Financing Process & Requirements

Financing Process

  • 4 Ways to Apply! The information is right here at your fingertips. Click any of the links to the right to see the considerations and instructions for each application method. Then choose the one that works best for you.

  • If you have received a Conditional Approval, the next step is to sit down with an enrolled flight school and price out your training program. This is done on a fill-in-the-blanks form called a Prepaid Flight Training Agreement. You and your school will sign the form. By signing the form, you agree to purchase the training program and your school agrees to sell it to you at the prices and terms stated. Once your program is priced and ready to go, the school will send it over to us. We will prepare your finance contract and send it to you and the flight school via DocuSign. Once it is signed, you can begin training.

  • There is no cost to enroll, unless: You own or manage a new school that does not have an established track record of training the type of customers we finance; Your school has made multiple requests for enrollment supplies in the past and have lost or discarded the original supplied materials; or Your school specializes in professional or career-oriented flight training. In these cases we may ask for a $200 enrollment fee that is fully refundable when we accept our first account.

  • Per our agreement, each flight school is required to submit training records (TRs) or invoices. You can use a personalized TR that we provide, or your own invoice form; whichever is easier. TRs must be signed and dated by the flight student after training has occurred. Normally our schools submit TRs or invoices via fax.

  • When considering your application, we look to answer two simple questions: can you afford the payments? and will you make the payments? Can you afford the payments? We want to see that you can easily afford the monthly payment. You should have sufficient income to pay your current living expenses as well as the monthly payment for your flight training. While we welcome new business, we do not want to overburden you financially. Will you make the payments? Flight training financing is not secured like car financing or home mortgages. You pay us back because you have promised to. If you have gone through financial difficulties but have since resolved these issues, we see that as a very good thing. However, if you have unresolved delinquencies or defaults, or seem overburdened with debt, it is unlikely we will approve your application.

  • All training records or invoices received by 2PM CT will be processed and released by 5PM CT the same day. Delivery time is dependent on USPS processing time for mailed checks, or your bank’s processing time for electronic (ACH) transfers. ACH transfers are normally in your account the next business day.

  • Our team is committed to processing applications as efficiently as possible. The length of the approval process can vary depending on a number of factors, and we will process applications in the order they are received. Although we aim to provide you with a decision as quickly as possible, we also want to ensure that we are thorough in our evaluation to give you the best financing solution for your needs. How To Apply (ka0Hs000000wMvuIAE) 4 Ways to Apply! The information is right here at your fingertips. Click any of the links to the right to see the considerations and instructions for each application method. Then choose the one that works best for you. How to Enroll (ka0Hs000000wMwKIAU) 3 steps to Enroll. First, read all the Flight School program FAQs to make certain our programs will be a good fit for: The type of training services your school provides; and Your school’s administrative capabilities Second, use one of the first two options at the right to review our Pre-Enrollment Information Package. Finally, complete an Enrollment Profile form. You can get this from us, or You can print and use the form from the Pre-Enrollment Information Package, or You can complete the Online Enrollment form using the third button at the right.

  • We primarily look at two things when assessing a student‘s creditworthiness. Credit history: We look at the length, type, and quality of the student‘s credit history to see if they have historically made their payments on time. Income and employment: We look at how long the student has been at their current job, as well as their income to see if they can afford the monthly payments.

  • When we are looking at an application, your credit score is one of the things we look at, but not the only one. The score by itself can be deceiving. We are interested in the duration and type of credit in your history, as shown in your credit report, related to the amount and type of financing you need (unsecured).

  • This is the first question that most students want answered. Generally we can approve most applications, unless: There is no credit history or extremely limited credit history (a co-borrower will be necessary); or There are outstanding delinquencies or collections; or There is a lack of sufficient income to pay the scheduled monthly payments.

  • Our Preferred Customer Interest Refund Program is a simple way for students to earn back up to 25% of their interest. If the student makes all of his or her payments on time, the interest will be recalculated 3 percentage points lower than their contract rate and we will refund them the difference. For customers that make their payments on time, the effective interest rates charged work out to between 9%-15%.

