How to make it through the winter months...

brian.sloan

Well-Known Member
Sorry if this has been covered, I swear I searched for it. Now moving on...
Does anyone out there have suggestions for increasing work during the winter months ( Ohio based )
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks!

-My CFI buds and I ;)
 
Where are you teaching? I am Ohio based and stay plenty busy. I run three ground schools during the winter which helps both stay busy in winter and keep me busy the rest the year. Also encourage any students you have now to keep flying. You shouldn't have a problem doing lessons in the winter as long as you push them to keep going
 
How to make it through the winter months???
Buy a nice jacket...........Just joking..........
 
My most challenging aspect of CFI in the winter was the weather, not the student load. So, with that aspect - run more ground school and pick up more instrument students...

So is your facility slow in acquiring more students? or is it another issue?
 
Ha I wish relocation was an option...
The thing is our flight school is brand new and growing. It was born late winter last year, and were expecting a slow in business due to weather, not so much students. We plan on hosting ground schools
 
I would recommend then trying some of the ideas offered in Greg Brown's book The Saavy Flight Instructor. If it's students you lack then it's time to stop relying on the school and hit the pavement yourself. It might also be a tool of negotiation for you to to talk to the owner about getting a cut of the profits for bringing in new students and increasing his/her base of income.
 
In So Cal next to the coast some of our best flying weather is in the fall & winter. Between daylight savings ending (no night ops at the airport) and getting dark earlier I would lose two flights a day during the winter months. Also, every year from November to January student load would drop in half due to the holidays and tax time.

To supplement the losses for night I would do ground ground school. I also had four busy airports near by where I had clients. I never had to advertise much, after I was teaching full time for a year to two it was all word of mouth. I would just get phone calls for work.
 
As a winter student, I'd be jumping all over the opportunity to learn about a) avoiding the freezing levels and b) finding actual to fly in.
 
Do you need a ground instructor certificate to do structured ground schools like that or will a CFI do?
 
Where are you teaching? I am Ohio based and stay plenty busy. I run three ground schools during the winter which helps both stay busy in winter and keep me busy the rest the year. Also encourage any students you have now to keep flying. You shouldn't have a problem doing lessons in the winter as long as you push them to keep going
based out of i19, you?
 
Oh how I love winter.

Shoveling my airplane out from under a foot of snow and going home to have it snow another 8" that same night.
3 weeks of 800' ceilings with freezing levels at ground level.
Getting insurance bills for an airplane that hasn't flown in a month.
Getting tie-down bills for an airplane sitting on a ramp that hasn't been plowed for a week.
 
Oh how I love winter.

Shoveling my airplane out from under a foot of snow and going home to have it snow another 8" that same night.
3 weeks of 800' ceilings with freezing levels at ground level.
Getting insurance bills for an airplane that hasn't flown in a month.
Getting tie-down bills for an airplane sitting on a ramp that hasn't been plowed for a week.
... finally getting a break in the weather with a CAVU forecast, sending a solo student pilot out to the training area just to have unforecast lake effect snow pop up and drive everything to IMC.
 
Oh how I love winter.

Shoveling my airplane out from under a foot of snow and going home to have it snow another 8" that same night.
3 weeks of 800' ceilings with freezing levels at ground level.
Getting insurance bills for an airplane that hasn't flown in a month.
Getting tie-down bills for an airplane sitting on a ramp that hasn't been plowed for a week.
Brush snow off of airplane. Remove cover. Shovel tiedown spot. Start up. Taxi to company hangar. Get stuck in snow berm. Shut down, get out, shovel snow berm, start up, finish taxi. Push airplane into hangar, melt off the remaining snow and accumulated ice. Preflight. Pull out of hangar. Get fuel. Start up. Fly. Go back to tiedown spot, put cover back on. 3 hours of work for .8 of flying.
 
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