The Challenges of Flight Training

Learning to fly an airplane is challenging, time consuming, and expensive. Before we can make it better, we have to understand the most pressing challenges. In every flight training story, there are four main characters: The Student, the Instructor(s), the Flight School and the Curriculum Developer.

At Climb, we’ve embarked on a listening tour of flight schools. So far, these are the questions we’ve heard repeatedly and how Climb’s Training Management System (Climb TMS) can help.

Flight Students:

• How can I learn as cost effectively as possible?: The entire industry is focused on providing training to students and that training is expensive, both in terms of money and time. So we need to ensure that training is as effective as possible. By integrating flight training, simulator training, instructor led discussions and self-paced ground school, Climb TMS can help your students get the best possible results in the minimum amount of time. And, by breaking a lot of it up in to small, self-paced segments, your students can fit flight school into their busy lives.
• Does my curriculum work for me?: Some students are full time, while others are occasional. Different students learn different ways. By providing a dynamic learning environment, Climb TMS can adapt to different schedules and different learning styles in a way meets your student’s needs.
• What should I do next?: The number one questions students ask their instructors is, “What should I be doing next?” Through our innovative approach to prerequisites and flight planning, your students will always know what “homework” they should be doing so they’re up to speed for the next flight.
• What if my instructor leaves?: There are few career flight instructors. Most will move on in a year or two (depending on the economy). When an instructor leaves, students often fall out of the system. In Climb TMS, our detailed record keeping ensures that a new instructor will know exactly where the student is and can immediately continue right where the previous instructor left off.

Flight Instructors:

• How do I maximize flight time?: It’s no secret that most flight instructors are chasing the hiring minimums for their next job, and that’s measured in flight time. Using Climb TMS means that when the weather is flyable, the student is always ready to go.
• How do I maximize my pay check?: When it’s not flyable, you don’t want to cancel lessons. Rather, you want to ensure that there is meaningful ground school to be delivered. Climb TMS ensures that instructors always know (even in a team environment) what needs to be covered in ground school, and which subjects will open the most learning pathways.
• What should I do next?: Managing many students can be challenging and inheriting new ones is just hard. Climb TMS is able to keep track of what students have done and recommend what they should be doing. This includes both new material and reviews of past materials. But, the final decision on what to do always belongs to the instructor.

Flight Schools:

• How do I ensure that I’m compliant?: The FAA and TSA are very focused on ensuring that your records are correct. Climb TMS keeps track of everything you need to ensure that you are protected and that your students are ready to pass their flight tests.
• How do I use my assets more efficiently?: Airplanes, simulators and instructors are expensive. You can’t afford to have them sitting around. Through our unique and flexible curriculums, Climb TMS can keep the student on track and learning while keeping the airplanes in the air.
• How do I maximize profit?: Flight schools are a business. By finding ways to increase operating margins, we can increase profit while providing a good deal to the students. Climb TMS does this by combining the Training Management System with the Curriculum, Test Prep, and Ground School and by delivering them in a way that does not require that you carry inventory.
• How much does this cost?: When a student signs up for a course, a part of the course subscription fee goes to Climb. There is no investment required for you to use Climb TMS.
• How do I educate my instructors?: As with any other system, using Climb TMS takes skill. At Climb, we offer training to help your instructors come up to speed on how to best use the system to train new pilots.
• How do I get my instructors to use Climb TMS?: Within Climb TMS, you are able to see the activities of your instructors. This helps you provide them the coaching they need to teach effectively and use the Climb TMS system the right way.

Curriculum Developers:

• How do I find flight schools?: Developing the best curriculum doesn’t mean flight schools will find you. Climb TMS provides you the marketplace to find and qualify flight schools, and then sell your program through them.
• How do I develop impactful courseware?: At Climb, we’re proud to offer free coaching to course developers. Our weekly coaching sessions will help you take full advantage of the Climb TMS system while ensuring that your ideas reach the student.
• How can I afford this?: At Climb, we recognize that your money is best spent developing outstanding content. As the hosting platform, we only take a small percentage of the per-student fee.