The best way to attract students
 

What is the best way to attract students to a flying school?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Modern, well maintained and reliable aircraft :)

Nekid spunky instructors out the front with advertised free flying should do it.......wouldnt think that there would be much money in it but Im sure you will attract Maaaaany students.:D :D

Just look the prospective student in the eye... and lie! It's been working well for at least 30 years that I know of! :eek: Why try to reinvent the wheel...? :(

Wizard I hope you're intention was for naked FEMALE instructors. The other varient is too horrible to contemplate!

Downed too many many reds just now to give you a reasonable reply will get back a bit later :D

UUUM, yes that was my intention....I agree, to horrible to contemplate the other.
probably only attract blokes with the very odd smattering of lady students.:D

Gold bars for the instructors -minimum of three for even the newest grade 3 and five gold bars and a star for the CFI. This really pulls in the young students who see the gold bars like teenagers see Ronaldo's jazzy front hair buzz.

Promise each student two gold bars when he completes his/her first solo. Better still give the TIF student a fancy looking voucher for a set of gold bars at the local pilot shop. Add the cost to the TIF of course - students will never twig. Keeps the pilot shop in business, too. Works every time.:D

Utter the phrase "there is a shortage of pilots" 50 times a day untill you believe it yourself then maybe you can say it to your prospective customers and keep a straight face.

Seriously: modern, clean well equipped aircraft, some regular work other than instructing ie a bank or paper run as a carrot to attract prospective commercial and mecir students, and advertise on TV or radio it works the same for any business.

Only two ways to attract new business:

- marketing, and

- innovation

Keeping the new business is another matter.

maybe this will help...
 

Tell them;
1. theres a world wide pilot shortage(that caught me and many like me)
2. Its the only way to spend nights away with the beutiful girls that served you on the airline, without becoming a cabin atendent yourself.
3.Show them a copy of an airline captains payslip
4. Dont tell them about west to east flights.
5. dont tell them about the "finger tip test every six months"
6 dont tell them about the renewals they would have to do and fork out for yearly.


that might do the trick

good luck

ye olde contraxdog

As a student pilot, what matters most to me are the instructor, the establishment, and the value the school places on me being a student of theirs.

Instructors need to be, or at least appear to be, genuinely interested in teaching (even if they are just waiting for the call from Q!!). Just dont let on guys if you are one of these!!! When you belittle your position as an instructor, just think what that does for a students confidence in or respect for you!

Instructors need to praise when appropriate, encourage as much as possible, discipline in a disciplined fashion, and yell only as a last resort.

Instructors need to be scrupulously disciplined pilots - no short cuts or acts of bravado, even tiny ones, ever!!

The establishment needs to be professionally managed and run, or be connected with, a highly credible workshop (ie good planes). This also means that they CLEARLY value their instructors and remunerate them accordingly.

And finally, students are a schools best selling agent. Look after students and value their potential as ambassadors (or as lambasters - your choice). You will secure student loyalty by running a highly credible organisation, but you might even find additional 'offerings' to further secure loyalty, eg prizes, awards, etc.

Yell at your student?
 

Yelling at your students is a sure way to get them to change schools. Remember who is the customer....

I think you might scratch that one PA28Capt.

I find that the trick is with the instructors as well.

You may be running some old bombed out Cessna 152, but the key idea is how the student is taught to fly that 152 and the attitude of the instructor to the student.



:cool:

I'm looking forward to receiving my gold bars Centaurus.

Contraxdog, I believe every word of your post to be true, although your spelling mistakes did raise some doubts in my mind. (By the way, what is the "finger tip test"?)

Seriously, can anybody recommend some flying schools around the Melbourne area? I'm keen to learn how to fly but not expecting to make a career out of it.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Fingertip test and other Q's
 

Uncle Festa,

The spelling mistakes are due to the fact that I commit typing with two very thick fingers on an Yank Built nerd size keybord.

THE TEST is the doctors assesment of the size of your prostrate gland!

Good luck mate!

What side of town are you on Uncle Festa?

I know of a few good schools at YMEN and YMMB.

Choice is yours, always remember that!

