Despite 2003 War And Economy

The industry-backed BE A PILOT program to bring new people into aviation generated 34,056 pilot prospects in 2003, up 1.3% by year-end despite lagging 25% during the Iraq War last spring. Results were up 4.3% over 2001.

"Since 1997, over 200,000 have registered for the BE A PILOT Introductory Flight Certificate. Surveys show at least 40,000 took their introductory flying lesson and about two-thirds of those came back for more," said BE A PILOT President/CEO Drew Steketee.

Over 22,600 consumers responded to BE A PILOT's 2003 TV advertising on Discovery, Discovery Wings, Tech TV, CNBC and ESPN cable channels. Spending on the traditional  20-week campaign was 5% less than 2002, cutting response by 8% but limiting an expected 10% unit cost increase to just 3% .

The traditional April-September TV campaign was supplemented last year with new "per-inquiry" TV advertising in the fall and special December holiday advertising concurrent with the 100th anniversary of powered flight. BE A PILOT's educational Web site continued to assume a greater role in generating new pilot prospects. Some 882,960 users visited the Web site last year, up 11% over 2002.

Some 638 media outlets have published or broadcast a BE A PILOT story since April, 2001. The 2003 coverage reached a circulation / audience of 37 million for an estimated
175 million total consumer impressions.

Coverage since 2001, generated by new BE A PILOT media agency Barton Gilanelli and Associates, has created an estimated 493 million consumer impressions above and beyond the program's 70 million TV advertising impressions each year.

Last year, BE A PILOT expanded its most popular seasonal media promotion - "Give the Gift of Flight for the Holidays" - with TV advertising during the December 17 Wright Brothers 100th Anniversary. Added to "Christmas Stocking Stuffer" media stories and gift guides were 12 special holiday-theme "Give the Gift of Flight" commercials on The History Channel. As a result, December pilot prospects were up 72% to 3,567. The 82,542 December visitors to www.beapilot.com bested 2002's December total by 59%.

The success of December's expanded promotion will increase future BE A PILOT emphasis on gift-giving as a method for getting the Introductory Flight Certificate into the hands of interested pilot prospects.

Despite tight budgets in the aviation community, BE A PILOT raised some $1.1 million to fund the program in 2003. Ten new sponsors joined the program last year. They included Lancair, COMM1 Radio Simulator, Diamond Aircraft,  Discovery Wings Channel, DTC DUATS, L-3 Communications, Rolls Royce North America, Safe Flight Instrument Corporation,  Sullivan Higdon & Sink Advertising and Tiger Aircraft.

 
Cirrus Design doubled its annual support for the program and retroactively doubled its 2002 contribution to $50,000.  Honeywell continued its $150,000 funding despite 2003's difficult market conditions. BE A PILOT will ask more companies and organizations to help fund the success of the program in 2004 and beyond.

FMI:  www.beapilot.com