Fixing Flight Training

Scott Spangler over at Jetwhine brings to our attention what needs to be done to retain students and to create more pilots.

That means we have to fix the word "poor".  And not just poor instructors and instructing.

Poor educational quality.
Poor customer focus.
Poor information sharing.

He recommends using the IEPm the Individual Education Plan.  It's used quite a bit in schools and can easily be used in Flight Instruction.  While the basic FAA requirements to earn a pilots license are the same, how we teach them needs to evolve in order to keep students encouraged to finish what they've started.

Basically it boils down to customer service.  And you, the student or rental pilot at Lost Dog Aviation, are our customer.  So it's our job to assist you on the way with Good educational quality.  Meaning, we are constantly researching and refreshing our knowledge base, keeping up with the changes in technology and in the industry.

Good customer focus.  Meaning, we are looking to help you get what you need from us whether it's the next lesson, starting from scratch, stepping up to the next level or just knocking some rust off to make you feel more comfortable in the air.

Good information sharing.  Meaning, not just overloading your inbox with emails or blasting you with the latest Tweets and Status updates.  But making sure you, as our customer, have the information that is beneficial to you.  Which means we have to know not just our "stuff" but also where you're coming from.

These are some of the goals of Lost Dog Aviation.  We hope you will see that we're not just another airplane rental and instruction business.  But that we honestly want to make you a better pilot!

Eric Lancaster

Planning That 1st Cross Country

I sat down with Catherine from Klamath Falls to review her plans for her first cross country flight.  She was very, very organized and detailed.  This is a good thing.  She knew practically everything she needed to know about a flight from Redding (KRDD) to Marysville (KMYV) to Orland (O37) back to Redding.  Her flight log was overwhelmed with information.  So we pared it down to two different pieces of information we needed for the trip...the "need to know" and the "nice to know".

The "need to know" is pretty basic:  what direction is my True Course?  What distance will I have traveled at the Top of Climb?  How far out from Marysville will I be before I need to start down?  Are there any good landmarks I can identify from the plane to calculate my Actual Time of Arrival and my fuel burned?  What are the winds aloft?  What is the weather forecast for Redding, Marysville and Orland?


The "nice to know" was just as basic:  What RCO's (Remote Communication Outlets) are available should I not be able to reach Flight Service on 122.4?  At what airport will IASCO's Chinese students be practicing their instrument approaches?  Where does my Flight Instructor get his coffee; Starbucks or Dutch Bros.?

We reviewed the performance charts for the Cessna 172.  We reviewed how to plot a wind correction angle (WCA) on the back side of the "whiz wheel" otherwise known as the E6-B.  We discussed the TFR at Beale Air Force Base and what frequency we could contact NorCal Approach should we require flight following.  And we discussed the biggest issue of all:

S. A.

Situational Awareness.

Where am I?
Where am I going?
What's going on with my airplane?
What's going on with me?
Where can/will I go should an emergency arise such as an engine failure?

We all need a good dose of Situational Awareness at all times, whether we're flying an airplane or driving home from the airport.

Catherine went home and reviewed what we had discussed.  When she comes back, I'm sure our cross country flight to Marysville and back via Orland will work out just fine.

Eric Lancaster
Lost Dog Aviation

Keeping New Students in the Air

(HT to Jetwhine.com for the info!)

AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller, Chairman of APCO Insight Mark Benson, and AOPA Director of Public Relations Jennifer Storm will discuss a new and critically important AOPA effort - the Flight Training Student Retention Initiative. 

This is a quote from this years AOPA Aviation Summit in Long Beach California.  If you can't attend you can always listen on AOPA Live to hear what the verdict is.

Eric

Follow Us On Twitter and Facebook!

You can now follow us on Twitter, and Facebook.  You can also e-mail us at eric@lostdogaviation.com.


Eric

Coming Soon!

A brand new website for Lost Dog Aviation!!

Check out Lostdogaviation.com!

Eric

Available Aircraft

It's been a while since my last post but things have started to change. First of all, I have been in touch with Sue Kerr at Jim and I Aviators at the Redding Municipal Airport in Redding, Ca. and they have agreed to let me use their C-172's for training. The price is right! $99/hour for the aircraft! My rates would be:

$40/hour for Private Pilot rating, BFR's and Rust Removal.
$50/hour for Instrument/Commercial Ratings and ICC's.
$60/hour for Multi-Engine/Tailwheel training.

Also, we are putting together a radio talkshow about aviation. The Flight Line would be broadcast on KCRN 1460 AM in Redding, Ca. and streamed live at KCNR1460.com We should have more on that within the month. You can take a survey at SurveyMonkey.com and join the fun!

I'll have more info in August.

Thanks again!

Eric Lancaster
Lost Dog Aviation
Flight Line Media