Says Training Market Is More Than Ready For LSA

by ANN Correspondent Chris Esposito

Al and Tim Adelman, father and son owners of Chesapeake Sport Pilot, decided to give up careers as attorneys to work in a field fueled by their passion for aviation. Their Stevensville, MD flight school opened its doors in February of 2007 with one light sport aircraft. Al and Tim shared their experiences in building the flight school this week at AirVenture.

Tim Adelman first flew at the age of 16, and while completing his college degree and MBA, he offered his CFI services on the side. He realized the potential for an LSA flight school while working on a program for the Department of Justice which uses LSA aircraft for law enforcement. The Sky Arrow was the first aircraft Tim and his father purchased, and its tandem seating and great visibility generated a lot of interest at the local field.
 
Performing a market analysis was an important part of Chesapeake Sport Pilot's startup, and Tim says he went to many airports to simply talk to pilots and potential students about their interest in the sport aircraft segment. The Adelmans also studied the aircraft and products available in the LSA marketplace, and spent a lot of time working on a financial structure that would make the school viable. When the flight school opened, Chesapeake Sport Pilot actually had ten students lined up without paying a dollar for advertising.

As attorneys and experienced businessmen, the Adelmans saw the school's business plan as the most important foundation to build from. "It's hard to insure new LSA schools." Tim says. Having a detailed business plan allowed them to legitimize their operation to the insurance company as well as sell their operation to the airport. Despite having two fixed wing schools already on the premises, Chesapeake Sport Pilot's mission filled a niche that would differentiate them from the other schools.

Tim and Al Adelman decided to become a Part 61 school, because as Tim says the process to form a 141 school "is fairly cumbersome." Chesapeake Sport Pilot chose not to go the lease-back route for their aircraft, as LSA aircraft owners are tough to find. Becoming appointed as an aircraft dealer for LSA manufacturers was another rocky process, as the Adelmans found that some European manufacturers expected the flight school to share some of the aircraft warranty expenses. After much thought and research, the company decided to start with a Sky Arrow, mostly because of Tim's experience with the aircraft.

The next task for the flight school was to find instructors, and the two owners decided to choose very experienced CFIs who had been flying for years. The benefits were two-fold; the CFI's had more experience and patience than the lower-time LSA instructors, and the older pilots could easily identify with the student population, of which 70% are over the age of 50.

One concern for the two owners was what they perceived to be a lack of suitable ground training programs. The Adelmans began to stock many training books and tools, and found that demand for light-sport specific training products was high. The ground school books, combined with the knowledge of the experienced flight instructor staff, provided for a comprehensive program.

Today, as when the school first opened, Chesapeake Sport Pilot's rates are lower than the other flight schools in the area because the factory-new aircraft chosen require little maintenance. New aircraft were picked because the school could not be certain what they would get with a used airplane. "We know they're solid coming into it." Al Adelman says of the brand-new planes. The school is able to charge $80 an hour for the Sky Arrow, and $95 an hour for Chesapeake's recently acquired Sport Cruiser and Tecnam Echo Super. Prospective students can choose a demo flight for $99 that will give them a taste of flight in a light sport aircraft.

In part two of this feature, we will delve into the flight school's experience with estimating finances, hiring CFIs, the aircraft selection process... and the trials and successes of Chesapeake Sport Pilot.

FMI: www.chesapeakesportpilot.com