June 2025 Instructor Updates

With June underway, we want to share some key highlights from May and take a moment to reflect on what made it a meaningful and productive month.

June 7, 2025

1. First Gathering of Our Flight Training Advisory Group 📋

In early May, we held the first meeting with four members of our Flight Training Advisory Group. While we currently have eight advisors supporting us behind the scenes, this was the first time all of our flight training-focused advisors came together for a live discussion—Julie Boatman, Ryan Binns, John Niehaus, and Steve Tupper.

We used this opportunity to reflect on recent conversations with instructors during onboarding, review our platform’s progress, and discuss where we’re headed next. These discussions help us stay informed and accountable—ensuring our decisions are guided by those who truly understand the industry.

2. Nationwide Pilot Training Survey — Over 200 Responses 📌

We started a national survey to gather real-world training experiences from pilots across the country—and the response has been incredible. Over 200 pilots participated, and we’ve conducted some follow-up interviews to go even deeper.

Some even volunteered to speak directly with our product and engineering team, helping us understand what it really feels like to find instruction, navigate platforms, and pursue their next training milestones.

Want to share your perspective? We’re still accepting responses for a few more days.
Click here to take the survey →

Our team is working on a full insights report, and we’ll share key results in an upcoming update.

3. New Features & Upcoming Enhancements 🔍

We’ve made several updates based on feedback from students and instructors like you:

• Multi-Option Search Bar: Available across the homepage and other key pages, this new search experience allows students to filter by location, category, and keyword—helping them find relevant listings faster.
• Save to Favorites: Students can now save the training listing pages they love and revisit them anytime. This new Favorites feature helps students compare options and return to them later—especially helpful as many of them are taking their time to explore different instructors, aircraft access, and specialties before booking.
• In Progress: We’re currently working on two requested features:
  • Multi-Location Listings – Display all of your training locations within a single listing.
  • Post-Booking Adjustments – Make updates to the final charge after a lesson ends, giving you more flexibility to ensure charges match the total time of instruction provided. Additionally, after several walkthrough sessions with students, we’re also improving how profiles appear in search results to highlight key details that matter.

4.“Flying with Confidence” Guarantee + Educational Content ✈️

One of the most critical decisions in a pilot’s journey is choosing the right flight instructor. While most instructors are highly skilled, the match in teaching style and personality matters just as much. To support this, we’ve launched the Flying with Confidence Guarantee — if a student’s first session doesn’t feel right, we’ll help them find a better fit or offer a full refund (up to $200).

Alongside this, we also published a new article to help students navigate their options confidently—featuring insights from our flight training advisors and several nationally recognized aviation leaders.

Read: “How to Choose the Right Flight Instructor” →

📣 Final Note: Help Students Get to Know You

One of the top takeaways from our pilot survey and student interviews is that they want to know who their instructors are—not just your qualifications and availability, but also your teaching style, personality, and even relevant life experiences.

Students repeatedly told us they’re more likely to reach out to an instructor if they can relate to an instructor’s aviation background or understand their approach to teaching.

We invite you to take a few minutes to update your profile page—share your teaching philosophy, and include any personal aviation milestones or highlights.

The more you share, the easier it is for future students to find the right fit—and for you to build effective training relationships.

Thank you for being part of this path forward. We’re building Skyfarer together, and your experience, insight, and time are helping us create something impactful for the community.

Onward and upward,
The Skyfarer Academy Team

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