Kraemer Aviation Expands Services With New General Aviation Mobile Training Unit

Gaithersburg, MD --Kraemer Aviation Services, in cooperation with CoFlight Sport Aviation and Sportsplanes.com, is assembling a one-of-a-kind Mobile Training Unit (MTU) to expand its services to the general aviation community.

The MTU is a classroom on wheels, equipped to provide on-site general aviation training to pilots of all experience levels. The MTU’s presentation area provides a spacious, comfortable, and personalized learning environment for one-on-one training or for groups of up to seven people. Starting with the comforts of a luxury motor home, the MTU is fitted with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, secure broadband satellite Internet access, and wireless network connectivity. These services will allow instructors and students to conduct detailed pre-flight weather briefings, file flight plans, and more. In addition, the unit features a variety of flight and communications simulators and real avionics for hands-on training. The unit even has a Ground Power Unit (GPU) on-board power unit that is capable of powering an aircraft while on the ground for in-cockpit avionics training.

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the number of airport businesses that offer flight training in the U.S. has declined from nearly 10,000 in the 1960s to about 3,000 today—leaving many active and aspiring pilots with the desire to learn but nowhere to go. The number of schools was further affected when many were forced to close shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. As a result, many airports no longer offer training programs. The MTU provides the mobility to reach students at any location--especially those locations where training simply does not exist.

Pilots of all experience levels require ongoing training; however, the student pilot population is where training begins. In its Aerospace Forecasts report for FY 2005 to 2016, the FAA indicates that student pilot population is expected to grow at an annual rate of at least 1.6 percent to reach 100,800 by 2016. The new category of Light-Sport Aircraft makes it easier and more economical to fly, thereby attracting more student pilots.

“Personal flying will be a lot more accessible to a lot more people since the new Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft rules were finalized and published by the FAA in September of 2004,” said Harry Kraemer, president of Kraemer Aviation Services and NAFI Master Instructor. “The mobile training concept will help address the swell of Sport Pilot training needs as well as provide more flexible, convenient, and personalized learning options for a variety of traditional and hands-on aviation education and proficiency requirements.”

One very important goal is to keep the training costs at or below what is offered by traditional, fixed-base flight schools. “We are keeping our costs low by partnering with national organizations such as Sportsplanes.com and regional organizations such as CoFlight Sport Aviation,” Kraemer said. “These organizations help reduce the overhead of attracting new students through local and national marketing programs and allow us to offer discounts on training materials and other benefits to our students.”

The MTU will be displayed in the Sportsplanes.com booths (N035 & N036) at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in, Lakeland, FL, beginning on Friday, April 15. Sport Pilot classes will start in May in the Gaithersburg, Maryland area.

For more information about the MTU and the Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft rules, visit Kraemer Aviation, Inc. (www.allaviation.org), CoFlight Sport Aviation (www.coflight.com), and Sportsplanes.com (www.sportsplanes.com).

The new general aviation mobile training unit arrives in Gaithersburg, MD