Wannabe a dropout?

The world's biggest aviation club, the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, has just released a study that reveals about 80% of student pilots drop out of instruction without a single certificate, even a private pilots licence.

AOPA wants to know why.

Money's an obvious factor, but the study by pollster APCO Insight looked at whether the training industry's just plain "doin' it wrong", and if so, how?

Now the report is out, AOPA is launching what it calls its Flight Training Retention Initiative programme across the training industry. They want FTOs to learn - once they've attracted student pilots - what they can do to keep them hooked.

This is not just about wannabe professional pilots. About 65% of all aspiring trainees want to fly for leisure.

In some ways the big findings are absolutely no surprise, but don't go in with any preconceptions about today's youngsters having no attention span etc etc, because you'd be wrong.

APCO digs deep, and the nuances are fascinating.

A highly professional and inspiring instructor is top of the list of what motivates students (suprise surprise).

But apparently only about half the instructors rate that assessment.

And students value an FTO that backs up its instructors with first class teaching aids. 

And student pilots like shiny aeroplanes, not ancient, scruffy 152s.

But they all want that feeling of being a part of a special group of people. Any FTO or Club that works hard to make them feel like members of the aviation community is more likely to have won them for life.