Redbird director of STEM education Greg Roark wants to get students thinking about what they want to do after high school—the earlier, the better. For kids interested in aviation, the future career options are vast, including everything from aircraft maintenance and air traffic control to flying 

When school districts partner with Redbird, its students have the opportunity to explore  these options and more. The company offers simulation options ranging from desktop products to FAA-approved flight training devices (FTDs), colloquially known as simulators. 

“[Schools] can do everything from experiential types of things through aviation with our simulators all the way up to producing pilots with various levels of certification,” Roark said.

With the help of Redbird, high school students can gain relevant, real-world experience and have the opportunity to achieve industry certifications from the FAA before graduation. This provides them with a wealth of knowledge when they finally take to the skies.

“When they get on the flight deck, they’ve already been there,” Roark said.

Roark, a former classroom teacher, is still motivated by helping kids learn and watching them develop a growing passion for aviation. Now he impacts classrooms across the entire country. 

“I was a classroom teacher for a long time before I came to Redbird,” Roark said. “Many times, we sort of forget how kids learn. When you create opportunities for them and let them show you what is possible, it’s humbling.”

Roark has experienced that humbling sensation with multiple kids, including past students who have gone on to pursue full-time careers in aviation. 

“You have these people that come into your classroom and you know instantly that there is something special,” Roark said.

As Roark works to make simulation-fueled education accessible to more kids in more places, he urges educators and other school leaders to consider how they can best serve the students in their schools—whether that means bringing aviation education to elementary students or building full scale high school programs. 

“It is all about what is right for your school, your stakeholders and your communities,” Roark said. “What does success look like for you, for your students?”

Once a school district decides to integrate simulation into their aeronautics programs, it often becomes a question of how. Funds are not always readily available, but Roark encourages school leaders to explore potential grants. He also urges school districts to consider local fundraising as a viable option.

Ultimately, he is dedicated to helping schools and parents find ways to engage children in the future of aviation.

“We will find a pathway,” Roark said.

School districts and parents interested in learning more about aviation education options can contact Roark at groark@redbirdflight.com.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY Redbird Flight Simulations

Click here to learn more about Redbird Flight Simulations.

The post Simulators Encourage Students to Pursue Careers in Aviation appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Flight training standout Redbird Flight Simulations announced its newest training offering—a mixed reality simulator—at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024. The product utilizes innovative technology to create a truly modern training option in a format that is already somewhat familiar to people with virtual reality experience. 

The new training device will make it possible for current and future pilots to experience a livestream version of what is happening outside the cockpit of an aircraft, while still being able to see their own hands manipulating the training device when looking down. 

During AirVenture Redbird Flight Simulations CEO Todd Willinger and vice president of marketing Josh Harnagel talked about the new product, which is slated to be commercially available by the end of the year.

“It is like virtual reality and augmented reality had a baby, and now it’s mixed reality,” Willinger said.

Schools across the nation are taking an increased interest in preparing students for futures in flying, and Redbird has a growing presence in the K-12 school environment, including career technical education.

“High schools are starting to invest in flight simulation to build the pilot pipeline,” Willinger said.

Many children have experience with virtual technology through video games, making the new mixed reality simulator a natural and attractive training tool for learning. 

“Kids are using these devices at home, so it becomes a natural expansion into the training environment,” Willinger said. 

Redbird hosted a Sim Lab for middle and high school students attending AirVenture. The company offered daily classes covering a wide range of aviation topics—from aerodynamics to weather. The demand for this type of offering further illustrates the next generation’s growing interest in flying. 

“Education is really important and we want to get people interested in aviation as early as possible,” Willinger said. 

Beyond educating tomorrow’s pilots, Redbird’s new mixed reality device offers a wealth of benefits for those already in the field. For many adults, however, the technology behind this new way of learning is more foreign. 

“It will be interesting to see what sort of adoption occurs in the traditional flight training environment,” Willinger said. 

Many organizations—including the U.S. military and commercial airlines—have already started to incorporate mixed reality into the training protocols. This early adoption points to a continuously growing demand for mixed reality flight training options across all different pilot demographics.

Redbird has been on the cutting edge of simulation technology since its inception in 2006. This is largely because the company was created by flying enthusiasts with a passion for making aviation more accessible via modern technology.

“Those of us that started the company didn’t have a background in aviation business, and I think that helped us,” Willinger said. “We looked at things differently than a traditional aviation would have.

