Flying a plane requires a significant amount of knowledge and skill, which must be learned. Flight school businesses teach individuals who are interested in flying the knowledge and skills they need to attain a private pilot license. Schools’ curriculums typically consist of both classroom instruction and flight time.
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Start a flight school by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Flight School
- Form your Flight School into a Legal Entity
- Register your Flight School for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Flight School
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Flight School
- Get Flight School Insurance
- Define your Flight School Brand
- Create your Flight School Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your flight school. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Flight School Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a flight school?
The startup expenses associated with opening a flight school business are sizable. Major upfront costs include:
- Purchasing an office and classroom space
- Purchasing a hanger
- Purchasing airplanes
- Paying for liability and property insurance
A school will also have to buy fuel and pay instructors’ salaries, but these expenses can often be covered with students’ initial payments.
Altogether, the startup costs listed above easily reach six, and sometimes seven, figures. Most business owners must take out a loan to pay for all of these expenses.
Some business owners decide to minimize the capital (and, therefore, the size of the loan) they need by leasing office, classroom and hangar space, and airplanes. Leasing, however, doesn’t let a business build up equity in its assets.
What are some insider tips for jump starting a flight school business?
Choosing a good location is essential to a flight school business’ success. Most areas can’t support many flight schools, so the ideal location is usually an airport that doesn’t yet have a flight school. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains a directory of flight schools that interested entrepreneurs can use to check for schools near them.
Starting out, it can be tempting to offer low prices in order to attract students. Giving students deals on flight lessons, or even individual flights, can devastate a flight school business, though. Even partnering with daily deal sites to provide discounts on “discovery flights” could cost a business $90 per flight. Business owners should have a firm grasp of their operating expenses and required margins, and they ought to set prices accordingly from day one.
Instead of lowering prices to attract students, flight schools can help potential students look for scholarships and grants that may reduce their out-of-pocket. The FAA has a directory of scholarships and grants that students might qualify for.
Another way to lower the entry cost for students without reducing per-hour rates is by offering training for a sport pilot license. A sport pilot license typically takes only 20 hours of training, which is about half of the training required to become a private pilot. Thus, the costs for students can be cut by about 50 percent while still covering the school’s ongoing expenses.
What are the ongoing expenses for a flight school?
The ongoing expenses for a flight school business, like the startup costs, are significant.
Maintenance costs are one of the largest ongoing expenses and can significantly decrease a flight school’s profits. To keep maintenance costs manageable, business owners should look for an airplane mechanic who will offer the school reduced rates in exchange for regular work.
Other significant ongoing expenses include lease or mortgage payments for a building and a hangar, fuel costs, insurance premiums and instructors’ wages.
Who is the target market?
A flight school business’ ideal customer is someone who has interest in flying and is wealthy. Learning to fly isn’t cheap. Usually, only individuals who have a decent amount of discretionary income are able to afford the coursework.
How does a flight school make money?
A flight school business makes money by charging students for training. Training typically consists of classroom instruction and one-on-one flight time with an instructor. Students who need additional training beyond the typical coursework may be charged on an hourly basis for one-on-one lessons with an instructor.
How much can you charge customers?
Training for a private pilot license costs most students between $8,000 and $12,000. These figures include exam and materials (e.g. flight computer, log book and navigation plotter) costs, but these are relatively small expenses. The vast majority of these sums goes to the flight school business and instructor that provides training.
Training costs are sometimes broken down into hourly rates for the instructor and for using a plane. For example, a student might pay $40 per hour for an instructor’s time, and $120 per hour for use of a training plane. (These are just example amounts; hourly rates vary).
How much profit can a flight school make?
Because flight school businesses have sizable ongoing costs, their profit margins aren’t too high. A well-run flight school in an area with many potential students, however, can earn a respectable profit and pay employees’ salaries — including the business owner’s salary, if they’re involved in the day-to-day operations of the business.
