Flight school websites

[timrb]

I must be getting older. I want a left or top nav.
and it should be there by default.

No reason to add a click for a user to get a menu

Absolutely. But if there MUST be a click for a menu, have it say "MENU HERE" or something. I couldn't figure out where everyone was finding all the pictures and stuff, so I clicked on the three little lines and hoped for the best. I simply HATE clicking on links where I don't know what to expect.

If I had happened onto that site by chance, I would have left almost immediately after finding no usable info there in plain sight.

Tim

 

[SkyHog]

Absolutely. But if there MUST be a click for a menu, have it say "MENU HERE" or something. I couldn't figure out where everyone was finding all the pictures and stuff, so I clicked on the three little lines and hoped for the best. I simply HATE clicking on links where I don't know what to expect.

If I had happened onto that site by chance, I would have left almost immediately after finding no usable info there in plain sight.

Tim

I mean as little offense as possible, Tim, but certainly, this isn't the first time you've seen the "Hamburger Menu" right? That is, by far, the absolute gold standard method of indicating that a menu exists now on mobile sites.

I can't remember the last time I saw someone use something different...

 

[jesse]

How does the web site look on a tablet? Phone? I do most of my web browsing on a tablet now.

It's a responsive design so it looks great on all devices. You can see this on a PC by just reducing the width of your browser window down to tablet and phone sized and you'll see the website snap as appropriate to the new size.

 

[mtuomi]

Clearly you didn't read the articles, and still do not understand how Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird changed the face of SEO.

Pretty much, tricks like cross-linking are dead. Best bet at this point is to stop trying to "trick" the system, and just focus on good content that is well placed and presented, and then rely on natural links back to your content.

Isn't that what I just said?

Good conversational content, and cross-links from relevant sites. Forums generally index well because a page is full of "relevant" content.

Weebly and such usually create sites that aren't well "above-the-folded". Using cliches such as the LdV quote is the same as having Lorem Ipsum there.

That's why I said: The links from pages like these(a forum, page with lots of useful content, indexes highly), helps a lot more than any alt tag tricks suggested by Rich.

I believe I said "no one is suggesting any black hat SEO", which would be trolled cross links and so on.

I think we agree on this, I'm just not very good on explaining my thoughts

 

[jesse]

Absolutely. But if there MUST be a click for a menu, have it say "MENU HERE" or something. I couldn't figure out where everyone was finding all the pictures and stuff, so I clicked on the three little lines and hoped for the best. I simply HATE clicking on links where I don't know what to expect.

If I had happened onto that site by chance, I would have left almost immediately after finding no usable info there in plain sight.

Tim

If your browser window is wide enough you'll see all of the menu items without having to click that. I'm working on reducing the amount of items on the main menu by adding sections to the site which should help.

 

[exncsurfer]

It's a responsive design so it looks great on all devices. You can see this on a PC by just reducing the width of your browser window down to tablet and phone sized and you'll see the website snap as appropriate to the new size.

ah, ok, I see, if I make my browser wider it comes back and stays, make it smaller it disappears and becomes the right corner 'hamburger menu'

You might want to shrink the width a bit to get more browser's in default view mode. But I know you can't please everyone.


edit: haha, you beat me to it, I see you just replied with a similar thought just before this post.

 

[RJM62]

Clearly you didn't read the articles, and still do not understand how Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird changed the face of SEO.

Pretty much, tricks like cross-linking are dead. Best bet at this point is to stop trying to "trick" the system, and just focus on good content that is well placed and presented, and then rely on natural links back to your content.

Exactly. And that includes the meta tags, as long as they're done well.

I just got a client back who fired me a year ago because an SEO whore talked him into jumping ship. Now it's my job to undo the damage, most of which was done by "crosslinking." I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to move his site to a new domain because after one year of such SEO attempts, I literally can't find it searching on its own URL.

This is not the first time. Every client who's left me has come back, and I've accepted them all back except for one who decided to give me a lecture when he left. He's on his own.

I've also lost one this week who was sold an agressive SEO bill of goods, and I fully expect him to be back in a year or less. He was apologetic and declined my pro-rata refund, so I'll take him back when he comes. The sad thing in his case is that he's coming up No. 1 for every conceivably relevant search, so I don't know what he expects to achieve.

But hey, it's his choice. When people fire me, I help them to move in every way I possibly can. I'm very gracious about it. And I'm just as gracious when they come back -- unless they give me reason not to be.

