Start A Flying School Business - Business Ideas

Pat Walls

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Updated: September 15th, 2022

Start A Flying School Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Do you love aviation, and are you looking for a business opportunity within the aviation industry? You may consider owning an aviation school.

To start a flight school, you must own or lease at least one aircraft. As the business grows, you can increase the number of flights and hire more flight instructors to meet the growing demand. Some flight schools also invest in a flight simulators. A flight simulator is a rare investment that helps you to increase your revenue and to decrease the cost of regular flight school operations.

Owning a flight school can be a lucrative business opportunity. However, operating a flying school business is full of good and not-so-good surprises. You must know how to wear several hats and be ready to face the challenges of investing in a flight school.

Starting a flying school business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell flying school, or selling flying school online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size

$3.8B

starting costs

$18.9K

gross margin

43%

time to build

270 days

growth

Organic social media

business model

Subscriptions

time investment

Full time

Startup Costs

	Min Startup Costs	Max Startup Costs
Equipment & Supply Expenses	$66	$1,200
Retail Business Expenses	$1,250	$11,650
Inventory Expenses	$350	$14,750
Advertising & Marketing Costs	$75	$9,636
Software Expenses	$0	$425
Website Costs	$13	$215
Total Startup Costs	$1,754	$37,876

See all startup costs ➜

Successful Businesses

Business	URL	Rank
flywire	flywire.com	35,063
Flight Schedule Pro	flightschedulepro.com	59,124
FlyFA	flyfa.com	59,489
Pilot Institute	pilotinstitute.com	119,232
Drone Pilot Ground School	dronepilotgroundschool.com	225,331
FLY8MA Flight Training	fly8ma.com	275,096
FlyLady.net	flylady.net	283,277
Flight Circle	flightcircle.com	297,572
Flying Academy	flyingacademy.com	332,254
Signature Flight Support	signatureflight.com	370,958
Inflight Pilot Training	inflightpilottraining.com	626,998

See all businesses ➜

Pros & Cons

Pros	Description
Rewarding work	Starting a flying school business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.
Meaningful business connections	You never know who you will meet as a flying school business. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!
Daily physical activity	Flying School Business's typically involve a much greater degree of movement than other lines of work. Most days, you will spend your day walking, running errands for your business, and performing a multitude of tasks. This can have a positive impact on energy levels and your overall health.
Amazing perks and discounts	Working in the flying school business comes with its perks! As a seller for these products/services, you typically also get to enjoy industry perks and discounts.
You are your own boss!	With starting a flying school business, you are the one to make decisions for almost all of the operations. Calling the shots can be empowering and liberating!
Local Community	One of the best parts of starting a flying school business is that you can develop a local following by selling your products at craft shows, farmers' markets, or even local storefront businesses! This gives you access to additional revenue streams and loyal customers.

See all pros ➜

Cons	Description
Crowded Space	Competition is high when it comes to your flying school business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.
Finding The Right Supplier	Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section.
Motivation of employees	If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.
Low margins	The gross margins for your flying school business are typically around 43%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability.
High employee turnover	In the flying school business, employee turnover is often high, which can be quite costly and time consuming for your business. It's important to try and avoid this as much as possible by offering competitive pay, benefits, and a positive work environment.
Taxes	As a flying school business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

See all cons ➜

Key Stats

Startup Costs

Successful Businesses

35,063

59,124

59,489

119,232

225,331

275,096

283,277

297,572

332,254

370,958

626,998

Pros & Cons