Redbird leadership’s nontraditional viewpoints have helped the company stay dedicated to their mission and continue innovating for almost 20 years. 

Click here to learn more about how Redbird is working to make flying more accessible.

The post Mixed Reality Simulation Offers New Training Options for Current, Future Pilots appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The 30,000-square-foot facility was completely built through private donations through the EAA Aviation Foundation. The two-story center has lots of classroom space and rooms for multimedia presentations. Upstairs houses the Youth Education Center. Downstairs is the Pilot Proficiency Center, consisting of a simulator lab filled with Redbird AATDs and a crosswind trainer.

According to the EAA, in December the $6.2 million education center received a final $600,000 matching grant from the Ray Foundation. The funds help the organization fulfill its dream to inspire more people to pursue aviation.

• READ MORE: EAA Marks Grand Opening of Its Youth Education Center

“Approximately five years ago, this was merely a dream—to create a place where young people could be inspired by the world of flight while current pilots could build their existing skills,” said Jack Pelton, EAA’s CEO and chairman of the board. “Having now seen what has occurred here in just 18 months, we know what the support of those who believed in the dream has created, expanding the possibilities for people of all ages within EAA’s aviation community based here at Oshkosh.”

The center hosts activities year-round. Each summer there is a full week of pilot proficiency courses offered during EAA AirVenture. The facility has also hosted the national Redbird Migration conference, the National Intercollegiate Flying Association SAFECON competition, and regular open simulator sessions that allow pilots to build flying skills on Redbird simulators.

The Youth Education Center brings in thousands of students a year for STEM-based classes and aviation explorations days, including Girls On The Fly sessions for those interested in the science of flight as well as EAA’s Air Academy and GirlVenture program held each summer.

Margaret Brill, EAA Aviation Foundation vice president, is pleased with the progress the center has made.

“As we close out the initial fundraising portion for the EAA Education Center’s existence, its success shows what is still possible to support EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation,” Brill said. “There are many more opportunities that we will be exploring in 2024 to connect with even more people interested in the world of flight.”

About EAA

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) was founded in 1953 by Paul Poberezny as an organization for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. It soon grew from one chapter to hundreds. Today there are chapters all over the world and more than 290,000 members.

For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to the organization’s website. 

The post EAA Education Center Continues to Expand with New Investment appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That’s the premise out of the 14th Redbird Migration, the annual conference designed for the users of Redbird Flight simulation technology, from the desktop-mounted Jay for home and classroom use to the Redbird AMS, a full motion, highly immersive, cockpit-specific, FAA-certified Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) for turbine aircraft.

Registration is now open for the event, which will take place March 5-6 at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston. The event moves around the country to allow more people an opportunity to attend.

Each migration brings in keynote speakers from the aviation industry to address aviation educators, K-12 STEM teachers, flight instructors, and flight school owners. Breakout sessions are conducted on topics as diverse as using the Redbird as a marketing tool, best practices for CFIs in the Redbird, and using the devices for school children to enhance lessons.

• READ MORE: Simulation Technology, Not Just for Airlines

According to Josh Harnagel, flight instructor and vice president of marketing at Redbird, the conference is free to attendees, but there is a space limitation of 350. This year, speakers include James Viola, president and CEO of Helicopter Association International, and Bob Hepp, chief CFI of Aviation Adventures.

“We also plan to have someone from the National Transportation Safety Board as well as representation from the other aviation alphabet groups,” Harnagel said. “In addition, this year at the breakout sessions there will be a wider range of folks. On the Monday before Migration begins, there will be a continuing education event for teachers that will demonstrate how to use the sims in the classroom and use of our classroom management tools.”

One of those scheduled to present is Harvey Madison, director of instruction, design, and content at Redbird. One of his skill sets is working with nonaviation teachers to help them better utilize the Redbird in their classrooms.

“You learn so much more by taking concepts from a lecture and applying them on the sim, building that muscle memory,” said Madison. “The sim is the lab part of the class—like in chemistry class where you had the lecture, then in the hands-on part [where] you mixed the chemicals. You use the sim in the classroom for the lab practical part of the lecture.”

About the Lone Star Aviation Museum

Redbird is especially excited about this year’s host venue, as the Lone Star Flight Museum is one of the finest aviation and aerospace facilities in the country. Among its exhibits is the space gallery with a shuttle cockpit and a MaxFlight FS-VC interactive simulator that literally puts you in the pilot’s seat.

