CFI Dashboard - Free Tools for Instructors

flyer299

flyer299

Filing Flight Plan
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Jul 3, 2015
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Flyer299
Pilot Partner is please to release our 1st version of CFI Dashboard for Instructors. This is a tool that links your student's electronic pilot logbook to the instructor for Electronic Signatures, Logbook Management and tracking of progress.

This is only the 1st step in our process. We have began on boarding CFI's to this new tool in the last couple of weeks and have received great initial feedback.

Here are some links to more information
Blog Post on CFI Dashboard
Youtube Getting Started with CFI Dashboard
Youtube Sign by Pin #
Pilot Partner Main Site
 
You should strongly consider getting the domain pilotpartner.com. The .com extension is the default in everyone's mind and starting out a new site with a .net extension will lose you a lot of traffic over time.
 
write-stuff said:
You should strongly consider getting the domain pilotpartner.com. The .com extension is the default in everyone's mind and starting out a new site with a .net extension will lose you a lot of traffic over time.
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For sure. I've been using the name Pilot Partner since 1997, but never registered the domain. We've been in contact with the company who owns the .COM for the last 18 months. Despite the fact they are not using it and don't really plan on using it, they are not interested in selling it. As we become more successful and our budget grows, we hope to be able to offer them a price that they will accept.

But to be honest. It is less important that it used to be 5 years ago to own the .COM. Most people don't type in addresses anymore. If you can't present a link for them to click on, they will never go to you. Hince why I made the 4 nice and easy links in my original post.

Then once they go to you once, you start typing "Pilot P..." and auto complete gets you the rest of the way. Regardless, if I can get .COM I will.
 
Per your Blog -
"Partner is working with the FAA and examiners to accept the Pilot Partner record as an official record. "

I'm not a CFI and I use a free electronic logbook so I'm not your target market, but what do you mean by the above... referring to 61.51, or having this in lieu of an 8710?
 
So this is mainly an e-logbook solution that permits a connection between CFI and Student?

Do both parties need to maintain the log via your site?

And as Mark Cuban might say in the Shark Tank, I'm not seeing what sets you far apart enough from the others in this space that would make someone want to subscribe.
 
You say it's free but your website indicates that there's merely a free trial period. In some places it indicates 60 days, in some places 90 days. Grantd, I didn't look all that close so maybe I'm missing something.

Oh, and why are you spamming this site with blatant ads outside the classified forum...against the RoC? That doesn't tend to endear you with the regular members here. You know, "regular members", those of us who come here as a community and not just to peddle goods.
 
AggieMike88 said:
So this is mainly an e-logbook solution that permits a connection between CFI and Student?
Click to expand...

It looks to be an electronic method for the CFI to track training progress, align it with a syllabus or training checklist and give feedback on all flights. As I'm not a CFI I don't know the need for this, but as a manager with over 100 reports (7 direct) I tend to make notes about staff to help keep things straight.

For the student it gives a visual on their progress and the benefit of written feedback on each flight. Now having done my PPL and Instrument in the last two years not sure if I would have benefited from this. I printed out a syllabus, wrote post flight notes on that and not in my logbook. I also used the elogbook site I use now to see my 'ratings progress', which I thought was neat.

AggieMike88 said:
Do both parties need to maintain the log via your site?
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I believe both the CFI and the student pays... however if the CFI has convinced more than two students to use it then the CFI will get it 'free'.
The biggest hurdle on this project is that you're competing with free... free is hard to compete with.
 
OkieAviator said:
The biggest hurdle on this project is that you're competing with free... free is hard to compete with.
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I agree... it wouldn't take much time for @EricBe to figure out how to make MFB do this function. And if he chooses to keep the same price....
 
MFB is MyFlightBook, a very popular free online electronic logbook (that includes, among other things, the ability for CFIs to sign dual and endorsements). EricBe is MyFlightBook's developer.
 
AggieMike88 said:
I agree... it wouldn't take much time for @EricBe to figure out how to make MFB do this function. And if he chooses to keep the same price....
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Taking it one step further I actually donated money to MFB... so I paid for 'free'... doesn't make sense but I like the product.

Edit: Now that I think about it I believe there's a way in MFB to have CFIs endorse your flights. I never used it because I like my paper logbook, use MFB to log flights and do data analytics for my own interests.
 
I too paid for the "free", but the bonus of the dropbox backups is worth it. Plus I picture it as encouragement for Eric to continue supporting and improving the product.
 
timwinters said:
You say it's free but your website indicates that there's merely a free trial period. In some places it indicates 60 days, in some places 90 days. Grantd, I didn't look all that close so maybe I'm missing something.

Oh, and why are you spamming this site with blatant ads outside the classified forum...against the RoC? That doesn't tend to endear you with the regular members here. You know, "regular members", those of us who come here as a community and not just to peddle goods.
Click to expand...

Being new to POA, I am not exactly sure where the line is to cross, and I do not want to upset anyone. If a moderator feels this is too adversity, I would be happy to delete this thread. My goal is to bring more awareness to this product that I've put a lot of effort into and I belive will provide positive value to the industry. Like others in our industry, Pilot Partner is not a large company trying to get rich. We are just two guys who are trying to bring value to the market in the best way we can. I can promise you, I will never get rich off of Pilot Partner.

There are other products on the market, and yes some of them are free. Free is a very difficult model to support long term. The Goal of Pilot Partner is charge a reasonable price (less than other paid services) and continue to grow and improve. Servers cost money, Software used to develop cost money, computers I develop on cost money.

As far as Instructors using Pilot Partner for free. Our goal at Pilot Partner is to provide this service free of charge to any active flight instructor. We do give a 60 Free trial to anyone, and will give any CFI a 6 month Free Trial. Then the CFI earns free service through referrals. We belive that 2 referrals per year is a very low bar to cross. Plus we support "Banking" of referrals. So you can refer 10 people this year and have the next 5 years for free.

As far as should both the CFI and the student track their flights in Pilot Partner? No, that isn't required. The student's flight would need to be tracked in Pilot Partner, but the instructor is optional. But there are additional tools available to the instructor if they choose to track their flights as well.
 
timwinters said:
Oh, and why are you spamming this site with blatant ads outside the classified forum...against the RoC? That doesn't tend to endear you with the regular members here. You know, "regular members", those of us who come here as a community and not just to peddle goods.
Click to expand...
He is not the first, nor the last, to sign up to advertise stuff for free. Unfortunately, the admins here don't moderate these posts much. I have pointed out to them before that they could monetize such advertisers but no luck.

Now back to our original programming: pi**ing on someone's product. :D
 
AggieMike88 said:
I too paid for the "free", but the bonus of the dropbox backups is worth it. Plus I picture it as encouragement for Eric to continue supporting and improving the product.
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Me too. I'm one of those (I am sure there are many others) who told Eric he needs to have some pay-for enhancement.
 
flyer299 said:
Being new to POA, I am not exactly sure where the line is to cross, and I do not want to upset anyone. If a moderator feels this is too adversity, I would be happy to delete this thread. My goal is to bring more awareness to this product that I've put a lot of effort into and I believe will provide positive value to the industry. Like others in our industry, Pilot Partner is not a large company trying to get rich. We are just two guys who are trying to bring value to the market in the best way we can. I can promise you, I will never get rich off of Pilot Partner.
Click to expand...

I don't mind the hustle to be honest. You would probably get better buy-in though if you were an active member first.

I applaud you for your efforts, you feel you found a gap or built a better product and you're putting it out to the world.
 
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