Rich

 

[Everskyward]

I agree with others about the need for a street map or directions. Even putting your location on the airport diagram would be helpful.

I think the pictures in the headers are fine. They are a change from other learn-to-fly websites but nicely done.

Just a little grammar question. Shouldn't "SETUP" as in "Setup your first flight" be two words? I think of "setup" as a noun. Isn't "set up" more what you mean? I am not an editor although I have stayed in many Holiday Inn Expresses, but maybe a real editor will chime in.

 

[mtuomi]

Exactly. And that includes the meta tags, as long as they're done well.
Rich

Meta tags are mostly irrelevant nowadays. They mattered more in 2010. Content is king. Next is links from content-heavy sites, such as POA where there are multiple pages on the same subject, with plenty of conversational content. (as long as they are not black hat troll sites, is noted.)

 

[RJM62]

Isn't that what I just said?

Good conversational content, and cross-links from relevant sites. Forums generally index well because a page is full of "relevant" content.

Weebly and such usually create sites that aren't well "above-the-folded". Using cliches such as the LdV quote is the same as having Lorem Ipsum there.

That's why I said: The links from pages like these(a forum, page with lots of useful content, indexes highly), helps a lot more than any alt tag tricks suggested by Rich.

I believe I said "no one is suggesting any black hat SEO", which would be trolled cross links and so on.

I think we agree on this, I'm just not very good on explaining my thoughts

I suggested no "tricks." The pipe is merely more aesthetically pleasant that a single or double dash. It makes no difference otherwise.

You also fail to grasp that ALT tags are a required element with a purpose. If they're absent or inadequate, they do in fact factor negatively into the ranking; and if they're abused, they result in penalties after a manual review. But no matter how long they are -- even if they're so long that there's a separate file for them -- they will not hurt you as long as they are descriptive, helpful, relevant, and not spammy.

That's not a "trick." It's using the tag for the intended purpose, with a mind toward the fact that it is a factor in the algo, but without abusing it. Yeah, it's boring and old-school. And it's still important.

The same thing with keywords. It's a required element according to most search engines' algos, so if it's missing it affects ranking. But keywords are so commonly abused that you have to keep them to a minimum and relevant. Using three to six relevant keywords that appear in the page content is safe. More will not help you, but omitting the element or using too many (or irrelevant) keywords will hurt you.

So again, it's simply applying a required element in the proper way, without abusing it. If you consider using these standard, required elements in the ways they were intended to be used as "tricks," then that's more indicative of your own attitudes toward SEO (or whatever you like to call it) than anything else.

Rich

 

[mtuomi]

I suggested no "tricks." The pipe is merely more aesthetically pleasant that a single or double dash. It makes no difference otherwise.

You also fail to grasp that ALT tags are a required element with a purpose. If they're absent or inadequate, they do in fact factor negatively into the ranking; and if they're abused, they result in penalties after a manual review. But no matter how long they are -- even if they're so long that there's a separate file for them -- they will not hurt you as long as they are descriptive, helpful, relevant, and not spammy.

That's not a "trick." It's using the tag for the intended purpose, with a mind toward the fact that it is a factor in the algo, but without abusing it. Yeah, it's boring and old-school. And it's still important.

The same thing with keywords. It's a required element according to most search engines' algos, so if it's missing it affects ranking. But keywords are so commonly abused that you have to keep them to a minimum and relevant. Using three to six relevant keywords that appear in the page content is safe. More will not help you, but omitting the element or using too many (or irrelevant) keywords will hurt you.

So again, it's simply applying a required element in the proper way, without abusing it. If you consider using these standard, required elements in the ways they were intended to be used as "tricks," then that's more indicative of your own attitudes toward SEO (or whatever you like to call it) than anything else.

Rich

Going back to my first comment - links from relevant sites means way more than any keywords you place on a site.

What you want, is a site that indexes highly because Pagerank decides the site is relevant. Then you want the site to have content that Hummingbird etc will deem relevant. So - you want links from pages with actual content (forums are great for this, linking to your website that has the correct content and correct content ratio for above/below the fold. The less outside links you have, the better.)

That way you will index high and will be shown as a relevant result, as long as you have an ideal rate between punchlines and content.

For example, if you have Arkansas and flight training 20 times, it might rate lower than having Arkansas and flight training 10 times. It is VERY difficult to estimate when the ratio is correct between content and the buzzwords.