For more information or to register, visit migration.redbirdflight.com.

The post Registration Underway for Redbird Migration appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Are you using at-home flight simulation for flight training, proficiency, and currency? If not, you should be! At-home flight simulation—which can be as simple as a laptop and a joystick—is widely recognized as an inexpensive yet effective training supplement for student and rated pilots.

FlightSimExpo is North America’s enthusiast flight simulation conference and tradeshow. At the event, meet flight simulation experts, try a variety of hardware, software, and Mixed/Virtual Reality options, and find out more about online air traffic control communities like VATSIM and PilotEdge. The event takes place June 23-25, 2023 in Houston, and registration is open now at flightsimexpo.com.

Whether you are getting into an airplane for the first time, an aspiring hoping to work for the airlines, or a ‘weekend warrior’ pilot looking to stay current, at-home flight simulation can shorten your training time, improve proficiency, and save you money. 

70+ flight simulation and aviation companies are exhibiting at the show, including Gleim Aviation, Redbird Flight, RealSimGear, Aviation Training Foundation, FlightChops, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Civil Air Patrol, and more! You’ll also find the team from FLYING exhibiting at Booth H16. 

Alongside the hands-on exhibits, seminars given by pilots, flight instructors, and flight simulator experts are designed to help those new to the hobby find their wings. There’s even a free tour of the show floor available to all newcomers that will point out the best resources to help you get started. The full schedule is available at flightsimexpo.com/schedule.

Can’t make it to the event in-person this year? Full access to watch all live and recorded seminars is included in a Flight Simulation Association Captain subscription. 

To learn more about FlightSimExpo, visit flightsimexpo.com. The show is produced by Flight Simulation Association, a free-to-join association of flight simulator pilots and community developers. For more details on how at-home flight simulation enhances aviation training, visit flightsimassociation.com/start.

The post Home Flight Simulation for Training, Proficiency, and Currency appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Who could forget that moment? Soaring through the bright blue sky, heart racing, you hear your flight instructor say those magic words for the first time: “You have the controls.”  

As years pass and ratings amass, you likely recall that memory fondly from time to time. But do you remember the lesson? 

Taking the controls of an airplane for the first time is more than a rite of passage; it is a responsibility you carry with you for as long as you are a certificated pilot. At that moment, your flight instructor passes onto you the accountability for lifelong learning, improvement, sound judgment, and safety.  

These characteristics make up a small portion of this nebulous thing we call proficiency – which is an essential item left off far too many preflight checklists in general aviation. While most GA pilots understand the need for proficiency, accident statistics (and probable causes) suggest that something continues to stand in the way of us gaining and maintaining it. 

To understand why, we first must get to the bottom of measuring proficiency – which is easier said than done. 

Let’s look at an example.

• Pilots who hone their skills recovering from a power-on stall so expertly that the ball never wavers and their altitude barely changes can be said to be proficient in power-on stall recoveries that they intentionally perform. In other words, if they know a stall is coming, they have the stick and rudder skills to perform the recovery extremely well.

• Pilots who hone their skills and experience to safely recover from an inadvertent departure stall close to the ground can be said to be proficient in power-on stall recoveries that surprise them – and in remaining calm in a crisis. That is a big difference compared to recovering from an intentional stall performed in training.

• Pilots who hone their skills to avoid distractions that could lead to a departure stall in the first place can be said to be proficient in situational awareness and in adhering to procedures (such as maintaining a sterile cockpit). Regardless of their recovery skills from a practice stall or an unintentional departure stall, they are adept at creating circumstances that result in a safe flight.

If we stop here and ask three different pilots what defines proficiency based on this example, you will get three different answers. You can go crazy debating other pilots about how not getting into a departure stall in the first place is the most critical factor. While another pilot might respond by saying you cannot ensure it will never happen to you, and thus you should emphasize detection and recovery skills above all else.

In reality, all and none of these scenarios determine proficiency. Alone, they represent components of a proficient pilot, where absent the other components a pilot will only appear proficient based on the scenario. Together, they start to paint a comprehensive portrait of proficiency in which a pilot has the knowledge and skills to operate safely and effectively despite the scenario. The latter is the standard you should hold yourself to in the flight deck.

