Flight Schools Consider Dropping Knowledge Tests

FSANA said that changes in the pricing structure could potentially lead to increased barriers to training and increased costs associated with taking a test.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 04:55 PM ET

Verified

FSANA's latest newsletter contains a survey asking about the impact of the closure of third party testing centers at flight schools. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Flight schools and FBOs are considering ceasing to offer FAA knowledge tests due to a significant reduction in their share of the test fee from PSI Services.
PSI Services, the sole FAA contractor for knowledge tests, reduced the payment to third-party providers from $65 to $22 per test, making it unprofitable for schools to cover operational costs.
The Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) is concerned these closures will create barriers to aviation training by increasing travel distances and costs for test applicants.
FSANA is gathering feedback on the impact of these changes and the potential discontinuation of third-party testing centers across the aviation community.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Is your flight school or FBO getting out of the knowledge test business? The Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) would like to hear about it.

According to the latest newsletter from FSANA, changes in the pricing by PSI Services, LLC—the only company with the FAA contract to provide the tests— might prompt several flight schools and FBOs that provide the tests as a convenience to their customers to close their doors. The flight schools and FBOs are third party providers and have no say in the cost of the tests.