While the DreamLaunch Tour is focused on reaching the next generation of aviation professionals, some stops approach the problem from a different perspective. That’s what happened recently in Dallas.
About 90% of the time, I focus on talking to students as the FAA Ambassador for Aviation & Space Education and the Founder of AviationStart, an online resource that connects aspiring aviation students and professionals to more than $20 million in scholarships, training programs, and career pathways to turn their aviation dreams into reality.
But I’ve come to believe it’s just as important to reach the influencers and teachers of this industry. One inspired student is one student. One flight school owner or CFI who knows how to guide students is hundreds of students over a career.
So when I was asked to speak at the Ascend Flight Training Conference, the first conference collaboration between the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and AeroSummit, it was an immediate yes.
The room split almost 50/50 between brand-new CFIs and flight school owners, which made for an interesting presentation. My goal was to share a completely free resource, AviationStart, that flight schools and CFIs can use to make the journey easier for new student pilots — especially when it comes to the number one barrier that stops more people than anything else: Cost.
I must have hit the nail on the head, because before I even finished the presentation, one of the flight school owners asked the question I suspect half the room was thinking: How real are these scholarships for students, actually?
It’s a fair question. Our industry has no shortage of shiny promises.
What happened next was the best moment of the entire conference.
Katherine Odland, CEO of Mytois Aviation, spoke up. During her student onboarding process, her team works hard to analyze each student’s financial situation to make sure they can be successful. If she thinks a student is headed for the classic start-and-pause trap that financial constraints create, she sits down with them, walks them through AviationStart, has them pull their personalized scholarship listing, and gets them applying for resources before training even begins.
So far, 11 of her students have obtained support for their ratings.
I had never met Katherine before Ascend. Hearing that a flight school built our resource into its onboarding process, on its own, and that it’s keeping students flying instead of stalling out, is exactly what AviationStart was created to do.
Best answer to an audience question I’ve ever given, and I didn’t say a word.
The Takeaway
Katherine’s story is also what conferences like Ascend are all about. She and I had never crossed paths, and one conversation in Dallas turned into a model I’ll now be sharing with flight schools across the country. And one that I hope more flight schools adopt: To do a financial audit before students start their flight training, and help them discover all of the resources available before they start training. It will prevent students from having interruptions due to financial considerations midstream.
Secondly, I can’t recommend enough that people get engaged in this industry and take advantage of these networking opportunities and the connections. Ellen Kirby, an aspiring aviation professional was awarded a $10,000 flight training scholarship from Stratus Financial during the conference. Had she not been a part of Ascend, that wouldn’t have happened.
If you run into someone looking to advance their career in aviation, tell them not to sleep on the chance to learn and engage with the community at aviation events. In this industry, showing up is a career strategy.
For more information: AviationStart.org
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