This type of comprehensive proficiency is challenging to achieve. Traditional proficiency courses and workshops can help you refresh your knowledge and skills, but even they can fail to identify and address the weakest areas of your flying to ensure you are prepared for any scenario. As the pilot in command, you need to take it upon yourself to uncover those areas for improvement. Fortunately, a few proven steps can help you begin to find your weakest links and develop the proficiency you need for a safe flight every time. 

Fly Often

Flying is not like riding a bicycle; you cannot just stop for a few months then hop back on for a lovely ride down a tree-filled lane with your family. Flying is more like speaking a foreign language. If you learn German to the point of fluency but then stop speaking German for a few years, you will find yourself struggling to keep up in conversation when suddenly confronted with a business associate from Düsseldorf.

As we are all too painfully aware, the consequences of returning to the flight deck after an extended leave can be harsher. Recency is arguably the most critical component of proficiency because it enables you to understand your abilities and limitations at a moment in time, adjust your minimums accordingly, and operate safely and effectively within them. 

Aim for Perfection With Every Flight

Whoever said “practice makes perfect” perfectly misled you. Practice is important, but only if you are paying attention while practicing and trying to achieve a next-level goal you have set for yourself. Let’s say the last time you went flying, you really botched the landing – and by “botched” I mean the other pilots at the BBQ fly-in would not make eye contact when you got in line for ribs. They did not want to embarrass you by admitting they saw your triple-bounce side-loading skid of a landing in a gentle five-knot crosswind.

Okay, there is actually no sin in that. The sin occurs if you do not dedicate yourself to analyzing and addressing the causes of your less-than-stellar landing. Perhaps you need to read up on crosswind technique (assuming your technique is what caused the problem), followed by a healthy amount of practice until you are consistently greasing it on.

Part of aiming for perfection also is understanding that you will never reach it. There is a reason pilots with between 100 and 400 hours of total time tend to crash more airplanes than newly certificated pilots. The former starts to develop confidence in their abilities without understanding what true proficiency looks like; the latter understands they are still working toward proficiency. 

Do not forget: We are all working toward proficiency. As soon as you feel perfect in the left seat, you need to mix up your training. 

Scenario-based training in a flight simulator is indispensable for helping you understand what you should work on next. You may feel that you have mastered crosswind technique, but an unfamiliar runway, slope, approach, or obstacle can get in the way of a safe landing. Scenario-based training helps you identify where your technique still needs work and how you should adjust your minimums – and your flying – until you have addressed those areas.   

A pilot flying a scenario on a Redbird LD flight simulator. [Courtesy: Redbird Flight]

Always Be Learning

We tend to think of training time as rigid thirty-minute or hour-long blocks with a flight instructor, and – if we cannot get to the airport – we cannot train at all. Yet taking a few minutes out of a busy day to read an article still makes you a better pilot. Consistency is most important.

In addition to reading pilot magazines, you can read, watch, and listen to content from reputable sources online. E-learning is a great way to keep the knowledge you already have fresh while expanding your exploration and understanding as a pilot.

If you are not used to learning this way consistently, a few simple steps can help you start and sustain the habit. 

1. Identify a time when you like to learn and set a reminder to get started. It is okay to reschedule for later in the day, but make it a conscious decision.
2. Ditch the “all or nothing” mentality. Steady improvement is an effective way to prevent burnout. Focus your learning on one area at a time and keep the time you dedicate to it manageable. 

After a few weeks, you will find that taking a few extra minutes out of your day to become a better pilot is second nature. 

So, back to the departure stall. Imagine that you find yourself in that situation right now – right this second. Remember that feeling.

Now, imagine it is happening, but for the past three months, you have flown often, aimed for perfection with each flight, and spent a little dedicated time each week learning. How is that feeling compared to the first feeling?

Either way, you have the controls. Your flight instructor passed along the responsibility to gain and maintain proficiency, but only because s/he knows you have the ability to do so. What you do with it is up to you – and you alone.

Try a free 30-day trial of Redbird Pro to start hitting your proficiency goals and improving your flying today. Download the app on the App Store or Google Play.