 

[RJM62]

If your browser window is wide enough you'll see all of the menu items without having to click that. I'm working on reducing the amount of items on the main menu by adding sections to the site which should help.

I have some jQuery responsive menus with tap dropdowns. If you're able to replace the menu (I'm not familiar with the platform you used because I hand code everything), I can send you one. They're all basically the same except for the colors and such, which are controlled by the stylesheet.

Rich

 

[SkyHog]

I agree with others about the need for a street map or directions. Even putting your location on the airport diagram would be helpful.

I think the pictures in the headers are fine. They are a change from other learn-to-fly websites but nicely done.

Just a little grammar question. Shouldn't "SETUP" as in "Setup your first flight" be two words? I think of "setup" as a noun. Isn't "set up" more what you mean? I am not an editor although I have stayed in many Holiday Inn Expresses, but maybe a real editor will chime in.

Not an editor, but a grammar nazi here

Setup can only function as a noun or an adjective. As a verb, it is, in fact two words.

The way this is worded, it should be "Set up your first flight."

 

[SkyHog]

I suggested no "tricks." The pipe is merely more aesthetically pleasant that a single or double dash. It makes no difference otherwise.

You also fail to grasp that ALT tags are a required element with a purpose. If they're absent or inadequate, they do in fact factor negatively into the ranking; and if they're abused, they result in penalties after a manual review. But no matter how long they are -- even if they're so long that there's a separate file for them -- they will not hurt you as long as they are descriptive, helpful, relevant, and not spammy.

That's not a "trick." It's using the tag for the intended purpose, with a mind toward the fact that it is a factor in the algo, but without abusing it. Yeah, it's boring and old-school. And it's still important.

The same thing with keywords. It's a required element according to most search engines' algos, so if it's missing it affects ranking. But keywords are so commonly abused that you have to keep them to a minimum and relevant. Using three to six relevant keywords that appear in the page content is safe. More will not help you, but omitting the element or using too many (or irrelevant) keywords will hurt you.

So again, it's simply applying a required element in the proper way, without abusing it. If you consider using these standard, required elements in the ways they were intended to be used as "tricks," then that's more indicative of your own attitudes toward SEO (or whatever you like to call it) than anything else.

Rich

One further on alt tags - it is the right thing to do. Having worked in the "Non-Profit" realm supporting retarded people, many of whom had physical disabilities beyond their mental retardation, alt tags became a VERY important part of web design. When using a text only browser (as is needed for those that are blind or use braile readers), alt tags complete your website.

Don't be a dick. Use alt tags. Not for SEO, but because you're not a dick.

 

[James331]

Jesse, let me be the curmudgeon here (sigh, as usual)
First, the website looks good.
I agree with more eagles and 'murica'
.
However (always is one of those, isn't there) I disagree with posting a listing of fees, estimated cost to license
(ya, ya, I know it is not a license)
The one thing retailers of high end goods quickly learn is that you are not in a discount days price competition with Piggly Wiggly over a gallon of milk. If you want to know the price, ya gotta come in the store. The Mercedes/Lamborghini dealers do not post prices on the sign out front for good reasons.
.
Get more pictures of first solos, first long XC, first night solo (night shots make great photos if you know what you are doing) cutting off the shirt tails, etc.
And of buxom ladies and handsome guys hanging on your words of wisdom as you show them the cockpit.
Sell the sizzle -Sell the steak - first.
.
The bill for the meal comes later.

Good luck - and I always get a thrill out of watching young fellas make a small fortune in the airplane business

dr. o
older than dirt

That.

Post hourly rates, but don't try to estimate costs online, that's a conversation that should be done in your office, preferably after the discovery flight, also some folks will get their PPL in min time, some may take 100hrs, people don't get it not like paying for a class in college or taking a realestste course, prices can change quite a bit person to person.

 

[SkyHog]

Jesse, let me be the curmudgeon here (sigh, as usual)
First, the website looks good.
I agree with more eagles and 'murica'
.
However (always is one of those, isn't there) I disagree with posting a listing of fees, estimated cost to license
(ya, ya, I know it is not a license)
The one thing retailers of high end goods quickly learn is that you are not in a discount days price competition with Piggly Wiggly over a gallon of milk. If you want to know the price, ya gotta come in the store. The Mercedes/Lamborghini dealers do not post prices on the sign out front for good reasons.
.
Get more pictures of first solos, first long XC, first night solo (night shots make great photos if you know what you are doing) cutting off the shirt tails, etc.
And of buxom ladies and handsome guys hanging on your words of wisdom as you show them the cockpit.
Sell the sizzle -Sell the steak - first.
.
The bill for the meal comes later.