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  • Yes, electronic transfer via ACH is available. However, ACH transfers are not ideal for every school. First, you should make certain that your school has the online capability of monitoring your bank credits daily and identifying incoming transfers based on specific training records you submitted for payment. Not all banks transmit the identifying information we send with each ACH transfer. Your accounting records can quickly become confused if your incoming transfers are not reconciled daily. We recommend caution because Flight Training Finance cannot provide account reconciling services for old discrepancies between your school’s accounting records and your bank balance. We can only provide records of recent transfers made and which invoices or charges these transfers applied to. We may have to assess fees for reconciliation work for activity earlier than the previous month.

  • You receive checks or electronic ACH transfers from us for financed training that has taken place. In terms of cash flow, this is not unlike the student writing you a check for training after each lesson.

  • Yes! Our application provides a blank section where a Co-Borrower can submit their information. Adding a Co-Borrower can only help the strength of your application. Normally a Co-Borrower is a close relative, such as a spouse or a parent. Non-related Co-Borrowers can be considered in some circumstances. If the Co-Borrower is not related to you, it is best to offer comments regarding your relationship and the reasons why the Co-Borrower wishes to be a party to the transaction. Legally, you and the Co-Borrower have the same responsibility for making the payments. A Co-Borrower should not participate in the transaction unless he or she is fully prepared to promptly pay the monthly payments.

  • 3 steps to Enroll. First, read all the Flight School program FAQs to make certain our programs will be a good fit for: The type of training services your school provides; and Your school�s administrative capabilities Second, use one of the first two options at the right to review our Pre-Enrollment Information Package. Finally, complete an Enrollment Profile form. You can get this from us, or You can print and use the form from the Pre-Enrollment Information Package, or You can complete the Online Enrollment form using the third button at the right.

  • No. There is no prepayment penalty. You will be refunded any unearned interest for paying off your account early. Interest rebates, or refunds, for early payment in full (referred to as ‘prepayment’) is determined by the finance regulations in your state. The calculation varies slightly from state to state.

  • Generally, enrolled flight schools have no financial liability or costs associated with offering Flight Training Finance’s programs. There are certain minor administrative responsibilities, such as getting contracts signed and submitting signed invoices / training records for payment. This is discussed more in later FAQs.

  • Our contract interest rates range from 12%-18% depending on your qualifications. Generally, the interest rate will be somewhat lower than you might pay on traditional credit card accounts. The next FAQ explains how every student can obtain lower interest rates with our Preferred Customer Interest Refund Program.

  • The repayment terms are determined by the number of lessons per week, on average, the student would like to take. Repayment terms range from 18 months for our most accelerated programs with 5 lessons per week, to 72 months for programs with only 1 lesson per week. Most of our customers use programs with 2-3 lessons per week and repay over 48-60 months. At the end of these FAQs, please refer to our payment calculator to see how training schedules affect the size of their payments. Training Schedule Repayment Terms 1 lesson per week 72 months 2 lessons per week 60 months 3 lessons per week 48 months 4 lessons per week 30 months 5 lessons per week 18 months

  • If funds are left over after training is completed, you have several options: 1) use the remaining funds to rent aircraft and build hours; 2) use the remaining funds to take additional training; or 3) elect to terminate your program and have the unused training funds credited to your Flight Training Finance account to reduce your remaining monthly payments. PLEASE NOTE: All training funds may be fully earned, or used up, by the flight school in certain circumstances where they have guaranteed certification and/or committed to providing free finish-up training, if needed. Ask your flight school if you are concerned about this issue.

  • "You can apply for add-on or finish-up training provided that 50% of the payments on your initial account are satisfactorily paid. To avoid running short of training funds, we strongly encourage students and schools to package training programs that will be fully sufficient to achieve the training goal. Most of our schools add a cushion of additional aircraft and instruction hours, because many students need more hours than they originally anticipated. Please be aware that additional training will likely have to be paid from other resources. For most transactions, unused training funds cannot be forfeited, as explained in the next FAQ.

  • All Flight Training Finance programs clearly state that you may terminate your training at any time for any reason! Your school and Flight Training Finance warrant this right. Both of us guarantee a refund of any unused training funds at the time of your termination. The refund is credited to your Flight Training Finance account balance. You will never have to pay for training services you did not receive! We are proud of the way our programs protect our students. This is a very important risk consideration for flight students. You should be careful of programs where the flight school controls a significant amount of the training funds exclusively, unless the financial institution guarantees that an immediate credit refund is available when a training program is terminated, regardless of the reason for termination.