The post Pilot Proficiency: You Still Have the Controls appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As the COVID-19 pandemic turned the aviation industry on its ear, the folks at Redbird Flight Simulations began fielding phone calls from customers worried that flight training would come to a grinding halt. Josh Harnagel, Redbird’s vice president of marketing told Flying his team, including the company’s vice president of software development, began wondering if there was a way to conduct simulator training remotely. Redbird began cranking away on the problem in March and by April had a few ideas of how such a system might work. Last week Redbird Connect debuted as an effective, no-cost platform for flight instructors and their students to train using flight simulation and video conferencing technology using a web-based version of Redbird’s flight simulator operating system, Redbird Navigator.

In a news release last week, Redbird said, “From anywhere in the world, instructors now will be able to guide and control flight training sessions on Redbird simulators by setting and changing the weather, initiating failures, pausing and unpausing flights, repositioning aircraft, and more. Combined with a live video feed of the student, flight instructors can simultaneously oversee the student’s hand flying and critical flight data.”

This cutting-edge technology is expected to shine soon through the upcoming virtual AirVenture that the Experimental Aircraft Association has been hard at work on since the COVID-19 crisis took a hatchet to the annual in-person gathering of pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers and airplane geeks. EAA staff and hundreds of volunteers created the virtual Spirit of Aviation Week in an attempt to keep some of the energy and enthusiasm of the show alive until next summer.

A significant feature of the regular show for years has been the Pilot Proficiency Center, with Redbird as a sponsor, and staffed with volunteer CFI members of the Society of Flight Educators (SAFE) and the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). The on-site PPC in Oshkosh is normally filled with dozens of simulators.

Thanks to an exhausting amount of preparation work by dozens of flight instructors and pilots working through Community Aviation, a Virtual Pilot Proficiency Center will offer pilots a chance to try their hand at flying a number of challenging IFR and VFR scenarios using remotely-located simulators. The virtual PPC goes live beginning July 21.

Flight schools and individuals already operating a variety of newer-generation Redbird ATDs running the latest software will be able to connect with CFIs stationed around the world. Students will need an HD camera to connect with instructors via a Zoom link to make the entire experience come together. An iPhone on a tripod would suffice. Experts do worry a technical gremlin or two might appear along the way for some of these virtual sessions, but considering that Redbird and Community Aviation put this entire experience together in just a few months, the initial test results appear nothing short of astounding.

More information about the virtual PPC, including instructor scheduling options is available through Community Aviation. For pilots unable to participate in the virtual AirVenture, there’s more information here about the new Redbird Connect technology.

Readers who are able to experience the virtual PPC during Spirit of AirVenture Week are encouraged to drop a note to edit@flyingmag.com with their impressions.

The post Redbird Connect Enables Virtual Pilot Proficiency Center appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

If the basics of airmanship still apply in safely controlling an airplane—coordinated maneuvers, power-and-speed management, and situational awareness, for example—wouldn’t the methods to deliver those skills to new pilots remain anchored in fundamental truths as well?

Redbird Flight Simulations launched in 2006 with the idea that this is not necessarily the case—and pursued development of a line of full-motion aviation training devices and other products priced for the flight school market to help prove the point. For the past 10 years, the company has hosted an annual conference—Redbird Migration—for the flight training industry, to assist both flight schools and the educators who deliver training in understanding that there’s a new world out there.

But instructors learn in their initial coursework that education doesn’t occur unless there is good communication, and a certain amount of mutual buy-in has to take place before a message comes through and is understood. That’s why training tends to lag behind the technology; it’s much easier to fall back on the “good old ways” when an instructor is trying at the same time to understand the new equipment. This is true of initial pilot training as well as that for advanced certificates and transitions to high-performance, complex and turbine aircraft.

Members of the Flying team have attended Migration over the years—and (full disclosure) I was managing the Cessna Pilot Center program and participated when it first launched 10 years ago. I returned in October 2019 to the event at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum’s “Boeing Blue Sky Aviation Gallery” to see how the conference had developed and if any change has taken place among those who participate.

The structure of the conference has evolved over the past decade to bring new ways of teaching to light. What began as a series of presentations involving the entire group—at first, a little more than a hundred folks—quickly developed into a format of keynote speakers and breakout sessions, punctuated by social events and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association 2019 Flight Training Awards. The variety and timing of forums allowed participants to choose the topic areas they wanted to explore. While a handful centered directly around new Redbird products—and those of other partners—others took a look at integrating flight simulation into training curricula and how to develop flight instructors. These themes continue in Migration’s current state—meaning we haven’t licked these core issues yet. In 2019, more than 300 registered for the event, showing steady growth and a desire to keep after the change.