Good luck - and I always get a thrill out of watching young fellas make a small fortune in the airplane business

dr. o
older than dirt

http://www.mercedesoflittleton.com/type/new-inventory

Your thought process was fantastic in the 1940s. These days, even non-budget minded people aren't dumb enough to fall into the "Quality vs. Cost" argument. They expect pricing.

Millennials are all about "Info, now." Adapt, or fail.

 

[EdFred]

RE: Alt Tags for Jesse's site

Why is a blind person looking for flight training?

 

[Everskyward]

Not an editor, but a grammar nazi here

Setup can only function as a noun or an adjective. As a verb, it is, in fact two words.

The way this is worded, it should be "Set up your first flight."

Or maybe he can avoid the whole issue by making it "Schedule your first flight". "Setup" as one word just seemed wrong to me in that context.

 

[SkyHog]

RE: Alt Tags for Jesse's site

Why is a blind person looking for flight training?

Because his son loves aviation so much he really wants to be able to give him the gift of flight....

Or any number of other reasons.

 

[eman1200]

<----btw, this kid's ↓ got nuthin on me. NUTHIN I tell ya!

 

[RJM62]

Because his son loves aviation so much he really wants to be able to give him the gift of flight....

Or any number of other reasons.

Yes, many possible reasons, including the more mercenary SEO reason that they're a required element. But mainly because it's the right thing to do on any site.

Rich

 

[MAKG1]

The one thing retailers of high end goods quickly learn is that you are not in a discount days price competition with Piggly Wiggly over a gallon of milk. If you want to know the price, ya gotta come in the store. The Mercedes/Lamborghini dealers do not post prices on the sign out front for good reasons.

I thoroughly disagree with that unless you want to promote your business as a "if you gotta ask, it's too expensive" business.

Most of the local flight schools have not gotten my business because they can't be bothered to post up to date prices.

The website is pretty good. What I see missing from the perspective of an existing pilot is a more detailed description of equipment in the rental aircraft. The GPS is there, and IFR certification. But what about dual nav/comms? What about glideslope receivers (a 430W does that, but what about a 696?)? Do any of the aircraft have autopilots? Are there any special checkouts (A 430W requires some proficiency to use safely in IMC, especially with a coupled autopilot)?

For current students/renters, it's important that the scheduler have squawks available online. I don't know if it's there or not. It's nice to be able to make a no-go due to squawks without driving to the airport.

I agree a driving map is necessary. Also, circle your location on the airport diagram.

 

[exncsurfer]

SEO? Whats with all the SEO talk, he isn't competing globally. Its a fairly local business. He is already on page 1 of google search results for: lincoln nebraska flight training

and he isn't even trying(I assume).

 

[write-stuff]

Clean and attractive, but a bit bland. Show more pictures of people with your airplanes. I'd ditch the da Vinci quote on the homepage. Way too overused. Get a nice, short quote from one of your happy students.

For SEO, I'd also try to get "learn to fly Lincoln" and "Lincoln flight school" in there. Maybe change one of the page names to "Lincoln-flight-school".

 

[RJM62]

SEO? Whats with all the SEO talk, he isn't competing globally. Its a fairly local business. He is already on page 1 of google search results for: lincoln nebraska flight training

and he isn't even trying(I assume).

Yes, in position 5. Why not shoot for position 1, especially if it can be done with very little work and no black-hat ****?

Rich

 

[Sam D]

I thoroughly disagree with that unless you want to promote your business as a "if you gotta ask, it's too expensive" business.

Most of the local flight schools have not gotten my business because they can't be bothered to post up to date prices.

The website is pretty good. What I see missing from the perspective of an existing pilot is a more detailed description of equipment in the rental aircraft. The GPS is there, and IFR certification. But what about dual nav/comms? What about glideslope receivers (a 430W does that, but what about a 696?)? Do any of the aircraft have autopilots? Are there any special checkouts (A 430W requires some proficiency to use safely in IMC, especially with a coupled autopilot)?

For current students/renters, it's important that the scheduler have squawks available online. I don't know if it's there or not. It's nice to be able to make a no-go due to squawks without driving to the airport.

I agree a driving map is necessary. Also, circle your location on the airport diagram.

