In addition to our day jobs, our Chief Flight Instructor Jeff Wolf and I also hold board positions on the NATIONAL FLIGHT TRAINING ALLIANCE | NFTA. As a matter of fact, we played integral roles in its founding in 2022 after years of frustration that flight training school owners did not have a strong voice in Washington fighting for rules and regulations that reflect the modern world of flight training – and not historical versions of a bygone era. Three years in, NFTA has made swift and positive moves to get the FAA’s attention on recommendations that recognize and enforce the critical role that flight schools like ours play in training the next generation of commercial and recreational pilots.

One of NFTA’s major initiatives was recognized in December 2024, when the FAA assigned NFTA the role of facilitating public meetings to study and discuss updating regulations for flight schools like Paragon Flight Training that are controlled by Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, commonly known as (14 CFR) part 141. The first meeting was held April 1-3 and Jeff attended, representing Paragon Flight and NFTA. Here’s Jeff’s summary:

“First, it’s quite remarkable that the FAA is approaching the industry and encouraging us to suggest and ultimately implement dramatic changes.In the spirit of moving the flight industry forward, meeting discussions centered on certification for flight schools seeking to qualify as a 141 school, ongoing certificate management, and final examining authority by schools in lieu of FAA examinations. Immediate and short-term fixes are focused on policy changes that emphasize efficiency, quality and safety and can be made quickly without going through extended FAA regulatory channels. The comprehensive rewrite of the 141 regulations is a longer-term goal, with an initial draft expected by the end of the year that could then take up to two years for final FAA review and approval. Ensuring the new regulations are not a burden for 141 flight school operators will be a key part of the regulatory rewrite.

In a nutshell, these early days found us identifying pain points and exploring solutions that 141 schools in the flight training industry can collectively embrace.

I’m grateful to Jeff, Captain Lee Collins (a colleague and friend who leads NFTA) and all of our industry partners seeking to optimize safety, quality, technology and a greater sense of collaboration and shared goals in flight training. We’ll keep you posted as these meetings continue.