Over the years, Redbird has tested the utility of introducing maneuvers, procedures and concepts in the sim—as has just about every other major simulation manufacturer in the general aviation industry. It remains a challenge to get this message across to flight school owners and students, and it’s particularly sticky to impart to instructors. Why is that?

Perhaps the standard flight training device in residence at an average flight school in the United States over the past two decades hasn’t been optimal for teaching procedures, giving negative transfer in some cases—where the vagaries of the device impede good learning. That’s changed, however, with current devices focused on the flight school market—whether from Frasca International Inc., Elite Simulation Solutions or Flight1 Software, to name a few—which replicate so closely the true flight environment.

What’s more persistent, however, is an instructor’s default bias to the airplane. The instructor might be building time toward a career move to the airlines, or perhaps he or she is a seasoned professional who feels more comfortable teaching in the airplane—because that’s the way it’s always been done.

It’s this bias that needs to change.

Forums for the Future

Jerry Gregoire, founder of Redbird, gives the rationale behind the event’s genesis and why it’s important to the company. “The Migration event, particularly the first one, was a reaction to the huge decline in investment the major aircraft manufacturers were making in flight training at the time,” he says. “Cessna, for example, gutted the [Cessna Pilot Center] program to the point where the annual/regional CPC meetings were no longer funded. The first Migration was our effort to keep the CPC meetings going.

“Over the next couple of years, Cessna [and then Textron Aviation] declined to participate in Migration, but by that time, Migration had established itself as the largest and, for the most part, only formal gathering of the flight training industry. In the process, it has become the most effective vehicle for flight school operators to influence the direction of regulation, aircraft, service and technology. The value to Redbird Flight Simulations has been immeasurable as a way to stay in close contact with the challenges and immediate needs of training providers…and the social and networking aspects are great fun for us.”

Those are just a handful of the reasons Redbird has opened Migration to nearly anyone in the flight training profession and makes it free to attend, though it began specifically tuned to flight schools—starting with those within the CPC program but quickly branching out—that sought to attain or maintain a certain standard of training. These star schools were viewed as the best places to begin to foment change.

Eric Crump, the aerospace program director at Polk State College in Lakeland, Florida, has been with Migration since the beginning. “I think of Redbird as being the classic case for disruption in the industry,” he says. “No one had seen a sim [made for general aviation] that moved at that price point.” When Redbird entered the industry, reflects Crump, its modus operandi was to continually ask the question, “Why are we doing it this way?” and come up with a better answer. “To me, that’s what Migration is too: the tip of the disruption iceberg.”

The unique part of the conference lies in its ability to bring folks together who normally wouldn’t share airspace except under duress. “You get people in the room who should not want to share with each other because they are competitors,” Crump says. Not only would competing flight schools join in but so would representatives from various developers of pilot training materials. When a program continues for 10 years, you begin to see real adoption of new ideas, which are now percolating through the industry.

In the 2019 conference, Crump led a presentation during the forums several times to a standing-room-only crowd. His topic? “How To Build a Better Instructor.” Through real-time polling, he marched through a series of disruptive ideas on how to guide instructors to be better—and do better. “I’m a big advocate for completely rethinking the role of the flight instructor. It has to be different now,” he says. “Initial pass rates at the regionals have plummeted and retraining costs have gone up. This is a passion project for me. I’m invested professionally and personally. If we don’t fix our flight instructor problem, we’ll be totally ill-equipped to address [urban air mobility] and the other issues confronting us.”

Building Engagement

So how do you get a hangar full of natural frenemies to open up about their hopes for the future? Engage them with the latest challenges—and give them a peek into new projects from innovative minds willing to take risks in order to save that future.

The Redbird Migration Challenge had its roots as another component of Migration during the very first year, in the midst of a crosswind-landing contest using one of the Redbird sims. A motley mob of instructors crowded around one of their fellow CFIs trying to land the crosswind sim, and they induced a “realistic level of distraction” by throwing pingpong balls at the poor soul—and having way too much fun doing it not to suspect a certain amount of deviant pathology in the group. Were those ball throws cathartic? Or just silly fun? Who knows—but the Challenge caught on as a way to drive engagement and interaction within the conference.

