flight school annual report

Finally, a place for sport pilot instructors and/or wannabees to talk about instructing.

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drseti
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Re: flight school annual report

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Helen wrote:About how many mx hours are you seeing per flight hour required? And what age is the airframe you are basing that on?
Here's a worst-case answer, Helen, involving a 5 year old aircraft that I purchased at a very favorable price, knowing it was coming due for some very time-consuming maintenance (including a Rotax 5 year rubber replacement, new brakes, tires, landing gear work, etc.) In a five month period, that plane flew a mere 89.2 hours, during which it underwent considerable downtime totaling 107.5 person-hours of maintenance. That plane brought in $10,204 in revenue, but consumed $9,138 in expenses. Believe me, that's no way to make a living!

Generally, I expect to put in 15 to 20 hours of work per 100 hours flown. But then, as mechanics go, I'm slow!
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
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SportPilot
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Re: flight school annual report

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Last edited by SportPilot on Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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MrMorden
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by MrMorden »

I generally assume I'm going to have an hour of maintenance for every 10 hours of flying. Sometimes I have gone 40+ hours with no squawks, but there have been other times where I have not been able to get 5 hours in between some small maintenance items required.
Andy Walker
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2007 Flight Design CTSW E-LSA
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drseti
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by drseti »

For those who are interested, AvSport's 2017 Annual Report is available online at:
http://avsport.org/reports/report2017.pdf

Safe Skies,
Paul
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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TimTaylor
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by TimTaylor »

Paul, I'm curious why you publish financials. Also, I don't see any salaries or wages in expenses. Are you doing this for free?
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comperini
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by comperini »

TimTaylor wrote:Paul, I'm curious why you publish financials. Also, I don't see any salaries or wages in expenses. Are you doing this for free?
Advertising.
- Bob
Commercial pilot, CFI, DPE, Light Sport Repairman/Maintenance
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Re: flight school annual report

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TimTaylor wrote:Paul, I'm curious why you publish financials.
Mainly to let my customers and prospective customers see that I'm stable and solvent (and also to show that my prices are fair, and that I'm not greedy).
Also, I don't see any salaries or wages in expenses. Are you doing this for free?
Sort of. I am Chief Flight Instructor, Director of Maintenance, Janitor, and the guy who makes the coffee. In other words, the sole employee. I don't draw a salary, but accrue equity and tax benefits. Since I can live comfortably on my pension, Social Security, and investment income, I can afford to run a flight school! (If I had to support myself doing this, I'd have gone out of business by now.)
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by TimTaylor »

I guess the main financial gain is the depreciation you can take on the airplane and other assets against your ordinary income. And you get to fly for free, which is always a good thing. Well done, sir.
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Re: flight school annual report

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TimTaylor wrote: Well done, sir.
Thank you, sir. You will note that my business model is in stark contrast with the standard industry model for flight schools: decide up front how much money you want to lose, and upon achieving that goal, quit.
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by TimTaylor »

But look at how much fun you're having.
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Re: flight school annual report

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TimTaylor wrote:But look at how much fun you're having.
For sure!
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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Warmi
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by Warmi »

drseti wrote:
TimTaylor wrote:Paul, I'm curious why you publish financials.
Mainly to let my customers and prospective customers see that I'm stable and solvent (and also to show that my prices are fair, and that I'm not greedy).
Also, I don't see any salaries or wages in expenses. Are you doing this for free?
Sort of. I am Chief Flight Instructor, Director of Maintenance, Janitor, and the guy who makes the coffee. In other words, the sole employee. I don't draw a salary, but accrue equity and tax benefits. Since I can live comfortably on my pension, Social Security, and investment income, I can afford to run a flight school! (If I had to support myself doing this, I'd have gone out of business by now.)
I wonder if this qualifies as https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predatory_pricing :D
I guess the only way to compete is to start a school while living on even more comfortable pension and investment income ..
Flying Sting S4 ( N184WA ) out of Illinois
TimTaylor
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Re: flight school annual report

Post by TimTaylor »

$120 per hour plus tax for plane and $40 per hour for instructor, in flight or ground school, sounds reasonable.
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2018 flight school annual report

Post by drseti »

Fellow Pilots,

I am pleased to wish you a joyous, prosperous, and flight-filled New Year. For your reading pleasure, I have just released AvSport's 2018 Annual Report. You may download it from:

http://avsport.org/reports/2018.pdf

I call your attention especially to the last sentence of Page 12!

Safe Skies,
Paul
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
Sling 2 Pilot
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Re: 2018 flight school annual report

Post by Sling 2 Pilot »

drseti wrote:Fellow Pilots,

I am pleased to wish you a joyous, prosperous, and flight-filled New Year. For your reading pleasure, I have just released AvSport's 2018 Annual Report. You may download it from:

http://avsport.org/reports/2018.pdf

I call your attention especially to the last sentence of Page 12!

Safe Skies,
Paul
And a Healthy and Happy New Year to you and yours...
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