A message from NFTA CEO Captain Lee Collins: Sustainable aviation fuel will propel the next generation of aviation. Is your flight school prepared to act? NFTA is.

Pictured Lee Collins

As we continue our discussion on the greening of aviation and its impact on flight training schools, let’s shift gears from clean simulator technology to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). First advocated in earnest by the FAA in 2020, SAF is an alternative fuel made from non-petroleum feedstocks and is said to cut aviation emissions by 80%. The FAA has made SAF use a goal by 2030, which means that preparation needs to begin now among flight academies…a daunting challenge best met together.  

While the flight training segment of aviation has some large national and regional players, most are smaller, owner-operated entities with a single location and a fleet of five or fewer aircraft. It’s difficult for these small businesses to get funding to invest in aircraft, simulator technology and sustainable fuel. With a new fuel farm to house green aviation fuels involving an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars, some schools will decide they are not willing to take the financial and emotional risks necessary to accommodate the switch and adapt to a changing industry and will exit the market. Other schools who want to stay in the game will need a partner to scale operations and continue to attract students. Indeed, the push toward a greener aviation industry will further accelerate consolidations in the flight training industry, whether through local partnerships, regional alignments or large carriers beginning or enhancing their own flight training programs.

When the FAA began the push sustainability, flight academies did not have a voice in Washington looking out for its best interests. Instead, schools were lumped in with the general aviation industry; the NFTA has now changed that inequity. With green initiatives and technological advancements putting traditional flight schools at a crossroads, it’s imperative that we work collaboratively to present an informed, consistent voice in Washington. NFTA provides a forum for feedback that we take to Capitol Hill so our legislators know that while we support smart advances in cleaner aviation, we also need workable plans to implement change in a reasonable time frame and at a reasonable cost.

The NFTA has made significant inroads with the regulators to ensure that, among other things, government mandates don’t obliterate a critical segment of the industry training our country’s next generation of pilots. 

Join us as we unify, promote and protect America’s flight training providers.