The State of Flight Training

In the latest issue of the Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) regular newsletter, Flight Training News, FSANA President and CEO Robert Rockmaker notes that the association “regularly receives requests from a variety of individuals and organizations asking about the State of Aviation and the Flight Training Industry in the United States.”

Here are a few points that were top of his mind:

• The pilot shortage in the U.S. has extensively disappeared.
• However, the need for pilots will continue for years to come.
• The United States has the best Ab Initio flight training providers in the world.
• The business and safety culture within the Ab Initio flight training space continues to improve as school owners, operators, and their staffs deploy a “Never-Ending Improvement” approach in their business models.
• Many Ab Initio flight training providers are now keeping their flight instructors for 16-24 months.
• The number of Ab Initio flight training schools in the United States has started to decline.
• The 121 airline industry is going through a new set of challenges similar to when the Airline Deregulation Act was passed on Oct. 24, 1978.
• The mainline airlines are adding to their single-aisle, domestic fleets which, in turn, increases the number of available seats on any given city pair route. Still one aircraft with two pilots and more passenger seats.
• There continues to be consolidation within the regional airline industry.
• U.S. based regional airlines originating annual domestic enplanements continues to drop. That number is anticipated to again drop by the close of 2025 as more seats become available by the mainline carriers.
• General aviation (GA) aircraft and powerplant technology continues to advance forward.
• Airport capacity is holding steady and there is a limited number of new airport gates being built at the present time.
• Flight schools that become accredited by the International Aerospace Accrediting Commission (IAAC) will be able to enroll career pilot candidates who have borrowed money through the U.S. Department of Education Title IV program. Students will also be able to use Pell Grants and 529 Savings Plan money to pay for flight training. The IAAC is working toward full recognition by the U.S. Department of Education in 2026.

“We continue to encourage young people to explore the many facets of the aviation and aerospace industry,” he concluded. “There are numerous career opportunities waiting for them.”