  • As an enrolled school, you must agree that training funds are escrowed and released only after training has occurred. Payment is immediate; there is no delay. However, to protect flight students, funds are not released prior to delivery of services.

  • In a few cases the school may be new. If a representative from the school contacts us at (800) 667-0201, we can typically have them set up to offer our programs within a week. However, there may be valid reasons why a school does not, or cannot, offer our programs. These reasons include: A flight school may be satisfied with their current level of business activity. The type of training primarily offered by the school may be incompatible with our financing. Examples of these can include accelerated training or programs too small to finance. The school may not agree to escrow training funds. We set aside all unused training funds in an escrow-type account. This protects the student if a school closes, does not deliver the training services in a satisfactory way or claims the student has taken training that he or she may not have actually received. Under our programs, flight students sign for all training events and expenses to indicate they have satisfactorily received the service.

  • If the school you would like to use for your training is not enrolled with us, have a representative of the flight school call Flight Training Finance at (800) 667-0201 or go to our website at www.flighttrainingfinance.com. We can have the school enrolled in less than a week. Normally, there is no cost or liability to the school when they offer our financing. However, enrolled flight schools do have some administrative responsibilities. We will discuss these issues with each new flight school. In most cases, there are no problems. Recordkeeping requirements become routine for schools that use our programs regularly.

Training Program Options

Program Details

  • There is no maximum program size. The maximum approval size is determined by the student’s payment history, income and employment history, outstanding debts and ability to make the agreed monthly payments. The maximum amount a student is approved for will be indicated on his credit response.

  • A typical training program for a private pilot license usually includes 55-65 hours of aircraft rental. We consider partial programs of 25-44 hours of aircraft rental on an exception basis, but with shorter repayment terms to reflect the smaller program size. If you plan to submit a Prepaid Flight Training Agreement with 25-45 hours of aircraft rental, please call us before you do so at (800) 667-0201. This way we can provide you with an estimate of the repayment terms and monthly payment size of the program, which you can convey to the student.

  • You can finance commercial and advanced programs as long as the training fits within our program guidelines and you can afford the monthly payment amount. For more information, refer to minimum program sizes and typical program sizes later in these FAQs. If you need a succession of ratings, you should look ahead and be aware of how your payments could increase and whether you will be able to qualify. While we welcome new business, we also strive to avoid transactions that appear likely to leave you stuck in your training cycle; a situation where more training is needed to achieve a commercial or career goal but you are financially unable to continue.

  • You can finance helicopter programs as long as the training fits within our program guidelines and you can afford the monthly payment amount. For more information, refer to minimum program sizes and typical program sizes later in these FAQs. If your training is to be used for a commercial endeavor, it is important to look ahead to see how payments could increase with additional training and whether you will be able to qualify for more financing and higher payments. While we welcome new business, we also strive to avoid transactions that appear likely to leave you stuck in your training cycle; a situation where more training is needed to achieve a commercial or career goal but you are financially unable to continue.

  • You can finance sport pilot programs as long as the training fits within our program guidelines. Sport pilot programs are often fewer hours than full private pilot programs. For more information, refer to minimum program sizes and typical program sizes later in these FAQs.

  • Yes, you can change flight schools. There is no financial penalty. However, there are some considerations you should be aware of if you wish to switch schools for any reason. Flight Training Finance programs always provide that you can terminate your training at any time for any reason and receive a refund of unused or undelivered training services. However, our finance transactions are purchased by you, a specific student, at a specific flight school. Your financed training funds are the property of the flight school from which you purchase your training program until you exercise your right to terminate that program. Therefore, to switch schools you need to: (a) terminate your existing program, and (b) apply with the new flight school to finance your remaining training. Flight Training Finance will combine your two accounts into one. This process typically takes less than one week.

  • Normally, this is not possible and is not advisable. Each finance transaction is between you and a specific school. In order to train at two schools: (a) both schools would have to be enrolled, (b) both programs would need to fit within our program guidelines, (c) you would have to qualify for both accounts, and (d) you would be required to make two payments per month (one for each account).

  • Flight Training Finance does not have a maximum program size limit. The maximum financed program is determined by your training goals, training schedule, demonstrated payment history, and of course your ability to pay the monthly payments.

  • The minimum program size for our standard repayment plans will include at least 45 hours of aircraft rental. We consider programs that include 25-45 hours of aircraft rental on an exception basis, but with shorter-than-normal repayment terms. Programs with fewer than 25 hours of aircraft rental cannot be approved for financing.