Migration Challenges over the years have included teams vying to create the best “Learn to Fly” video, as well as the Whizzie Marketing Challenge selling Big Red soda. In 2019, randomly selected teams were given the task of flight planning an epic journey from Earth to the moon—Earth, Texas, to Moon Township, Pennsylvania, that is—using no less than three aircraft and somehow covering the total mileage from planet Earth to the moon and in the same length of time as the Apollo 11 mission. Very few other parameters were granted to the teams, and as usual, the most creative answers won, even if they broke the rules.

Why do this? To get people to think differently and take the “rules” as guidelines rather than restrictions—when appropriate.

Takeaways for Educators—and Pilots

The most-telling results from the forums in 2019’s event came out of two questions that were posed in different ways over the course of the three days.

The first question, raised to the instructors in the forums, turns a common assumption on its ear: What happens if you charge less for flight instruction hours than you do for one-on-one ground instruction time?

On of the arguments given as the basis for the question: Most of the revenue in flight training is made in the aircraft-rental rate, percentagewise—if the school has its equipment priced correctly and managed well from a maintenance standpoint. When Crump presented this idea to one of the forums, he found a mixed response but enough consideration in the room to make it worth thinking through.

The second question: Should we be spending time in lengthy one-on-one ground lessons with an instructor at all?

Longtime CFI and designated pilot examiner Roger Sharp posed the question first during his keynote speech, to which he immediately answered for himself: a resounding no. His argument? Most instructors are not well-trained on delivering ground instruction and take far more time to cover the territory than a well-constructed ground-training course available digitally or in print from a variety of competent commercial providers. Of course, several of those same providers were in the audience at Migration and sagely nodded their heads in agreement, but he had a point—and one that hasn’t been discussed much. Why should instructors spend that time doing what they do least competently when a course may do it more thoroughly and efficiently?

Though no resolution was reached, the questions clearly prompted a lot of discussion. Maybe a few flight school owners in the audience (or reading these words) will try out the concepts and find if these are two assumptions—such as Redbird’s original quest to bring motion simulation to a lower price point—that can be dramatically changed.

This story appeared in the Jan/Feb 2020 issue of Flying Magazine

The post Can Flight Instruction Get Any Better? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

With the Coronavirus outbreak causing the drawing down of in-person flight training in some areas of the country this spring, you can look to providers like Sporty’s Pilot Shop, Redbird Flight Simulations, Aviation Supplies & Academics, King Schools, and others to help keep you focus on your aviation goals.

Sporty’s has launched its latest addition to its online training portal, the Commercial Pilot Test Prep course. For those who want to remain on track toward a professional pilot career, including becoming a flight instructor, the commercial certificate is a key milestone to push towards. According to Bret Koebbe, vice president of catalog sales for Sporty’s, “it’s the first of its kind to incorporate maneuvers training for chandelles, lazy eights, eights on pylons, etc.” Set up a study session based on a topic, or randomized to simulate an actual exam.

Redbird Flight Simulations suggests a round-up of its blog posts to help you outline your own program for proficiency or skill development using your home flight simulator—especially if you lose access to the one you use at your local flight school during a period of social distancing. Check out posts that start with setting up your own home flight simulator, then move on to staying instrument current, knocking off your three favorite instrument approaches, and brushing up on VFR emergencies. Redbird’s Josh Harnagel, vice president of marketing, reports that their team is also producing a weekly seminar to help pilots stay connected: Here’s the link for more information, including the class schedule.

Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA) hosts a series of knowledge test preparation materials, and right now offers significant opportunities for both students and flight schools to leverage those materials during this challenging time. “Effective immediately, and for a limited time, Prepware School (regularly $295.00) will be offered to qualifying schools for free and Prepware Online (regularly $39.95 for any student database) has been reduced to $19.95,” according to a company news release. “One hundred dollars has been taken off Online Ground School courses bringing the price of Private Pilot Online Ground School down to $79.95, and Instrument Pilot Online Ground School, down to $99.95.” Prices will be honored through May 31, 2020.

In other training news, King Schools has confirmed that it is 100-percent operational at this time, with customer service and technical support available. It’s offering a 21-percent discount (use the code SPRING20 at checkout on the KingSchools.com website) for its full gamut of online training for those pursuing just about any level of achievement, from student pilots to ATPs, and turbine training to remote-piloted aircraft. King Schools recently announced the recipient of its 2020 Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight Instructors, Anna Stanphill, with a value of $18,000.

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