He was sitting on the back of a C-130 waiting for an instrument check. Something was broken. And while he waited, he watched four Navy technicians try to read a wiring diagram — flipping back and forth, losing their place, burning time on a document that was never built for the way humans actually learn.That was the moment Scott Angelo knew exactly what he needed to build.Scott is the Co-Founder and CRO of UpskillAir, a mobile microlearning platform built for the aviation industry. He is also a First Officer at United Airlines flying the Boeing 737, and a recently retired U.S. Navy Commander with 25 years of flying across the P-3 Orion, C-130, and S-3.In this episode, Tim Jedrek sits down with Scott to talk about why flight school training has not kept pace with the industry, what the brain actually does with information between flight events, and how schools can use short-form video and neuroscience to produce better pilots faster.If you run a flight school, manage a maintenance operation, or train anyone in aviation, this one is worth the full hour.🔗 LINKSUpskillAir website: https://www.upskillair.comContact UpskillAir: info@upskillair.comConnect with Scott Angelo on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scottangeloWant to grow your flight school?Right Rudder Marketing is the only full-service digital marketing agency built exclusively for flight schools.📞 Call us: 314-804-1200📧 Email us: info@rightruddermarketing.com🌐 Visit us: https://www.rightruddermarketing.com

Most flight school owners look at their premium and assume they're covered. Beth Clark, Aviation and Business Insurance Specialist at Marsh McLennan Agency, says that assumption can be devastating. In this episode, Beth breaks down exactly how flight school insurance works, what policies you actually need, where the gaps are, and how to make sure you are not holding the bag when a claim hits.Beth has 19 years of insurance experience and has spent the last 8 years specializing in aviation, working with flight schools, FBOs, charter operations, drones, ag spraying, and more. At MMA, the 5th largest insurance agency in North America, she has direct access to 14 aviation-specific markets to find coverage that fits your operation.Topics covered in this episode: types of insurance a flight school needs to operate, how Part 141 vs. Part 61 affects your pricing and your risk profile in the eyes of underwriters, why older aircraft are not necessarily cheaper to insure (parts availability, loss of use exposure), what actually happens when a student damages an aircraft and who pays, the difference between having CFI professional liability on your fleet policy vs. your general liability, when a CFI needs their own individual insurance, how third party rentals affect your coverage and your premium, and why the Cessna 172s in your fleet are not worth $35,000 anymore and your hull values need to reflect that.Connect with Beth Clark:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/beth-dunphyRight Rudder Marketing — the only full-service digital marketing agency built exclusively for flight schools.Website: rightruddermarketing.comPhone: 314-804-1200

Beau Garrett trained Navy and Air Force officers as a CFI, flew corporate jets out of Atlanta, lost his job in the 2008 financial crisis, and came out the other side with an MBA, a consulting career, and a $2,000 Facebook survey that would change everything.That survey got 1,800 responses. Those responses built a product. That product landed a design patent, a feature in AOPA Pilot Magazine, and a partnership with the Wright Brothers Family Foundation. The brand started as Bravo Golf. In 2025, it became Call Sign.In this episode, Tim Jedrek sits down with Beau to talk about building a brand inside one of the most tight-knit, skeptical communities in the world, and what every flight school owner can take from his story.WHAT WE COVER:• How Beau went from IFS instructor to corporate pilot to watch brand founder• The $2,000 Facebook survey that gave him his product roadmap• Why Call Sign does less on purpose, and why that is the whole point• The design patent behind the crescent Zulu time window• How a chance conversation at Sun 'n Fun led to a Wright Brothers partnership• Why he walked away from a brand name that was working• How Call Sign grows revenue at in-person events vs. digital• The free affiliate program flight schools can sign up for right now• The one piece of advice Beau would give every student pilot starting outFLIGHT SCHOOL OWNERS: Call Sign has a free affiliate program built specifically for you. Sign up at mycallsign.com, get a custom co-branded brochure printed and shipped to your school at no cost, earn a commission on every student purchase, and give your students an exclusive discount they can not get anywhere else.LINKS MENTIONED:Call Sign Watches: https://www.mycallsign.comCall Sign on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callsignwatchesAOPA Pilot Magazine Review: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2024/november/pilot/products-bravo-golf-watchesABOUT THE AVIATION BUSINESS PODCAST:The Aviation Business Podcast is hosted by Tim Jedrek, founder of Right Rudder Marketing, the only full-service digital marketing agency built exclusively for flight schools. Each episode features founders, operators, and industry leaders building something real inside aviation.Want to be a guest? Call us at 314-804-1200 or email info@rightruddermarketing.com.Looking to grow your flight school? Visit rightruddermarketing.com and schedule a strategy call with our team.

