Spartan makes $500,000/month!!

[gear goes down]

“The current owners purchased the school in July 2001, from which time the school has produced approximately $500,000 per month in gross revenues.”

Found this today and found it very interesting! Spartan School of Aeronautics (Now Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology) makes a butt load of money!! I guess when someone charges $140/hr for a Cessna 152 you are going to make money.

Here’s the link to the article I found the information in.
http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/shared_files/decisions/337/337-112.htm

 

[JetPilot500]

“The current owners purchased the school in July 2001, from which time the school has produced approximately $500,000 per month in gross revenues.”

Found this today and found it very interesting! Spartan School of Aeronautics (Now Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology) makes a butt load of money!! I guess when someone charges $140/hr for a Cessna 152 you are going to make money.

Here’s the link to the article I found the information in.
http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/shared_files/decisions/337/337-112.htm

$500k in Gross Revenue doesn't tell you anything. What are their expenses? What is their Net Income (or Loss). It ain't cheap to be in the airplane business.

 

[unreal]

$500k in Gross Revenue doesn't tell you anything. What are their expenses? What is their Net Income (or Loss). It ain't cheap to be in the airplane business.

Yep, kind of like saying "Wow! Delta made $2 billion (made up) in gross revenue in 2005! They must be rich!"

 

[Lostdog65]

$140/hr for a 152??? WOW...prices have sure gone up since 1986! I paid $45/hr...wet...with an instructor. I paid $75/hr...wet...with an instructor for the Dutchess.

No wonder a private costs $5K....

Eric

 

[NW_Pilot]

It ain't cheap to be in the airplane business.

I second that!!!

 

[AirBadger]

Whatever their real profit is, that school is ridiculously expensive. I was about to go there then 2 weeks before the semester started I changed my mind. Glad I did. I'd rather not pay that kind of money and be treated as a second priority to the Chinese airline students. And it's in Tulsa. I'm more of a Texas guy.

 

[siucavflight]

No wonder a private costs $5K....

Where?

 

[doug_or]

seriously, where can you get a pvt for 5k?

 

[navigator72]

I paid about 4K for my private, how much is it these days?

 

[hoop]

Granted, it took me 1 1/2 years, and I paid as I went along....... But after tag, title,tax and 65 hours, mine ran around 8000. Went through the first 30 hours paying $80 wet/ 30hr instructor....... then as fuel went sky high, it changed to 60hr/ dry. Total cost this way was around 100/hr for the warrior. You can't put a price on a dream, but if I had to do it over again, I'm not so sure I would.

 

[User546]

I'd rather not pay that kind of money and be treated as a second priority to the Chinese airline students.

Them Chinks are gone now. Contract ran out, and they all packed up and headed west.

I had the same thought as JetPilot when I first read this. I bet you'd be real suprised how much of that $500K is eaten by insurance costs, facilities rental/mortgage, salaries (admin, mechanics, instructors) utilities, and general overhead.

There probably turning a decent profit on that money, but I bet its not a fraction of what you'd imagine.

 

[mcjohn]

I paid about 4K for my private, how much is it these days?

$6,000 to $14,000 with the occasional wealthy slacker spending close to $20,000.

$150-$170/hour wet including an instructor at many many places for a C172.

 

[gear goes down]

Them Chinks are gone now. Contract ran out, and they all packed up and headed west.

I had the same thought as JetPilot when I first read this. I bet you'd be real suprised how much of that $500K is eaten by insurance costs, facilities rental/mortgage, salaries (admin, mechanics, instructors) utilities, and general overhead.

There probably turning a decent profit on that money, but I bet its not a fraction of what you'd imagine.

Spartan still has the contract with the Chinese! Just not at the Tulsa campus. Spartan is opening schools in India (5 schools total) and I think some in china.

They use makeshift trailers for the flight classes so I can’t imagine how much they would cost. Also they charge $280/credit hour for ground and degree classes. They pay the flight instructors only $13/hr flight time (no pre and post flight pay) so you cant tell me that they aren’t making a huge profit! However, they have perfect airplanes with absolutely no issues that won’t be resolved when you down the airplane.

It’s a good school though and turn out great pilots.

 

[Learsforsale]

$500k in Gross Revenue doesn't tell you anything. What are their expenses? What is their Net Income (or Loss). It ain't cheap to be in the airplane business.

That reminds me of a joke one of my students told me,

"How do you make a small fortune in aviation"

"Start with a large one"

 

[mattpilot]

being a long time student at spartan, i might have some insight for you all.


I have no clue if spartan is making a 'ton' of money. I do know that their maint. campus is/was strugling and the flight campus got a price hike to make up for the loss.

they recently reduced their staff from 70 CFI's to roughly 30-35 CFI's after the chinese left. Also sold a lot of planes. Had like 7 seminols, now only 2.

Spartan also, according to symphony aircraft, will replace their fleet with the SA160 starting at the end of this year. I wonder who's gonna pay for that.

--=-

 

[Van Hooydonk]

Them Chinks are gone now. Contract ran out, and they all packed up and headed west.
.

Was that really necessary?
What ephithet might you have used had the students been from Africa, Italy, or Poland? I can't imagine your racial slurs are going to carry you far in your aviation career, or do much to help the image of pilots in general.

 

[User546]

My wife's almost been widowed twice because I've been within seconds of having a midair collisions (in a jet) with these guys because they refuse to make proper ATC calls, and fail to follow proper traffic patterns and protocols. Sorry if I don't have a soft place in my hearts for these people.

And also the fact that MANY american students were put on the backburner while the Chinese got priority at this school - simply because they were worth more money to the school.

And just for the record, I don't use the term Chink in a derogatory way that the "N-Word" would be used - and I'm anything but racist. Relax a little...

 

[Gryphon]

Hi all, new to the board, I'm paying $80 an hour wet for the 152, with 30 to the instructor. I imagine it's not so much the amount of money you spend, but more in line with how much you are willing to put into the effort.. 4-5 grand for a pvt is probably the average.. my school tells new students it takes an average of 60 hours and 6k to get a pvt. I refuse to spend that much, but the east coast weather is only now starting to be nice, flying weather around the corner..

 

[frog_flyer]

i pay 85/hr for a 172m and 40 for instructor.
i'm at 22 hours right now and cfi says im just aboot ready but just need to get up to the mins.

its gonna cost me a weebit above 5500 when all is said and done, including the 300 buck cpc kit.

thats about as good as i've heard lately

 

[mcjohn]

I sell about one CPC kit a day. It's a decent program and tends to get people done quickly. Are you a 141 student?