  • For students that currently have their private pilot, instrument, or more advanced certification, we may be able to finance advanced training. If your student is looking to finance an advanced certification, make sure that the program still fits within the rest of our guidelines, specifically with regard to minimum program sizes and training schedules.

  • We consider partial programs that include 25-44 hours on an exception basis. Partial programs are not eligible for the full repayment terms that are offered for full programs of 45 or more hours of aircraft rental. The repayment terms for partial programs are determined on an individual basis, but generally range between 50%-90% of full repayment terms. If one of your students may need a partial program and would like a monthly payment estimate, please call us at (800) 667-0201.

  • We can finance helicopter programs as long as the training fits within our program guidelines and the monthly payment amount will be affordable to the student. For more information, give special attention to minimum program sizes and typical program sizes later in these FAQs. Almost all rotorcraft students plan to use their training in some commercial endeavor. So it is important to look ahead to see how payments could increase with additional training and whether the student will be able to qualify for more financing and higher payments. While we welcome new business, we also strive to avoid transactions that appear likely to leave students stuck in their training cycle; a situation where more training is needed to achieve a commercial or career goal but they are financially unable to continue.

  • We can finance sport pilot programs as long as the training fits within our program guidelines. Sport pilot programs are often fewer hours than full private pilot programs. For more information, give special attention to minimum program sizes and typical program sizes later in these FAQs.

  • Flight Training Finance programs training schedules that average between 1-5 lessons per week. The maximum training schedule must be established in advance because the maximum repayment periods we can offer is determined by the agreed maximum (average) training schedule. Lessons missed because of weather, scheduling or other reasons can be made up later, but you may not accelerate your training beyond the agreed maximum (average) training schedule, measured cumulatively. Unfortunately, at this time our programs cannot accommodate accelerated training that involves more than 5 lessons per week. Please see our payment calculator after these FAQs to see how your training schedule affects your payment size. For purposes of our financing, individual flight lessons may average up to 2.0 hours of aircraft rental and up to 3.0 hours total instruction time.

  • We finance training programs of between 1-5 lessons per week, averaging up to 2.0 hours of aircraft rental per lesson. Training programs of more than 5 lessons per week, or more than 2.0 hours per lesson, are considered accelerated or full-time training and are not compatible with our financing.

  • For the private pilot and instrument programs we finance, a typical, full, training program includes between 55-65 hours of aircraft rental. Because financing add-on or finish-up training will likely not be available, it is important that program sizes be fully sufficient, in the best judgment of the school and the student, to achieve the training goal.

General Details

Additional Details

  • Though money is certainly an important consideration when planning your flight training, it is not the only issue that you should consider. Equally as important are the amount of time you can commit to your training, both inside and outside the cockpit, and how realistic your expectations of your training are. For more detailed information, view/print our brochure, The Three Reasons You Might NOT Become a Pilot.

  • You may be surprised to learn that the national dropout rates, as provided by the FAA, are consistently around 70%. Click this link to see the table of the FAA’s new certificate statistics for the last 10 years. Original Airmen Certificates Issued Students that finance their training with Flight Training Finance, however, have a dropout rate of 8-12%. There may be many reasons why our customers are so much more likely to achieve their training goal compared to more traditional buy-a-lesson-at-a-time methods. We think it is related to how: Students and schools sit down and commit to the entire program from the beginning instead of merely starting training and seeing how it goes; and Students do not have money worries about finishing their training as the money is all set aside and available.

  • Yes. For a student with little to no flight experience we typically finance a program for the student’s private pilot and/or instrument training. This will result in an affordable monthly payment for most students. For students that have no flight experience and want to finance a program all the way through their commercial certification, it is increasingly likely the student will find the monthly payments to be too large and/or the training schedules to be too slow.

  • There are several things you can do that will give you the best possible chance of being approved. Remember, we want to approve your application! Fill out your application as completely as possible. If you have income from multiple sources, be sure to disclose it. If there is anything you’d like us to consider or be aware of when looking at your application, be sure to let us know in the ‘Optional Information’ section. Co-Borrowers can only help an application. Make sure your social security number and date of birth are correctly listed. Try to fill out the application as legibly as possible to avoid any confusion.