I agree with Mike. In the earlier example of a Mercedes, you are talking about a product that is already well understood. On the other hand, flight training is a service that is being marketed. The best thing you can do is give always as much free information as possible on the site. Folks mistakenly think this is giving away value when in fact its actually establishing trust -- which is key to selling a service.

Here's an example: I've bought all of Jesse's apps. Hell, he could have an app that only told you what the temperature of the sand was at Moolalooba and I'd probably get it. Why? Because he has given so much in terms of this site that I want to support him. (Aside from that, his apps are pretty good including the W&B one featured in AOPA mag last month. The E6B one, however, stopped working for me).

I've spent a fair amount of time around endurance training and start-up coaching businesses. The most successful ones were the ones that gave away lots for free (basic training plans, etc).

So, my suggestion is the make the site robust in content -- post syllabi, etc. Also, try to create community (post solo's and checkrides, perhaps create a forum for Lincoln-based pilots).

 

[jesse]

I agree with Mike. In the earlier example of a Mercedes, you are talking about a product that is already well understood. On the other hand, flight training is a service that is being marketed. The best thing you can do is give always as much free information as possible on the site. Folks mistakenly think this is giving away value when in fact its actually establishing trust -- which is key to selling a service.

Here's an example: I've bought all of Jesse's apps. Hell, he could have an app that only told you what the temperature of the sand was at Moolalooba and I'd probably get it. Why? Because he has given so much in terms of this site that I want to support him. (Aside from that, his apps are pretty good including the W&B one featured in AOPA mag last month. The E6B one, however, stopped working for me).

I've spent a fair amount of time around endurance training and start-up coaching businesses. The most successful ones were the ones that gave away lots for free (basic training plans, etc).

So, my suggestion is the make the site robust in content -- post syllabi, etc. Also, try to create community (post solo's and checkrides, perhaps create a forum for Lincoln-based pilots).

Oh **** please tell me that was a typo that the W&B was in AOPA last month!? iOS8 broke it considerably and I was just about to permanently remove it from the app store.

 

[Sam D]

Oh **** please tell me that was a typo that the W&B was in AOPA last month!? iOS8 broke it considerably and I was just about to permanently remove it from the app store.

Sorry Jesse. It was a sidebar to June Flight Training...

http://flighttraining.aopa.org/magazine/2015/June/feature-wab.html

 

[exncsurfer]

I agree with Mike. In the earlier example of a Mercedes, you are talking about a product that is already well understood. On the other hand, flight training is a service that is being marketed. The best thing you can do is give always as much free information as possible on the site. Folks mistakenly think this is giving away value when in fact its actually establishing trust -- which is key to selling a service.

Here's an example: I've bought all of Jesse's apps. Hell, he could have an app that only told you what the temperature of the sand was at Moolalooba and I'd probably get it. Why? Because he has given so much in terms of this site that I want to support him. (Aside from that, his apps are pretty good including the W&B one featured in AOPA mag last month. The E6B one, however, stopped working for me).

I've spent a fair amount of time around endurance training and start-up coaching businesses. The most successful ones were the ones that gave away lots for free (basic training plans, etc).

So, my suggestion is the make the site robust in content -- post syllabi, etc. Also, try to create community (post solo's and checkrides, perhaps create a forum for Lincoln-based pilots).

I agree with this(more info is better), some guy at 3am can be reading your site and getting some base knowledge, get fired up about getting started. Then when he calls you, he will have better questions to ask.(better than 'do you offer flight training?') Most people don't realize you actually get to sit at the controls and participate in the 'discovery' flight, or first training flight, whatever you want to call it. I thought i'd be sitting there hand's off watching a demo, not in the left seat manipulating controls. For example from Jesse's site, this is perfect:

"You will get to meet your flight instructor. The instructor will introduce you to the aircraft, teach you how to inspect the airplane, and before you know it you'll be in the pilot's seat with the engine running.

Your flight instructor will teach you how to taxi the airplane..." etc. etc. nice, sign me up.



I don't agree with the forum idea, does the internet need yet another forum, accounts, maintenance, etc. Anyway, he has the FB link for that sort of thing. He can post his solo's, check rides, community stuff there.

 

[ja_user]

Oh **** please tell me that was a typo that the W&B was in AOPA last month!? iOS8 broke it considerably and I was just about to permanently remove it from the app store.

Please don't remove it, charge what you need to to keep it functional... But it is a great app..

 

[timrb]

I mean as little offense as possible, Tim, but certainly, this isn't the first time you've seen the "Hamburger Menu" right? That is, by far, the absolute gold standard method of indicating that a menu exists now on mobile sites.

