Flight School Safety and Maintenance

1. Safety Policy

Everyone participates in safety—students, renters, instructors.

• Any person may initiate a safety stop at any time
• Open reporting: concerns go directly to management
• Weather minimums published for each experience level
• Training standards: checklists, procedures, memory items, decision making
• Instructor oversight: rigorous hiring, evaluations, and continuous training
• Quality tracking: digital records monitor safety trends and performance
• Example safety policy: towbar pins attached to aircraft keys; remove towbar immediately after use

2. Safety Risk Management

We take a proactive approach to identifying and controlling risk before it affects a flight.

• Before every flight, instructors identify potential risks and plan mitigations
• During the flight, they actively reassess conditions and adjust the plan as needed
• Threats are handled early—before they can grow into errors or undesirable aircraft states.
• Operational trends are reviewed so we can address issues long before they affect safety
• Any new risk or concern is shared immediately with the team

The goal is constant: stay ahead of hazards, make smart decisions early, and keep every flight safe.

3. Safety Assurance: Our Quality Assurance Program

Written policies and training standards are only effective when there is a system to verify that they are consistently followed.

At each location, the chief instructor and assistant chief instructor complete a tracked monthly audit of approximately 15 to 20 quality and safety checks. The audit measures compliance with Pilot Rise policies, procedures, training standards, and documentation requirements.

• Instructor performance and lesson quality
• Preflight and flight-operations compliance
• Client, instructor, and training-record accuracy

When an audit identifies a concern, management documents the follow-up and determines whether a broader review, additional practice, counseling, or retraining is appropriate. Instructors and clients know the program is in place. This creates a closed loop for measuring, documenting, reviewing, and addressing safety, instructional quality, and recordkeeping.

4. Safety Promotion

Safety is part of daily culture:

• Briefings and instructor meetings
• The chief instructor attends monthly Hicks Airport safety meetings
• A strong Just Culture where anyone can raise concerns without retaliation