Flight Schedule Pro has launched its Next Gen suite of capabilities, built to transform the way flight schools operate and offering intelligent scheduling, accelerated student graduation visibility and billing autopilot capabilities.

The launch of Next Gen Flight Schedule Pro comes at a critical time for the aviation industry. With the global pilot shortage reaching unprecedented levels, the role of flight schools in producing qualified pilots quickly and efficiently has never been more crucial. By optimising operations and accelerating training processes, the Next Gen platform empowers flight schools to meet this growing demand, ensuring a steady pipeline of well-trained pilots to support the aviation sector's recovery and growth.

“Next Gen Flight Schedule Pro is a critical step in flight school management technology,” says CEO Nick Wegner. “Our customers serve not only their students but also global airlines that are combatting the pilot shortage. Next Gen capabilities maximise aircraft utilisation, streamline student progress tracking, and automate billing and operations to strengthen the relationship between flight schools, their students and the airlines.”

Key capabilities include:

- Intelligent scheduling coming soon: A smart scheduling system with powerful automation to optimise aircraft and CFI utilisation by factoring in dozens of variables that currently require manual effort, enabling schools to build an optimal schedule faster than ever before.

- Accelerated training: Provides complete visibility into student progress towards graduation at a glance, with custom hour tracking and intelligent progress monitoring.

- Billing autopilot: A seamless invoicing and payment processing system that reduces manual data entry and accelerates the billing cycle by auto-generating an invoice and processing payment at flight check-in.

A major focus of Flight Schedule Pro is maximising aircraft utilisation, addressing one of the most significant operational challenges faced by flight schools. By optimising scheduling and aircraft utilisation, schools can significantly increase training capacity without the substantial expense of acquiring additional aircraft, leading to improved profitability and faster student progression.

Ed Bagden, director of operations at Indianapolis-based LIFT Academy, shares: “Flight Schedule Pro's Next Gen platform has been transformative for LIFT. We've invested heavily in leveraging the data FSP provides to optimise our operations. The insights we gain allow us to make data-driven decisions, drive efficiency, maximise aircraft utilisation and graduate industry-leading pilots to join Republic Airlines.”

To ensure a smooth onboarding for new customers, Flight Schedule Pro has also launched a white-glove, concierge implementation and support initiative. Led by VP customer experience Corey Knop, this programme offers personalised guidance and support throughout the implementation process and beyond.

“Our goal is to ensure that every flight school can fully leverage the power of our Next Gen platform to transform their operations,” says Knop. “Flight Schedule Pro is proud to have a North American team of over a dozen support and implementation staff from the aviation industry providing hands-on support and implementation every step of the way.”

Flight Schedule Pro's Next Gen features are unlocked for all Suite subscribers, with Billing Autopilot accessible to users of FSP's Preferred Merchant Account.