Jack Parrish resigned from Envoy Air at a coffee shop with shaking hands. Six years later, Parrish Aviation has 12 aircraft, nine more Sling NGTs on order, a second location opening this month, and a glider-first training program that's dropping solo times below 20 hours.In this episode of The Aviation Business Podcast, Tim Jedrek sits down with Jack Parrish, President and Founder of Parrish Aviation, an FAA Part 141 Career Program flight school at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, TX. Jack is a former airline pilot on the Boeing 767, the current Part 141 Chief Flight Instructor, a NAFI Master CFI (top 1% of all U.S. flight instructors), and a newly appointed board member of the Flight School Association International (FASI, formerly FASANA).This conversation covers the real details of building and scaling a Part 141 flight school: why in-house maintenance is the growth threshold every owner has to cross, why Jack says it's foolish not to go 141, how his glider-first airmanship program is getting students to solo in the 10 to 20 hour range, why he's betting the fleet on the Sling NGT platform, how tying CFI pay to pass rates changes instructor behavior, the TikTok strategy that launched the school with zero reputation, and what FASI is actually doing for the industry behind the scenes.If you run a flight school, if you're thinking about starting one, or if you want to hear what it looks like when someone builds an operation the right way from day one, this episode is for you.== CONNECT WITH JACK PARRISH ==Website: https://www.parrishaviation.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parrishaviation/Phone: (469) 886-8089== CONNECT WITH RIGHT RUDDER MARKETING ==Website: https://rightruddermarketing.comSchedule a Strategy Call: https://rightruddermarketing.com/schedule-callPhone: 314-804-1200Email: info@rightruddermarketing.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rightruddermarketing/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rightruddermarketingSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6HqS2ljQR33xof9Xnel9AwThe Aviation Business Podcast is produced by Right Rudder Marketing, the only full-service digital marketing agency built exclusively for flight schools.

Still juggling spreadsheets, disconnected tools, and manual scheduling at your flight school? In this episode, Tim sits down with Greg Kedzierski, founder of Tailplane and 20-year software veteran, to show you how his all-in-one aviation management platform is changing the way flight schools operate.Greg shares his journey from getting his PPL in 2019, spotting the technology gap in the industry firsthand, and building Tailplane from the ground up, starting with contactless payments during COVID and evolving into a full operational platform built for flight schools like yours.✈️ What You'll Learn:• How Tailplane handles scheduling, maintenance tracking, student management, and payments in one place• Why Greg built Tailplane incrementally based on real flight school feedback• How TAF weather integration is built directly into the scheduling view• What the onboarding process looks like and how pricing is structured• How Tailplane integrates with tools like Stripe, Veriyon, and Flight Docs, with a public API for custom integrations💬 Notable Quotes:"We want to be the place where your operation lives.""Be the best version of yourself and just do it.""We support dark mode for night operations."🔗 Learn more about Tailplane: tailplane.com📧 Contact Greg directly: greg@tailplane.com

Kickstarting 2026 with a banger episode of the Aviation Business Podcast.

Tim Jedrek (Founder & CEO of Right Rudder Marketing) sits down with Otto Mand, Director of Operations at D&J Aviation in Orlando and founder of Easy Copilot, a growing aviation checklist company.

If you’re a flight school owner, director of ops, chief pilot, or aviation entrepreneur, this episode is packed with real‑world insights on running a busy school, building systems, and creating a better student experience.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What it’s really like to be “Director of Asterisk”
How Otto juggles operations, IT, marketing, and more at a high‑volume Orlando flight school.
• Why great flight training is 70% studying, 30% flying
How to set expectations for new students so they don’t burn out after the discovery‑flight honeymoon.
• Turning flight school chaos into smooth operations
How Otto uses automation, IT, and tools like Zapier to streamline scheduling, lead follow‑up, and internal processes.
• Building a flight school that feels like “home”
The power of community, culture, and knowing every student’s name in a competitive market like central Florida.
• Alternative aviation careers beyond the airlines
How both Tim and Otto built impactful aviation careers without going to the airlines.
• The origin of Easy Copilot checklists
How a personal pain point in instrument training led Otto to design durable, waterproof, highly usable checklists.
• Custom, branded checklists as a “cherry on top”
How flight schools use white‑labeled Easy Copilot checklists to level up branding and the student experience.
• Candid thoughts on MOSAIC and sport pilot trends


Why some DPEs and schools are hesitant, and how expectations still often match private‑pilot performance.

