Strength in Numbers
Flight training organisations (FTOs) typically serve two masters: the airline industry and general aviation. Already battered by COVID and suffocating layers of regulation and associated costs, with even more regulatory changes to come, the industry is facing a new crisis set to compound its woes, in turn negatively impacting other sectors of the aviation industry.
They face the existential threat of disappearing instructors, sucked up into the vacuum of a world-wide shortage of pilots driven by the pent-up needs of travel consumers. Some FTOs are seeing the writing on the wall and are calling for a more united voice in preparation and, at the same time, fix some pre-existing worries. Already suffering pre-pandemic, it is past time, according to several key industry players, that flight training organisations were recognised as a foundational pillar of the industry and supported accordingly by those who populate the ecosystem.
It would be foolish to argue that quality flight training is not essential to the industry for resourcing and safety. The alternative is not enough trained pilots and inexperienced pilots; most certainly not what aviation needs. Some argue the problem is not that flight training needs a voice so much, the problem is general aviation needs a voice. A monumental undertaking. But rather than try and fix all the ills of the industry at once, some in the flight training industry are saying you