How can you make your business more profitable?
A flight school business might increase its revenue by offering charter flights and flight tours. If a school owns a hangar, it can also rent hangar space to private airplane owners. Some schools also let graduated students rent planes by the hour or day.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your flight school is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your flight school were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
Federal Business Licensing Requirements
Federal Aviation regulations designate two types of flight training schools:
- Part 61 requires 40 hours of training but is more flexible in that it doesn’t need to be directly approved by the FAA (though all instructors must be FAA approved). Part 61 schools are typically recommended for part-time students pursuing flying as a hobby
- Part 141 requires 35 hours of training but is much stricter, dealing with regular FAA surveillance and having minimum pass rates on practical exams. This type of schooling is recommended for full-time students pursuing flying as a career
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
In addition to federal regulations, flight schools will typically have to apply for a flight school license from their respective states. An example of a license application can be found here.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Flight School needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Flight School.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a flight school
A flight school business caters to a particular demographic: customers are generally wealthy, located in the area and interested in flying. Targeted online advertising is an effective way to reach these potential customers, as targeted ads let businesses specific exactly who they want to show ads to. A business may want to complement a targeted online campaign with advertisements in flying-related publications and at local airports to increase visibility.
How to keep customers coming back
A flight school business can distinguish itself from other flight schools by providing the highest level of training possible. Making sure all students pass their exams will give prospective students confidence in a program. Encouraging instructors to obtain advanced training or seek out awards can also help set a school apart from others, although a school may have to pay instructors who have additional accolades higher salaries.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
Running a flight school requires knowledge of flying and airplanes. Even if a business owner isn’t the person taking students up in planes or servicing the school’s fleet, they still need to know enough to accurately assess instructors’ abilities and make wise decisions regarding the maintenance of planes.
Because a knowledge of flying is extremely helpful, experienced and former pilots are particularly well qualified to open a flight school business. A flight school business might be a good venture for a pilot in the armed forces who is leaving active duty, or a commercial pilot who would like to retire from the industry and stay home more often.
Business owners don’t technically need experience as a military or commercial pilot to open a flight school business, but the experience can be a great help.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a flight school?
Starting out, a flight school business owner may double as an instructor. Successful business owners, however, spend more of their time running and growing their business than teaching individual students.
A flight school business owner’s daily activities can vary a lot from one day to the next. On any given day, they might:
- Have to address a maintenance or repair issue with a plane
- Manage and schedule instructors
- Promote classes to prospective students
- Bill and collect payment from current students
- Ensure students are satisfied with their training
- Schedule exams and relay scores to students
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful flight school?
Flight school business owners who don’t have previous experience as a pilot may want to get a private pilot license so they have first-hand knowledge of the service their business is offering. Flying isn’t the only aspect of the business that owners should be familiar with.
Business owners will have to make a number of significant decisions, such as what planes to acquire, which instructors to hire and when to schedule classes. Working at another flight school, even if just as an administrative assistant, for several months will give a business owner some experience to draw on when making these decisions.
Business owners may have trouble getting a position at a nearby flight school, as their school could be competition for the nearby school. A flight school in a different region, however, may be willing to hire someone who’s hoping to enter the industry — as long as their school will draw students from a different area.
What is the growth potential for a flight school?
A flight school business can be a single, independent school or a national chain. Two national franchise organizations are ATP Flight School, which has forty locations throughout the United States, and American Flyers, which has six locations.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
How and when to build a team
A flight school business needs multiple instructors from the outset, in order to cover all of the costs associated with running the business. Just one or two instructors usually can’t teach enough students to cover all ongoing expenses and earn a decent profit.
Most certified flight instructors make between $25 and $50 per hour, receiving less than 50 percent of the billable costs paid by students. They may work as employees of the business or independent contractors.
Useful Links
Industry Opportunities
- Flight School Association of North America
- Flight school directory
- Flight school directory #2
- Flight school loans