Redbird Landing

How To Price Flight School Simulators for Maximum Profitability

info@redbirdflight.com (Redbird Flight) — Fri, 29 May 2026 19:12:01 GMT

With geopolitical instability driving global energy volatility, 100LL avgas full-service averages spiked to a staggering $7.20 per gallon in April 2026, and live May data shows prices climbing even higher. Flight schools across the country are running the same high-stakes mental math they face every time fuel climbs: which costs do we absorb, and which do we pass along?

Why a Flight-Simulator-First Approach to Training Benefits Everyone

info@redbirdflight.com (Redbird Flight) — Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:04 GMT

The industry’s thinking on flight simulator training just got a significant upgrade. In late March 2026, the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA) released a set of recommendations calling for a sweeping overhaul of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Part 141 pilot school regulations. These suggestions include expanding credit and creating an entirely new category for certified flight simulators, which the organization is calling Enhanced Advanced Aviation Training Devices.

The Decisions You Make on the Ground Save You in the Air

Chris Peterson — Fri, 08 May 2026 19:13:13 GMT

Many of the most common traps general aviation pilots fall into start before takeoff. Whether on the ramp or during the planning phase, the decisions you make on the ground are what keep you safe in the air.

What Airline Pilot Training Gets Right (And GA Often Doesn't)

hmadison@redbirdflight.com (Harvey Madison) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:50:42 GMT

Airline travel is roughly 27 times safer than traveling in a car. General aviation (GA), by contrast, is statistically as dangerous as riding a motorcycle. That gap doesn't exist because airline pilots are born with better reflexes. It is because of what happens between flights.

Understanding that difference, and considering which parts are replicable, is one of the most important conversations the GA community can have.

Why Experienced Pilots Fail: The Hidden Threat of Complacency

Chris Peterson — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:04:13 GMT

Have you ever driven to work and, when you arrived, realized you didn’t really remember any details of the drive? You may have done it hundreds of times. You were on autopilot.

Now, think about the flying you do. Pick a route you’ve flown dozens of times, with the same airplane, airport, and preflight routine. Nothing to it, right? That’s when complacency sneaks in.

How To Boost Discovery Flight ROI With a Flight Simulator

Meg Godlewski — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:28:25 GMT

The first time a prospective student pilot steps into the cockpit of an aircraft can be overwhelming. The instruments and radios are foreign and confusing, and the gauges are downright distracting. Worse yet, they pretty much don't know what any of those things do.

The Dangers of Sticking With a Bad Approach

Chris Peterson — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:00:18 GMT

If you think about the flying you’ve done, you probably never wanted to go around (other than in training). Nobody wants to go around. It can feel like admitting you messed up the approach.

3 Ways a Flight Simulator Benefits Your Bottom Line

info@redbirdflight.com (Redbird Flight) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:39:22 GMT

Flight school owners spend a lot of time thinking about aircraft. Not because they enjoy it, but because they have to. Acquisition costs, insurance, financing, maintenance reserves, dispatch reliability, and utilization often sit on a knife’s edge. A small shift in any one of those variables can reshuffle the accounting books.

Flight simulators, by contrast, are often discussed in a different category. They are treated as instructional tools rather than fleet assets. This framing is understandable, but it can obscure an operational reality that becomes clear once the numbers are examined closely.

How Misreading the Weather Gets Pilots Into Trouble

Chris Peterson — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:21:53 GMT

If you’ve ever sat in the left seat and watched clouds stack up faster than you expected, you know the feeling. One minute it’s VFR and smooth, and the next, you’re wondering how the visibility got so bad and why that ceiling is lower than you planned. The weather looked fine when you left. So what happened?

Overestimating Skills and Flying Into Trouble

Chris Peterson — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 21:24:44 GMT

If you’ve flown long enough, you’ve probably had a moment where you told yourself, “I got this,” when deep down you knew it wasn’t a smart call. Most of the time, we get lucky, and it works out, but in aviation, luck isn’t a strategy.

The sky is a very unforgiving teacher. You either respect your limits, or you eventually find out what they are—the hard way. In this article, we’ll take a look at how pilots get themselves in trouble by overestimating their skills, and more importantly, how to avoid it.