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Gold Rush Is On for Flight Schools Offering LSA Models

Dan Pimentel
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Sling Pilot Academy has found success using Sling Light-Sport NGTs for initial airline pilot training. Credit: Sling Pilot Academy
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Key Takeaways:

  • The commercial aviation industry is experiencing a significant and re-emerging pilot shortage, creating a "Gold Rush" for aspiring pilots with increased hiring incentives and faster career progression opportunities.
  • Sling Pilot Academy (SPA) addresses this demand by employing modern Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs), specifically the Sling NGT, for flight training, which stands out for its modern appeal and advanced avionics.
  • This LSA-based training approach proves highly effective by offering substantial cost savings through fuel efficiency, achieving high student retention rates, and fostering superior foundational flying skills ("stick-and-rudder") and proficiency with advanced systems, thereby efficiently preparing graduates for professional airline careers.
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Pre-pandemic, the commercial pilot shortage was top of mind for just about anyone in the aviation community. Then, COVID-19 ravaged the globe, airline travel took a massive hit, and in survival mode airlines began shedding pilots through furloughs and early retirement packages. 

Fast-forward to today, and airline travel is back in a big way, even as new variants of the coronavirus emerge. What’s also back is that troublesome pilot shortage, with every major and regional airline, and many Part 135 operators scrambling to find qualified, current pilots to fill their front seats. 

Dan Pimentel

Dan Pimentel is an instrument-rated private pilot and former airplane owner who has been flying since 1996. As an aviation journalist and photographer, he has covered all aspects of the general and business aviation communities for a long list of major aviation magazines, newspapers and websites. He has never met a flying machine that he didn’t like, and has written about his love of aviation for years on his Airplanista blog. For 10 years until 2019, he hosted the popular ‘Oshbash’ social media meetup events at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

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