Connect with Otto & Easy Copilot

Easy Copilot website: https://easycopilot.com

otto@easycopilot.com

Work with Right Rudder Marketing

Right Rudder Marketing helps flight schools grow with a proven aviation‑specific marketing system: more qualified leads, better follow‑up, and stronger student pipelines.

• Website: https://rightruddermarketing.com

• Call Tim: 314‑804‑1200

• LinkedIn: Right Rudder Marketing

• YouTube: @rightruddermarketing

If you own or run a flight school and want to:

• Increase leads and enrollments

• Fix broken follow‑up and CRM processes

• Build a brand students actually remember

New episodes featuring aviation leaders, flight school owners, and aviation entrepreneurs coming soon.

Paul Beaulieu, founder of Avier Flight School, shares his incredible journey from a single leased aircraft to running a multi-million dollar operation with 12 planes, 20+ instructors, and 250 active students .

In this episode, discover how he built a thriving aviation business without massive startup capital, turned a former piano student into his co-owner, and created a unique flight school culture based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs .

Key Takeaways:


✈️ How to start a flight school with minimal capital using leaseback aircraft


🎯 The critical transition from instructor to CEO


👥 Building a world-class team and removing yourself from daily operations

📈 Creating an inclusive, hospitality-driven flight training environment


💰 When (and how much) to pay yourself as a flight school owner


🎓 Using Maslow’s Hierarchy to improve student retention and safety

About Our Guest:
Paul Beaulieu is the co-founder and co-owner of Avier Flight School, operating 12 aircraft, 20+ flight instructors, and serving 200-250 active students . With backgrounds in education, aviation (27 years, 7,000+ hours dual given), and hospitality management, Paul has created a unique flight training culture that prioritizes customer service, safety, and inclusivity.

Connect with Right Rudder Marketing:


📱 Website: https://rightruddermarketing.com


📞 Schedule a Call: (314) 804-1200


📧 Grow Your Flight School: https://rightruddermarketing.com

About The Aviation Business Podcast:


Hosted by Tim Jedrek, CEO & Founder of Right Rudder Marketing, The Aviation Business Podcast features conversations with successful flight school owners, aviation entrepreneurs, and industry leaders who share actionable strategies for growing and scaling aviation businesses .

Discover how aerospace aesthetic art and strategic sales principles can help your flight school or aviation business stand out in a crowded market .In this unique episode of the Aviation Business Podcast, host Tim Jedrek sits down with Marty Tascona to explore an unexpected intersection: fine art meets aviation marketing.

Marty shares his father Tony Tascona’s pioneering work using aircraft materials like aluminum and epoxy resin to create stunning aerospace-themed art, and reveals powerful sales and marketing lessons applicable to any aviation business.What You’ll Learn: • How to position your flight school with a unique value proposition (UVP) that sets you apart from competitors • The “aerospace aesthetic” concept and why adding creativity (STEAM vs STEM) attracts more students and customers • Strategic marketing fundamentals: niche definition, positioning, and innovative messaging • How to create a category where you can be first, rather than competing in saturated markets • Why FBOs and flight schools should consider art and design in their customer experience • Sales tactics from a seasoned professional that apply to aviation business development Featured Guest: Marty Tascona - Executor and copyright holder of renowned Canadian artist Tony Tascona’s aerospace-inspired artwork About Tony Tascona:
Tony Tascona (1926-2006) was an Order of Canada recipient who worked as an electroplating technician for Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) and Air Canada . His pioneering use of aviation materials like aluminum, lacquer paints, and epoxy resins created a unique body of work that bridges art and aerospace engineering.Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
03:17 - Marty’s background and connection to aviation
10:25 - Sales and marketing strategies for aviation businesses
18:28 - STEM vs STEAM: Adding creativity to aviation
24:05 - Tony Tascona’s aerospace aesthetic artwork
42:40 - Perseverance and doing the work that matters
43:31 - Call to action and final thoughtsResources Mentioned: • Tony Tascona Art: tonytascona-art.com • Right Rudder Marketing: rightruddermarketing.com 🎯 Are you a flight school owner looking to grow? Right Rudder Marketing specializes in helping flight schools increase student enrollments and revenue through proven digital marketing strategies. Visit rightruddermarketing.com to learn more about our services and download our free Flight School Marketing Handbook .📧 Subscribe to our channel for more aviation business insights, marketing strategies, and interviews with industry leaders who are transforming flight training .