Originally Posted by
Aussie Bob
Stewth
I run a flying school, have done on and off for years, decades even. How about we charge VDO. It starts when the oil hits the switch and ends when the engine stops. For that you get me sitting next to you, a heap of free time briefing and debriefing and the use of my facilities, can't come much simpler than that.
Plus I charge flight test fees and flight review fees. Simple really, nothing hidden. Feel free to bring your own aircraft even.
Aussie Bob, I understand the simplicity, seen from your angle. As a student a little so. The flight instruction revenue with the highest financial margin is the lapse of time between engine startup and aircraft take-off. Yet during that time, the student doesn't learn much and the instructor doesn't teach much either. Additionally this time can be highly variable at busy airports, eg. 1.0 dual lesson on circuits with 0.3-0.4 spent on ground.
All I'm saying is: I would find it more rational to charge for effective instructor time separately from aircraft time.