Training Opportunities:
Certifications: Commercial, Private Pilot, Flight Instructor CFI, Sport Pilot*, Multi Engine Instructor, Recreational Pilot
Ratings: Multi-Engine, Instrument
Other advanced training: Tailwheel, "Glass" panels,
* Spectrum Pilot Service's chief pilot, Ronn DenOuden, has extensive experience in S-LSA aircraft, however we do not offer one for rent. If you have access to an LSA aircraft and are seeking training or a flight review we can help you.
Ratings: Multi-Engine, Instrument
Other advanced training: Tailwheel, "Glass" panels,
* Spectrum Pilot Service's chief pilot, Ronn DenOuden, has extensive experience in S-LSA aircraft, however we do not offer one for rent. If you have access to an LSA aircraft and are seeking training or a flight review we can help you.
Discovery Flight:
We recommend an $140 investment into aviation by taking a ‘Discovery Flight’ It’s two hours at the airport one on one with an instructor answering your questions. Wrapping up with a 45 minute flight over Rochester with you in the pilot seat and managing the controls over much of the flight. These flights provides great exposure to private piloting and help you to determine if this is a sport for you.
Email for a reservation today!
Email for a reservation today!
December 2020: Cold weather allows for time to update webpages instead of flying. I'd rather be flying and have an outdated website.... 2020 has been a challenging year to provide services to enthusiastic pilots. While I took on a much smaller work load, we did gain a couple of new pilots and still working on some instrument ratings. Social distancing, difficult in an airplane, certainly challenged but did not stop our progress. Happy to report that no-one has gotten sick from flight training. As we roll into winter with less favorable weather and a new surge of covid cases, flight training will continue to be limited. Stay in touch, we will still be here when the pandemic is a memory.
November 2019: Summer is officially gone! Winter flying can be excellent and you don't have to stay up until 10:30pm log night currency when the view is excellent and air is smooth. Granted, warm clothes are required to get the airplane ready, but once airborne small aircraft generate plenty of cabin comfort to enjoy your flight. I've suspended Discovery Flights (again) to better serve students trying to finish lessons and ratings during the waning daylight hours. However, winter is a great time to start working on that written exam. I have plenty of study ideas that can be done on cold winter evenings to prepare for warmer weather training. Drop me a note on the 'Contact Us' page, I'm happy to make some recommendations to get you started in the right direction.
Updated August 28, 2019: Where does the summer go? Even though short, the season has been good for flying and the schedule has been full. My student roster is full right now, sorry not taking on any additional students as I will be focusing on the current students. A great start is ground school, while I haven't announced an official ground school for this fall, I'd be happy to make some recommendations to help you with your self guided studies. Most of my students have passed or close to passing their written before we get in the airplane, there are lots of online classes that you can take at your leisure. My favorite is Sporty's.
Update February 2019: The move to Dodge Center is official. See MN DOT Operators License
Update January 21, 2019: Crossing the t's and dotting the i's. Currently working with Mn DOT to get my operators certificate updated. One of the biggest reasons for moving to KTOB was been to retain my MnDot flight school status. This government agency ensures that the flight instruction you purchase has been vetted to professional standards. I've carried this accreditation since I started instructing and value the process. I've taken this opportunity to update several of the schools standards of operation which need to be approved by the our states department of transportation. Once this process is complete we'll be ready to offer flight instruction.
Update December 12: It's official, we'll be resuming operations based from Dodge Center very soon. This will be a great opportunity for everyone involved and for my students. Thank you to the Dodge Center City Council for accepting my application and hosting this flight school and flight training. I'll elaborate soon on the benefits of this move.... stay tuned!