I can't remember the last time I saw someone use something different...

No offense taken, but yes, it is the first time. I don't mobile.

Tim

 

[Cap'n Jack]

It's a responsive design so it looks great on all devices. You can see this on a PC by just reducing the width of your browser window down to tablet and phone sized and you'll see the website snap as appropriate to the new size.

Looks fine on an iPad. I wondered where the menu went until I saw the 3 stacked lines. I suppose that is what Nick means by "Hamburger menu". It took me only a few seconds to find it.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

One thing that drew me to the flight school I was with until I solo'd (and promptly left the country for work) was on the price page they put an explanation right up front that basically said your mileage will vary, and very few people finish their initial training with the minimal hours. They went on to provide the minimal price for zero-to-certificate training, and the more realistic price that their students had experienced with their instructors in their aircraft.

That level of up-front honesty made it easier for me to trust them enough to make the first step. I at least knew that I wasn't dealing with a hungry salesman.

Another point: many times when I googled flight training schools I would click a link that took me to generic sites that were really only there to generate leads for different areas of the country. Your initial page has a generic feel to it. I would echo what others have said and maybe have a rotating series of your actual students or facility/aircraft in use instead of the obviously stock photo of the daydreaming kid / future pilot.

Great start - I wish you well!

 

[Rigged4Flight]

Here's an example: I've bought all of Jesse's apps. Hell, he could have an app that only told you what the temperature of the sand was at Moolalooba and I'd probably get it. Why? Because he has given so much in terms of this site that I want to support him. (Aside from that, his apps are pretty good including the W&B one featured in AOPA mag last month. The E6B one, however, stopped working for me).

Not to sidetrack the thread, but is there a link to Jesse's apps in the app store?

 

[jesse]

Not to sidetrack the thread, but is there a link to Jesse's apps in the app store?

As great as the apps are, which have sold something like 5,000 copies, I would strongly advise you not to purchase them right now. They'll either be pulled from the store in the near future or the IP and code will be sold to a third party.

I simply don't have the time available to fix them after the ios8 release busted some of their functionality.

All that said, if there is an active iOS developer reading this, send me a pm and I would love to strike a deal. They still sell well, I've just been out of the iOS developing game for many years now and don't have the time to learn all the new stuff to fix them.

 

[jesse]

One thing that drew me to the flight school I was with until I solo'd (and promptly left the country for work) was on the price page they put an explanation right up front that basically said your mileage will vary, and very few people finish their initial training with the minimal hours. They went on to provide the minimal price for zero-to-certificate training, and the more realistic price that their students had experienced with their instructors in their aircraft.

That level of up-front honesty made it easier for me to trust them enough to make the first step. I at least knew that I wasn't dealing with a hungry salesman.

Another point: many times when I googled flight training schools I would click a link that took me to generic sites that were really only there to generate leads for different areas of the country. Your initial page has a generic feel to it. I would echo what others have said and maybe have a rotating series of your actual students or facility/aircraft in use instead of the obviously stock photo of the daydreaming kid / future pilot.

Great start - I wish you well!

Thanks for the feedback, I'm trying to let all of this feedback soak in my head for a day or two so I can figure out the best way to implement the suggestions.

I certainly agree that more photos and less stock would be better but I simply don't have the photos right now that are of high enough quality to work. That will change in time.

I have a full time technology career that's pretty demanding, do a fairly measurable amount of flight instruction, and am also working on the business side of this.

We can keep one airplane very busy right now, like a hundred hours a month, the expansion to three now requires I expand the business to make the numbers work out. Thankfully it all appears to be coming together quite nicely.

One challenge that I will need to eventually figure out how to overcome is our lack of a functional space for ground training. We can't do any at the FBO, but hopefully space will free up somewhere to lease in the future. In the mean time, we can do it in a hangar

 

[Rigged4Flight]

As great as the apps are, which have sold something like 5,000 copies, I would strongly advise you not to purchase them right now. They'll either be pulled from the store in the near future or the IP and code will be sold to a third party.

I simply don't have the time available to fix them after the ios8 release busted some of their functionality.

All that said, if there is an active iOS developer reading this, send me a pm and I would love to strike a deal. They still sell well, I've just been out of the iOS developing game for many years now and don't have the time to learn all the new stuff to fix them.

Damn. I do like supporting people/businesses that I know, but I also like buying things that work - so thanks for the info.