A place for passion

It’s a cynical joke but certainly true for many in the industry. Business pundits have been known to throw shade at the flight school industry, saying owners are usually in it for the wrong reasons. The wrong reasons apparently include a passion for flying and a desire to share that passion with the rest of the world. (Because passions, after all, don’t pay bills.) Throw in a bad year—a harsh winter that precludes a lot of flying, or, say, an international pandemic—and you have to wonder why anybody would get involved in flying.

That may be. But I think there’s still a place for passion in aviation and in the flight school industry. Three examples come to mind.

First is Justin Tidwell, a Kentucky pilot who was poised to start a new job as a corporate pilot. Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions popped up, and Tidwell found himself with time on his hands. He decided to use that time to open a flight school in Bowling Green. Flywell Aviation is up and running with a Cessna 172M and an American Champion Decathlon for tailwheel and spin training.

Second is Jeff Robbins, owner of Robbins Aviation in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. A longtime pilot who’s also an A&P, Robbins has flown corporate, charter, and worked at an FBO. In 2013 he started a part-time flight school, and in 2017 it became a full-time business that includes aircraft sales services.

“My schedule varies dramatically from day to day,” Robbins told the Star-Ledger. “There’s constant study and continuous learning involved. Because I love this industry, I follow everything about it, whether it’s airlines, agricultural flight applications or the corporate side.”

Third is Brenda Tibbs, owner of Bravo Flight Training in Frederick, Maryland. Since starting her flagship location in Frederick, Maryland, in 2016, Tibbs has expanded to Gaithersburg, Maryland, and most recently to Martinsburg, West Virginia. She held an open house on September 12 to introduce the business to the Martinsburg community—observing social distancing and mask precautions—and welcomed 150 visitors to the new location. Tibbs says when she became a flight instructor it was the happiest she’s ever been.

Business pundits aside, there’s a place for passion in the aviation industry. It can’t always be about the bottom line. Tidwell, Robbins, and Tibbs are prime examples. Why else would a pilot start an uncertain business at an uncertain time in the industry? How else would flight schools continue to grow and thrive? Thank goodness for passion, and for the people in the flight training industry who continue to spread their love of aviation to the world in general.