Special Notice: As of Oct 30, 2018, Spectrum Pilot Services is temporarily closed for primary flight instruction students, discovery flights and aircraft rental. We are in the process of relocating so stay in touch and check back for further updates. We should be up and running again by mid December 2018
AOPA Update April 2018: Rochester International Airport continues to make headlines with AOPA as being one of the least friendly airports in the USA for general aviation. AOPA is working with airport managers that make this list to encourage them to provide usage options that are more reasonably priced, especially considering that it's your hard earned tax dollars that pay for a big chunk of the airport expenses. Hopefully AOPA will make some progress and allow more pilots to enjoy a great Minnesota destination without getting excessively dinged by our monopoly FBO run by Signature Flight Support.
Spring 2018 has been one of the slowest to arrive on record with a history making blizzard slamming the state. However, the number of new students we've received for flight instruction is at an all time high. To accommodate the influx of potential pilots, I've started a ground school to disseminate knowledge as efficiently as possible. With so few days when the weather is conducive to training, flight lessons are way behind schedule. If you are interested in starting to work on the knowledge portion of your private pilot license check for openings in the ground school class. Price for the entire course is $100 plus materials. (Note this course is designed to accommodate individuals seeking their private pilot's license for non-pro privileges. Group will meet 2-3 times per month and have a goal of passing the FAA written within 6 months.)
Spring 2018 has been one of the slowest to arrive on record with a history making blizzard slamming the state. However, the number of new students we've received for flight instruction is at an all time high. To accommodate the influx of potential pilots, I've started a ground school to disseminate knowledge as efficiently as possible. With so few days when the weather is conducive to training, flight lessons are way behind schedule. If you are interested in starting to work on the knowledge portion of your private pilot license check for openings in the ground school class. Price for the entire course is $100 plus materials. (Note this course is designed to accommodate individuals seeking their private pilot's license for non-pro privileges. Group will meet 2-3 times per month and have a goal of passing the FAA written within 6 months.)
Flight Training Update: August 2017
I'm happy to report that the process which I started in 2015 (see below) is working out very well. While I continue to refine my training process, the extra time and effort spent on the ground before and after each lesson has proven to be extremely valuable. The airport continues to be a challenging location to conduct business, but my approach to training is definitely paying dividends for the student pilots who are engaged in the process.
AOPA filing FAA Part 13 complaints on overpriced FBO's: It's a pleasure to see outside influences like AOPA come to bare on airport management and the businesses they allow to operate on the field which continue to charge 'egregious' prices to customers. Rochester made AOPA's top 5 offenders list in the whole USA for taking advantage of GA customers that use or must use the airport, as is the case of patients flying to the Mayo Clinic.
August 2017: Rochester Airport Identified by AOPA: "Of the hundreds of complaints AOPA has received over egregious FBO pricing, Waukegan, Asheville, and Key West are three of the top five most-complained-about airports. All three are Signature Flight Support locations. The other two airports rounding out the top five are Heber City, Utah and Rochester, Minnesota."
AOPA Website Link: If you have encounter an issue with egregious FBO pricing, please report it here.
I'm happy to report that the process which I started in 2015 (see below) is working out very well. While I continue to refine my training process, the extra time and effort spent on the ground before and after each lesson has proven to be extremely valuable. The airport continues to be a challenging location to conduct business, but my approach to training is definitely paying dividends for the student pilots who are engaged in the process.
AOPA filing FAA Part 13 complaints on overpriced FBO's: It's a pleasure to see outside influences like AOPA come to bare on airport management and the businesses they allow to operate on the field which continue to charge 'egregious' prices to customers. Rochester made AOPA's top 5 offenders list in the whole USA for taking advantage of GA customers that use or must use the airport, as is the case of patients flying to the Mayo Clinic.
August 2017: Rochester Airport Identified by AOPA: "Of the hundreds of complaints AOPA has received over egregious FBO pricing, Waukegan, Asheville, and Key West are three of the top five most-complained-about airports. All three are Signature Flight Support locations. The other two airports rounding out the top five are Heber City, Utah and Rochester, Minnesota."
