How's Business in Flight Training?

[Greg Esres]

Curious to know how busy flight schools are now that summer has
arrived. Ours sucks, but I'm not sure if it's the economy or our
extraordinarily high prices (C152, $85/hr). Normally this time of
year, the schedule is booked until 8 or 9 pm.

[C J Campbell]

"Greg Esres" > wrote in message
...
> Curious to know how busy flight schools are now that summer has
> arrived. Ours sucks, but I'm not sure if it's the economy or our
> extraordinarily high prices (C152, $85/hr). Normally this time of
> year, the schedule is booked until 8 or 9 pm.

We are booked up beyond belief. All of our instructors have students who are
complaining that they cannot get on the schedule because the instructors are
so busy. Most of us have had to refer potential students to other flight
schools.

The same is true of charters. We simply have no pilots.

The airlines are hiring again and we have lost three instructors so far this
year.

The boss hired some new instructors and they were completely booked within a
week of hire.

[Peter R.]

Greg Esres ) wrote:

> Curious to know how busy flight schools are now that summer has
> arrived. Ours sucks, but I'm not sure if it's the economy or our
> extraordinarily high prices (C152, $85/hr). Normally this time of
> year, the schedule is booked until 8 or 9 pm.

The flight school located at the Syracuse, NY, airport is seeing its best
year in the last three years. The late model C172S's are renting for
$95/hr and each of the four aircraft are now being rented about 8 to 10
hours per day.

--
Peter












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[Greg Esres]

<<We are booked up beyond belief ..The boss hired some new instructors
and they were completely booked within a week of hire.>>

Geez, that's what I was afraid of. No, no, I'm happy the business is
picking up, but it means that it's US that sucks. <sigh>

[Greg Esres]

<<The flight school located at the Syracuse, NY, airport is seeing its
best year in the last three years. The late model C172S's are
renting for $95/hr and each of the four aircraft are now being rented
about 8 to 10 hours per day.>>

Good lord, and that's New York. Our C172S's are $135/hr, and that's
in Mississippi.

[Peter R.]

Greg Esres ) wrote:

> Good lord, and that's New York. Our C172S's are $135/hr, and that's
> in Mississippi.

The flight school manager insists there is a price point at $100 per hour
will not go above that. In the meantime, fuel, insurance, and unethical
maintenance billing all result in record high operating expenses.

--
Peter












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[David Megginson]

Greg Esres wrote:

> <<The flight school located at the Syracuse, NY, airport is seeing its
> best year in the last three years. The late model C172S's are
> renting for $95/hr and each of the four aircraft are now being rented
> about 8 to 10 hours per day.>>

> Good lord, and that's New York. Our C172S's are $135/hr, and that's
> in Mississippi.

That's *upstate* New York -- they wanted to shoot Deliverance there back in
the 1970's, but the cast and crew were too scared.

(Sorry, just joking -- I grew up across the border in Kingston, Ontario.
Besides, I have to fly my family to Syracuse in August for a highland
dancing competition.)



All the best,


David

[Peter R.]

David Megginson wrote:

> That's *upstate* New York -- they wanted to shoot Deliverance there back in
> the 1970's, but the cast and crew were too scared.
>
> (Sorry, just joking -- I grew up across the border in Kingston, Ontario.
> Besides, I have to fly my family to Syracuse in August for a highland
> dancing competition.)

Hey, you had better watch yourself. I know what airways you fly! ;-)

--
Peter







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[G.R. Patterson III]

Greg Esres wrote:
>
> Ours sucks, but I'm not sure if it's the economy or our
> extraordinarily high prices (C152, $85/hr).

That seems a tad high to me. Check out the prices at Central Jersey here
http://www.centraljerseyairport.com/aircraft.html
A 152 is $63.00.

George Patterson
None of us is as dumb as all of us.

[G.R. Patterson III]

"Peter R." wrote:
>
> Hey, you had better watch yourself. I know what airways you fly! ;-)

You play the banjo? :-)

George Patterson
None of us is as dumb as all of us.

[RevDMV]

Greg Esres > wrote in message >...
> <<The flight school located at the Syracuse, NY, airport is seeing its
> best year in the last three years. The late model C172S's are
> renting for $95/hr and each of the four aircraft are now being rented
> about 8 to 10 hours per day.>>
>
> Good lord, and that's New York. Our C172S's are $135/hr, and that's
> in Mississippi.

Yikes that as bad as the West Valley Flying Club here in the Bay Area.
I don't think there is an equivalently moneyed area in Mississippi
that could support those rates.

[David Megginson]

Peter R. wrote:

>>(Sorry, just joking -- I grew up across the border in Kingston, Ontario.
>>Besides, I have to fly my family to Syracuse in August for a highland
>>dancing competition.)
>
> Hey, you had better watch yourself. I know what airways you fly! ;-)

Yes, my U.S. trips sometimes take me on the SYR-ART leg, just skirting the
west side of the big Fort Drum MOA on my way home to Ottawa -- Syracuse
looks like a pretty city from 8,000 ft up, anyway.


All the best,


David

[Ben Haas]

Greg Esres > wrote in message >...
> <<The flight school located at the Syracuse, NY, airport is seeing its
> best year in the last three years. The late model C172S's are
> renting for $95/hr and each of the four aircraft are now being rented
> about 8 to 10 hours per day.>>
>
> Good lord, and that's New York. Our C172S's are $135/hr, and that's
> in Mississippi.

That has to include an instructor Too ????

[Greg Esres]

<<I don't think there is an equivalently moneyed area in Mississippi
that could support those rates.>>

Most of the business comes from Memphis, which is just a few miles to
the North. Fedex pays for some of the flight training of its
employees, so we get a lot of that business.

But: I do think our prices are killing off the business.

[Greg Esres]

<<That has to include an instructor Too ????>>

Nope.

[Greg Esres]

<<That seems a tad high to me. Check out the prices at Central Jersey
here http://www.centraljerseyairport.com/aircraft.html
A 152 is $63.00.>>

I've been gathering prices from the internet. C152's range from $50 -
$65, normally. A C172N should rent in the $75 range, like yours does.
An Arrow, $95 to 100.

Thanks for the link.

[Cub Driver]

>Curious to know how busy flight schools are now that summer has
>arrived. Ours sucks, but I'm not sure if it's the economy or our
>extraordinarily high prices (C152, $85/hr). Normally this time of
>year, the schedule is booked until 8 or 9 pm.
>

Locally it's not business that's the problem, but the weather. The
airport just put a "new" L-4 online, so it's back to two Cubs (and two
Cessnas) the way it was in 1999.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com

[Edward Todd]

In article >,
Greg Esres > wrote:

> ...Our C172S's are $135/hr, and that's
> in Mississippi.
>
>
>

$95 an hour across the line here in Tuscaloosa.