Do you want to become the best pilot possible? There are many things that make a flight school worth working with, from costs to safety to aircraft quality and so on. But one of the most overlooked components of a worthy flight school is something you may not have thought of – the sense of community the organization has built.
A strong sense of community could mean the difference between your success and failure at passing flight checks and becoming a certified pilot. With that said, let’s take a look at why you should choose a flight school that promotes community over competition.
Better Flight School Success
There’s no doubt that humans are social beings and a sense of belonging is deeply rooted in our level of happiness. And it’s been shown that happiness leads to success, since happy people seek out and undertake new goals that reinforce those positive emotions. A flight school that builds their lesson plans around reinforcing this idea of community – whether through events, social engagements, friendly challenges and just general demeanor of instructors and staff – is going to provide you with a better chance at passing the required checks.
Bigger Network = More Connections
The more your flight school encourages you to engage with other students, the more your connections within the industry will grow. With this, you receive a bigger group of people to pull opportunities from, whether you’re searching for hot tips on fly-in events or job prospects with major airlines. From the classroom to the hangar to chatting on the transponder, there are always opportunities to take a collaborative approach versus a competitive one.
More Career Opportunities
Since a strong community eventually leads to a greater reputation in the industry, the caliber of your flight school will dictate their reach in the industry. Flight schools with a strong standing in the industry will have contacts ranging from professional colleagues to past graduates to industry friends and even close family. Many times, your chance of landing a job as a pilot hinges on who you know.
Event & Membership Opportunities
Not all flight schools are created equal. Top-tier organizations will offer more than instruction when attracting clients, going above and beyond with outside benefits like event access and flying club memberships. Events can include professional networking events, friendly get togethers and annual fly-ins, while flying club memberships give you access to an entire fleet of high-quality planes and face time with fellow pilots.
Responsive, Encouraging Instructors
Almost everyone knows what it’s like to have a teacher who seems uninterested in ensuring the success of their students. Imagine that happening as you’re learning to fly a plane. At a community-driven flight school, you’ll find instructors who are extremely passionate about what they do. And, unlike a high school or university teachers, are paid to ensure their students succeed, rather than treat them as just another number. This means above-and-beyond instruction and personalized lesson plans that are responsive to your learning style.
Student-Led Improvements
Private flight schools are always investing in themselves to make improvements to their educational plans, classroom technology, aircraft fleet and other components of a high-functioning institution. A community-driven school may look to students for direct input on how they can make improvements to the learning process. This gives you a direct hand in your and fellow students’ educational path. Alternative training routes, such as at a university for example, may make improvements that are heavily influenced by third-party donors and private trusts, leaving students without a voice in the process.
Choose the right community-driven flight school – choose Inflight.
There are many considerations that go into choosing the right flight school for your needs. But, among the most important is their commitment to building a sense of community among its staff and students. Since this leads to a higher level of student success, more effective lesson plans and better engagement among peers, there’s no doubt that this is one of the most important aspects to consider before choosing a flight school. If you’re searching for a flight school that takes a community-driven approach, then turn to Inflight Pilot Training. With new facilities planned for 2023 and beyond, we’ve crafted our flight training programs around the needs of our students.
Whether you want to pursue it as a hobby or a career, we’ve helped countless students take the control wheel and soar to their favorite destinations. Together, we develop personalized plans designed around your goals. With a high-quality fleet of airplanes, experienced crew, and diverse training programs, you’ll soar to new heights under our leadership. Let our team of certified flight instructors elevate your learning experience as you take to the skies. If you’re interested in learning more about Inflight programs, contact us today or call (952) 698-3000.