Intro flights. What to do?

J

Josh

Well-Known Member
So, these $49 intro flights that seem to bring folks in all the time.

What do you do during the flight, that keeps their interest to continue on? I understand that it is normal to have most just want to fly cheap for $49. But I thinking of ways to keep those who really are interested. What extra little things can be done?

Maybe some sort of info sheet listing what else needs to be done to get a rating completed, now that the first step has been taken for that intro?

Limited to about 1/2hr of flight time where I'm working for these, get paid for about .6, though the whole deal usually takes 1-2hrs out of my day, depending on how interested the person seems.

Thanks,
Josh
 
Take a polaroid of them by the plane, paperclip it to a logbook with their .5 hrs and a copy of your business card. If they start flying, it will be with you.
 
Polaroid? What is that?
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Got a source for a really cheap logbook then? I thought I has seen a paperback style one at one time for only $2 or so, but can't find it now. Cheapest ones we sell at the FBO are around $7 I think. I'm not about to plunk down that, as it is mostly just those out for a fun cheap flight it seems. But if I could say, talk the school into throwing in a $1 or $2 logbook and all, I may do it for each of these flights. It is in their interest for making a new customer, and mine for a new student as well.

Seems this be a pilot thing gets advertised a lot, but the program should provide a nice little bit of stuff to hand out with the intro to keep things going past the $49 point.

Makes me think this could be done pretty slick, easy and cheap, with a digicam, and a printer. Take photo, print them, with a little note saying something like "joe shmo has sucessfully completed his first flight in (airplane type) on (the date) at (the airport). Please keep this for your records, and bring it to your next flight lesson."

Space for name, phone number, etc of the flight school, CFI, or whatever other contact is needed.

Would all be instant, and almost free, to make these up. Hmm.
 
I do the preflight before the student arrives. First off, they get in their seat, I explain how to adjust it, then I briefly explain how the flight controls work. Then I briefly explain the flight and engine instruments. I tell them how to work the doors, windows, seatbelts, no smoking, no electronics, and go over positive exchange of flight controls (you have the flight controls, I have the flight controls, you have the flight controls). I explain the before start and engine start checklists as I execute them, and generally let the student turn the ignition switch to start.

I taxi off the ramp, once on the taxiway, I give the student the controls and let them taxi (and wonder how many times I will have to tell this person to keep their hands off the yoke).

I execute most items of the before takeoff checklist, explaining as I go, and let the student do a few things such as the magneto checks and carb heat check.

I handle the radios for the entire flight. If I feel the student did a good job taxiing, I may let them try the first takeoff. However, many people seem to be "freaked out" about taking off on their own for the first time, so if they express any discomfort, I will do the takeoff.

I've only had a few students who felt comfortable taking off and handling the entire climb on their first lesson, most people don't want to do that. Once we get up to altitude I explain the trim wheel, hand the controls over to the student if they don't already have them, and let them try some straight and level, level turns, climbs, and descents. If they have trouble with straight and level, I take the controls back. Then I trim the airplane for straight and level and take my hands off of they yoke, demonstrating the inherent stability of the airplane.

After that, it's time to head back. I let the student turn us back toward the airport and put us in the inital descent to pattern altiude. I take the controls at 1000 AGL and demonstrate the landing. I let the student taxi back to the ramp, and take the pedals back once we're on the ramp. I park the airplane and tie it down, then we go inside for a debrief.

I've done this about a dozen or so times so far, and it's different every time. I've had people who wouldn't take the controls until we got to cruising altitude and even then told me they were "tired" after 1 or 2 minutes and surrendered the airplane back to me. On the flip side, I've had students who took off on their own and did a reasonably good job of landing the airplane on their first try.

All in all, these are the most stressful flights for me as an instructor, because I have no idea who I'm flying with, what their ablities are, or what their personality is like.

I reccomend Kershner's book for these types of questions. He gives a pretty detailed breakdown of exactly what should be covered on the first couple of flights. I always glance over that book before a discovery flight.
 
You can throw in a little +/- G's if their comfortable with it, thats always fun
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What I normally do, is walk through a preflight inspection with them watching, as I explain everything I am checking. Go through the starting procedures, then taxi the plane to the runup area. Talk them through the runup with them doing as much of it as possible, then I have them taxi the airplane to the runway. During the takeoff, I will have them takeoff (with me helping on the controls), and we climb out towards the practice area. In the practice area I talk them through the four fundamentals, straight and level, climbs, turns, and descents, while I explain how the controls work. We then head back to the airport where I have them descend down to the traffic pattern. Then depending on how they have done, and what they are comfortable with, I will either coach them through landing the plane, with my help, or I will take the controls at that time and land the airplane. You can usually tell if you can get someone to come back if they buy a logbook. Either way, I always give them my card, and give them a call within the next week.
 
Always explain the process of getting the certificate.

Always ask what kind of flying the person is interested in.

And, most important, completely obvious, but done so seldom, as part of the postflight say, "So when can we schedule your next lesson?" If the answer is anything other than a date, ask of you can follow up by calling or emailing in a week. No, you can't make a pain of yourself, but anyone in sales will tell you that people do not buy unless they are asked to.
 
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You can usually tell if you can get someone to come back if they buy a logbook. Either way, I always give them my card, and give them a call within the next week.

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Right guys. I like what y'all do on your flights. Seems like what I've been doing. No problem with that.

But it is the how to get them to come back that I'd like more ideas on. Other than giving a card, do you have ways to get them to maybe commit to a next lesson. Just asking right out, so when do you want to schedule the next lesson for? Other things maybe you say.
 
I love intro flights because I get to do at least some flying and I enjoy being a part of the first, and frequently only, flight experience for many of my customers. Remember, your own enthusiasm for flight is contagious. If you treat a Discovery Flight like a chore, your prospect will sense it and be disappointed. Try to remember how your first flight felt, and enjoy being able to do the same thing for others. I've had many students tell me that the reason they came back was because they really enjoyed my enthusiasm. That's the whole point behind volunteering for EAA's Young Eagles program.

When the flight is over, all you can do is get them to schedule another lesson, even if they try to hesitate. What I tell them is, lets make the appointment, and if we have to, we can always cancel it later, but lets get one on the books so we have an airplane. I then make sure to follow up with a phone call the day before the lesson to remind and encourage them. If this doesn't work, chances are they won't keep coming back anyway. In my experience, the student has to want to do it because you'll never be able to make them do it.

One other trick on the Discovery Flight, I always try to fly over the student's house if it's close enough. The students get a big kick out of it, and as bad as it may sound, I can often tell by the house they live in whether or not they can afford flight training.
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One other trick on the Discovery Flight, I always try to fly over the student's house if it's close enough. The students get a big kick out of it, and as bad as it may sound, I can often tell by the house they live in whether or not they can afford flight training.
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You'd have never encouraged me to even schedule lesson two, huh??
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Just asking right out, so when do you want to schedule the next lesson for?

[/ QUOTE ]Pretty much, followed up with "why not" kinds of questions.

The idea is to get the prospect to tell you the reasons why not. If you know what the concerns are, you may be able to satisfy them. There's not much you can do about "I just don't have the money," but many other issues can be resolved in various ways.

Of course, ultimately there are those who really just wanted a ride and really aren't interested, but if you don't find out that they're worried because they didn't understand a thing on the radio, you have nothing to say to counteract it.

Go to the library and pick up a book on sales techniques. That all that this is about.
 
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