AOPA Website Link: If you have encounter an issue with egregious FBO pricing, please report it here.
Flight Training: Update November 1, 2015
From: Spectrum Pilot Services, Rochester International Airport
Regarding: Flight School Update
Date: Nov 1, 2015
Over the past 24 months the aviation industry has seen a lot of changes. Some of these changes have adversely impacted the availability of young pilots offering instruction in order to build experience and advance their career. Over the past 6 years, Spectrum Pilot Services has employed responsible young pilots that fit this profile who in turn share their enthusiasm and knowledge with local aspiring pilots of all ages. The result of this activity was successful in producing new local private pilots (individuals who desire to fly, but aren’t pursuing a career in aviation) while the instructors advance their own successful careers in the aviation industry. It was a win-win combination with one downside, the instructors didn’t make very much money but this was accepted as a necessary rite of passage to the next level. Due to the industry wide shortage of commercial pilots there has been a fundamental change in the path towards a commercial flying Job. Aviation colleges are able to employ most of their new protégés providing full time instruction to the next batch of students. Instructor candidates are now able to continue instructing at the institution where they trained and gain the experience they need to go directly to the airlines. This is great for the young professional pilot, but leaves schools like the one at Spectrum Pilot Services in Rochester without a means to replenish the instructors and no way to service the local private pilot students.
Since the new aviation career path no longer seems to require the ‘Private Pilot Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)’ rung in that aviation career ladder I’ve been brainstorming ways to provide local pilots with a pathway towards joining the General Aviation (GA) pilot community. This problem is not unique to Rochester, organizations like NAFI, AOPA and EAA have also been voicing concern about this shortage of grassroots support without any real solution on the horizon.
Rochester International Airport (RST) also has additional challenges to resolve in that it doesn’t have a Field Base Operator (FBO) that offers services for local GA pilots. Aircraft rental, instruction, competitive fuel prices, routine maintenance for piston aircraft and other services commonly found at smaller airports are not offered at RST. This is likely do to the fact that while these services do generate income, they are low margin and therefore not areas of interest for large FBO operators like Signature Flight Support. They are also not on the radar screen of airport management since their primary focus is to build airline traffic which supports the local economy. The lack of basic GA pilot services creates additional hurdles for a small flight school and severely inhibit its ability to be sustainable. Compound these hurdles with the fact that RST is an international airport and subject to a high level of security by the NTSB also contribute to the fact that it is a very difficult economic environment to provide local, professional flight training.
Despite the fact that I’ve listed a number of reasons why this may be an impossible task, RST is one of the best training environments I’ve witnessed. The size and safety of the airport, its proximity to the city, the unusually user friendly control tower which provide air traffic advisories, practice areas that are spacious and free of obstacles are just some of the reasons that a well thought out training option is worth pursuing. Spectrum Pilots Services mission was founded on the task of providing aviation opportunities for local pilots. I have pulled together some ideas on how to continue to provide local GA pilot training at the Rochester Airport. Below I’ve outlined a training program below that I’m going to try over the next several months. I’ve used ideas that I’ve gleaned from a long career of business management, an aviator, and interviews with many successful FBO’s throughout the Midwest in an effort to provide a solution for aspiring pilots like yourself to enjoy flying as I and many of my friends have.
New Model:
The new business model may not offer everything to everybody, but does provide a local option for flight training that currently does not exist. The model can no longer rely on up and coming professional pilots, but must tap into seasoned experienced instructors who have a desire to share their passion with the next generations of GA pilots. This seasoned pool of pilots is no longer living on student loans or have mom and dad’s financial support so the simple fact is they need more reliable compensation than their junior counterparts. On the surface, this new model may appear more expensive but I believe the efficiencies of working with a more experienced pilot will, in the end, cost you no more than working with a less experienced pilot.
