Planning To License The Program Based On Interest From Flight Schools

After receiving a lot of positive feedback on its Pilot QuickStart flight training program at the 2016 Redbird Migration conference, Alpha Pilot Academy / Air Associates has decided that it will license the program to flight schools.

The first step is to create a new Pilot QuickStart web site, which the company says is currently under development.

The company had tried to increase the number of new students in its program through various traditional methods, but found them to be not particularly effective. The Pilot QuickStart program is a flight training program that is experiential, one where students would walk away with a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. The program is also "goal oriented" and "self contained". It consists five 90-minute sessions – four are in the simulator, then a “graduation flight” in the plane. The student is provided with everything they will need to complete the program; self-study materials – reading materials, videos, online training, and other learning aids. Each session is very structured and the self-study content is stripped down to just the information necessary for the program and nothing more.

This is “Flight Training 101.” Each session has a completion goal. And the students know at the outset that on their graduation flight they will be able to: start the plane, taxi, take off, fly to a nearby airport, line up for final, and perform an instructor-assisted landing.

Flight schools with the appropriate flight simulators can license a turn-key version of the Pilot QuickStart program for use in their curriculum. Participating flight schools will receive a link to the Pilot QuickStart (PQS) web site. They incorporate this link on their existing web site. The link will route potential customers to the PQS site, but the customer will not know they are leaving the flight school’s domain.

The Pilot QuickStart web site consists of three main sections:

• About the Program: where prospective students learn about the Pilot QuickStart program
• Buy Now: to purchase online
• Training Center: to access the self-study training material

The flight school will pay a one-time set-up fee of $1900 and a transaction fee of ($49 - $54) for each student purchase.

The one-time set-up fee will cover:

• Training the flight school’s CFI(s) at the Alpha Pilot Academy in St Louis MO.
• The training content for the Instructors includes an Instructor’s Syllabus, Instructor’s Training Manual and graphics for use in the ground school sessions.
• Marketing Collateral that the flight school can customize. This includes brochures, posters, and material for print and electronic distribution.
• Configuring the Pilot QuickStart web site for use by the flight school; providing a fully-automated transaction for the student and the flight school.

The licensing flight school will receive a link to the Pilot QuickStart site that they will incorporate into their flight school’s web site. (example: http:/ /alphapilotacademy.com/quickstart.html)

Perspective customers will be routed to the Pilot QuickStart site via the flight school’s web site.

When the customer purchases the Pilot QuickStart product, the purchase price, minus the transaction fee, will be transferred to the flight school’s bank account. The flight school will receive an eMail confirming the customer’s purchase; it will include the customer’s contact information: name, phone, eMail.

The customer will automatically receive a confirmation eMail with instructions on how to access the online training material and instructions to contact the flight school when they are ready to begin scheduling their training sessions.

The financial transaction is fully automated. The licensing flight school can set their own prices for Pilot QuickStart products. Pricing, for single and dual sessions (MSRP Single: $649, Dual: $799). Air Associates will subtract a transaction fee from each customer purchase before transferring the balance to the flight school’s bank account. (Transaction fees: Single: $49, Dual: $54). Air Associates will pay for the credit card processing fee. The flight school is responsible for any state sales taxes that may apply.

(Source: Alpha Pilot Academy / Air Associates. Image from file)

FMI: www.alphapilotacademy.com