Contraxdog

My heartfelt commisserations - must be a terrible thing being PROSTRATE when you want something at 90 degrees to this (which I imagine you would - even frequently perhaps - being a normal male which I assume you are)!!!!! :D

Or maybe its just those heavy fingers and keyboard getting in on the act with an extra 'r'. ;)

CYA

I still reckon nekid instructors would do it (preferably lady ones.....but thats my own personal choice).....my Instructor was a spunky twenty three year old who Knew how to teach and fly....I didnt ever think of going anywhere else to learn becouse of it......now IF she had of been nekid, I would have paid whatever the asking price was.....even if it sent me broke. :D

Contraxdog, thanks for info on "the test".

hmm. . . I live in South Melbourne so school location is not too much of an issue. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Uncle Festa Moorabbin (YMMB) would be closest to you but I wouldn't rule out Essendon (YMEN).

It really depends on what you want to achieve. Do you want to go commercial or just private?

I personally did all my training at YMEN and loved being in controlled airspace and hated having to fly into a GAAP aerodrome (YMMB). However I have heard the same from friends that have trained over at General Flying Services at YMMB. They hate controlled airspace!

Your choice, remember you pay them!

Uncle Festa, really have a good look around before committing to any school, and give the smaller ones a go as well.

I personally did my training at quite a large "sausage factory" school and found that behind the facade of slick PR, the gold bars and flashy office with big posters of 747s, etc, I was just a number.

And unless you want to get into instructing down the track, I would avoid the schools that do the mass instructor courses as well, or you'll end up with quite inexperienced guys/gals teaching you.

A while ago I had a sniff around Moorabbin vaguely thinking of doing a PPL(A). Didn't let any of the schools know I am ATPL(H) and used to be an instructor. Responses:

* 3 schools took my details and promised to send me info, but never did.

* 2 schools both the instructors I spoke to were noticeably young and spoke to me with that subtle kind of "I've got 500 hours and I know it all" arrogance - probably without even knowing it!

* 2 schools, although busy (and I know as an instructor it can be hard to have time for student enquiries) still had some time for my questions and treated me with professionalism and respect and gave me sufficient but concise printed information to take away with me.

No prizes to guess which schools I would choose eh!

I ended up doing a TIF with one of them and found the instructor to be excellent - patient, relaxed and easy going, professional with good CRM and with enough experience to not have to show me or tell me he had enough experience.

My tips to attract students:

* Never judge a book by its cover
* Never bag the opposition, sell your strengths instead
* Have experienced instructors that are patient and personable
* Spend some time to chat with the person making the enquiry, they've taken the trouble to come down there!

Obviously in addition to clean well maintained aircraft, clean office, hangar and well presented staff, good coffee etc etc!

Make sure you have a knowledgeable person manning the phone or booking sheet. Does not necessarily have to be an instructor but must know the nuts and bolts of how to go about getting started with your flying,How much it costs,applications and medicals and the like without scaring them off. Have found this to be a good interface for enquiries without being intimidating. Oh yeh AND GOOD COFFEE

Flying school with good coffee:eek: :eek:
There's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one:D

Thank you all for your input - it is much appreciated.

Flying schools and coffee may well be oxymoronic but as somebody who has travelled frequently on our major carriers in recent times, airlines and coffee strike me as the definintion of "oxymoron". :)

Sounds fantastic for prospective students but how does a jnr instructor become experienced if people only want to fly with experienced instructors?:eek:

I have seen jnr instructors wanting to help customers out more then experienced grade 1's. Just because they might not have much "flying" experience they are still of great benefit to the aviation community.

Instructors are all different.

Experience should not be the only bench mark!

Uncle Festa. Suggest you have a look at Crest Flying School at Essendon. Very friendly quiet little flying school and the CFI or his good wife makes you a cup of coffee personally as soon as you walk through the door. Nice touch. Several experienced instructors.

The best way to attract students
 

Uncle Festa, see my input under " Which school?" Computer skills aren't very high on my list of can dos - I did mean to post that reply under this topic. Always on the lookout for staff members with excellent IT skills!

Centaurus couldn't agree more!

The Crest flying school is the nicest at YMEN and one of the cheapest too! :eek:

Quality comes along way before price which is a very welcome change in the aviation environment.

Small school but very professional.

Nothing to lose but so much to gain!