Recipe for success: Getting your private pilot certificate is a great commitment and require a close working relationship between both the student and the mentor pilot. When both individuals are fully engaged a friendship will be the result. Indeed, most all pilots remember and speak fondly of their first mentor. The instructor will tailor and communicate both short and long term goals for each student, he or she will commit to helping the student achieve those goals. In return, the student will be responsive to following the instructor’s mentorship. Achieving various milestones along the way will result in a very rewarding experience for both the student and the instructor. This is the recipe for a successful flight training experience.
Training Program Outline:
Schedule: Lessons will be hosted Tues thru Saturday. The lesson start times will begin at either 8am, 1pm or 6 pm (evenings by appointment and as required for training). Each lesson will last about 4 hours and cost a flat rate of $150 plus any aircraft time. ~$37.50/hour
Itinerary: The lesson will run for approximately 3-4 hours as necessary and at a pace tailored to the student’s ability to absorb new information. Each lesson scheduled will include a lesson plan and preflight briefing, a practice flight, a post briefing (this is where the real learning occurs) and discussion/preparation for the next lesson.
Cost to obtain your Private Pilot Certificate: We anticipate that a typical student pilot can earn his or her Private Pilot Certificate for approximately $8000 but the exact amount is difficult to determine. The FAA requires that a candidate must have flown at least 40 hours in an airplane, and have a minimum of 20 hours of qualified instruction to be eligible to demonstrate your abilities to an examiner and acquire your private pilot certificate. Several students over the years have taken the ‘exam’ with these minimum number of hours. Many more students have relied solely on instructor interaction and invested minimum self-initiative towards the goal (aka: not done their homework) and thus incurred much more expense. In today’s hustle of everyday life, your instructor will be happy to accommodate either approach towards the goal, but reliance on just instruction time will result in slower progress and incur considerable more expense.
Note about Aircraft rental: Initial training will be conducted in the school owned aircraft only. This is necessary to maintain efficiency from flight school assets. Once a student is capable of solo flight they may be eligible to fly an aircraft they have ownership in. The flight school aircraft is competitively priced at $75 per TACH* hour plus the fuel used at Signature’s self-service pump prices.
Lesson Frequency and schedule: The most efficient training regimen includes enough frequency to retain knowledge from one lesson to the next. A weekly lesson has proven to be the most effective way to establishing behavior from which a student can build on, without the expensive activity associated with relearning previously covered material. Also, the instructor will have other career obligations that will require flexibility from the student. As a career pilot, their employer is paying for the privilege to make last minute schedule changes. It’s recommended that two lessons a week are set aside, with the assumption that one of them will be cancelled due to unforeseen obligations on either the pilot or student’s behalf. The cancellation of one of those lessons would not impede the student’s progress by creating a two week gap between lessons. All Students will be charged a minimum of one lesson per month unless they notify school administration they are taking a break from their studies by the 10th each month.
* TACH time is a derivative of the actual RPM of the motor. You pay nothing while the engine is stopped, a nominal price while the engine is at idle or while taxing to one of Rochester’s robustly long departure points and full price while in the air. Very few flight schools offer this advantage, they base their airplane prices on HOBBS time which is an electric timer that starts at full pace as soon as the power is switched on. Spectrum Pilot Services believes this high price for ground operations encourages unsafe practices. Students who pay full price while on the ground may be encouraged to get airborne quickly in order to ‘get their money’s worth’. It has been proven time and time again, that any haste on the ground and during flight prep exponentially decreases the safety of the flight. For that reason, Spectrum Pilot Services rental program will reward students for thorough pre-take off operations by not charging a punitive fee for doing so.
Summary: This is a more aggressive training regimen than a traditional Part 61 Private Pilot School. The goal will be to make steady progress towards the student’s private pilot license. Student and Instructor time is valuable and an effort will be made to provide a good value to the student, in exchange the price per hour will be higher, but if these training sessions are augmented with student initiative the investment will be offset by more rapid advancement. The hobby of aviation is a fun, fantastic lifelong adventure. The skills needed to be a pilot are quite easy to learn. Safe Aviators inject a certain level of seriousness in their flying activity: Self-discipline, good decision making, understanding personal limits and a recognition that not doing these things is dangerous are all essential ingredients to a long flying career.
