Flight Training Experience Survey will be eligible to enter to win generously donated sweepstakes prizes, including a 12-month subscription to Pilot Preferred (mid-tier) weather from Sirius XM (a $720 value), Sporty’s Learn to Fly course or Instrument course (online, $200 value), PilotWorkshops Real World VFR (USB version, $149 value), PilotWorkshops Real World IFR (USB version, $149 value), PilotWorkshops Real World Coast to Coast (USB version, $149 value), Aircraft Spruce Gift Card ($100 value), and Hertz rental certificate ($100 value).

The AOPA You Can Fly program is entirely funded by charitable donations to the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Visit the AOPA Foundation website to learn more about supporting You Can Fly.