  • Yes! Compare the FAA dropout rate of approximately 70% to the Flight Training Finance dropout rate of 8-10%. Annual FAA statistics include all students that obtain their Student Pilot Certificate and have paid for each lesson with the traditional method of cash or credit card. Flight Training Finance statistics include all students who, since 1999, have paid for their training through financing with Flight Training Finance. That translates into 9 out of 10 students that finance their training end up finishing a full program. Financing student’s training translates into consistent streams of revenue for your flight school! Estimate your monthly payments Now that you know how our programs work, here is an easy tool for you to calculate the monthly payments for the training program you need. If you have questions about why monthly payments calculate the way they do for the (ka0Hs000000wMwbIAE) Monthly Payment Calculator: Total Program CostCash Down Payment Lessons Per Week Payment Range

  • Walkaway Joe is the key to increasing your business and profits. He or she dreams of being a pilot but cannot afford to train without financing. He or she has come to you for information so show them how affordable their payments can be through Flight Training Finance; guide them along the application process. You will sign up dedicated students with a sure source of training funds a flight schools dream!

  • Make sure the applications you submit are as complete as possible. Use co-borrowers whenever possible. Provide optional information to explain any issues in the student’s credit history, plans for long term training, etc. Make sure the student knows what monthly payment to expect so there are no surprises when the contract arrives. If additional information is requested, submit it completely and all at the same time.

  • Driftaway Dan is a student who never flat out says I quit but is definitely no longer contributing to your revenue. Flight Training Finance offers a solution to this problem. When a student is signed up for a complete training program with low monthly payments, there is a built-in incentive for the student to see training through to completion. Until the student says I quit in a written notification or email to us, he is still required to make monthly payments. This will keep him flying on a consistent schedule and increase your revenue!

School Partnering & Support

School-Related Questions

  • Students can finance their training only through enrolled flight schools. There are currently over 1,300 schools enrolled and we are adding more every day! If your school is not currently enrolled to offer Flight Training Finance programs to your students, all the information you need is included in these FAQs.

  • Yes. Please advise them to indicate your flight school on their application so we can send you a copy of their credit response. If they do not indicate your school, the credit response will be mailed to them instead. A student can also view/print a physical form, fill it out and either fax it, email it or mail it back to us.

  • Flight Training Finance’s historical dropout rate is significantly lower than the national average. Data is available for those that are interested. Lower dropout rates translate to more of your students finishing their training and achieving their goal. Second, each student’s financed funds are put aside in escrow for your school. The student cannot use the funds for other expenses or emergencies. More of your students will take their training on a regular, reliable schedule. More students will finish their training. All of this means more revenue for you.

  • When a student starts to drift away from the training they love, they will likely give you a reason. While it may be partially true, this student is typically using another reason to cover the true issue money! This is the time to say three simple sentences: This may not apply to you, but we have financing available. The payments are pretty low. Would you like a brochure?

  • Selecting a flight school based solely on the fact that they are enrolled to offer Flight Training Finance programs is not a good idea! More important considerations include: The school’s reputation and years in business; The type and number of training aircraft available; Instructor and aircraft scheduling availability; Distance you must travel for lessons; and Pricing for aircraft rental and instructor time. Most important of all, you should be impressed with the school’s management and instructors. Ask yourself: Is the school professional and organized; Are you comfortable with your instructor’s teaching style; and Will their teaching style mesh with your learning style? The answers to these questions vary greatly from student to student and from instructor to instructor. When you learn to fly, you are making major commitments of your time and your money. It is a mistake to shortcut the interview process!

  • The fastest and easiest is to have them apply online at our website right at your flight.

  • Most flight schools that offer fixed-wing part-time training in the United States offer our financing. Currently, more than 1,300 flight schools that offer part-time training have everything they need to offer our programs to you. If you heard about us from a flight school, or picked up a brochure there, the school is likely fully enrolled and ready to give you an application or answer your questions.

  • Not likely. It’s embarrassing for students to have to say I can’t afford it when they are talking about their dream. You may never know how many students just walk away over money issues. But you can identify these students and erase their concerns with three simple sentences: We have financing available for our training. Monthly payments are pretty low. Would you like a brochure?

  • No. There is no prepayment penalty. Upon prepayment in full, the student will be refunded any unearned interest for paying off the account early. Interest rebates, or refunds, for early payment in full (referred to as prepayment) are determined by the finance regulations in each state. The calculation varies slightly state to state.

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