If you are up for the challenge with unlimited rewards, us at Spectrum Pilot Services and start your training.
Sincerely,
Ronn DenOuden
Owner / Chief Pilot
From: Spectrum Pilot Services, Rochester International Airport
Regarding: Flight School Update
Date: Nov 1, 2015
Over the past 24 months the aviation industry has seen a lot of changes. Some of these changes have adversely impacted the availability of young pilots offering instruction in order to build experience and advance their career. Over the past 6 years, Spectrum Pilot Services has employed responsible young pilots that fit this profile who in turn share their enthusiasm and knowledge with local aspiring pilots of all ages. The result of this activity was successful in producing new local private pilots (individuals who desire to fly, but aren’t pursuing a career in aviation) while the instructors advance their own successful careers in the aviation industry. It was a win-win combination with one downside, the instructors didn’t make very much money but this was accepted as a necessary rite of passage to the next level. Due to the industry wide shortage of commercial pilots there has been a fundamental change in the path towards a commercial flying Job. Aviation colleges are able to employ most of their new protégés providing full time instruction to the next batch of students. Instructor candidates are now able to continue instructing at the institution where they trained and gain the experience they need to go directly to the airlines. This is great for the young professional pilot, but leaves schools like the one at Spectrum Pilot Services in Rochester without a means to replenish the instructors and no way to service the local private pilot students.
Since the new aviation career path no longer seems to require the ‘Private Pilot Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)’ rung in that aviation career ladder I’ve been brainstorming ways to provide local pilots with a pathway towards joining the General Aviation (GA) pilot community. This problem is not unique to Rochester, organizations like NAFI, AOPA and EAA have also been voicing concern about this shortage of grassroots support without any real solution on the horizon.
Rochester International Airport (RST) also has additional challenges to resolve in that it doesn’t have a Field Base Operator (FBO) that offers services for local GA pilots. Aircraft rental, instruction, competitive fuel prices, routine maintenance for piston aircraft and other services commonly found at smaller airports are not offered at RST. This is likely do to the fact that while these services do generate income, they are low margin and therefore not areas of interest for large FBO operators like Signature Flight Support. They are also not on the radar screen of airport management since their primary focus is to build airline traffic which supports the local economy. The lack of basic GA pilot services creates additional hurdles for a small flight school and severely inhibit its ability to be sustainable. Compound these hurdles with the fact that RST is an international airport and subject to a high level of security by the NTSB also contribute to the fact that it is a very difficult economic environment to provide local, professional flight training.
Despite the fact that I’ve listed a number of reasons why this may be an impossible task, RST is one of the best training environments I’ve witnessed. The size and safety of the airport, its proximity to the city, the unusually user friendly control tower which provide air traffic advisories, practice areas that are spacious and free of obstacles are just some of the reasons that a well thought out training option is worth pursuing. Spectrum Pilots Services mission was founded on the task of providing aviation opportunities for local pilots. I have pulled together some ideas on how to continue to provide local GA pilot training at the Rochester Airport. Below I’ve outlined a training program below that I’m going to try over the next several months. I’ve used ideas that I’ve gleaned from a long career of business management, an aviator, and interviews with many successful FBO’s throughout the Midwest in an effort to provide a solution for aspiring pilots like yourself to enjoy flying as I and many of my friends have.
New Model:
The new business model may not offer everything to everybody, but does provide a local option for flight training that currently does not exist. The model can no longer rely on up and coming professional pilots, but must tap into seasoned experienced instructors who have a desire to share their passion with the next generations of GA pilots. This seasoned pool of pilots is no longer living on student loans or have mom and dad’s financial support so the simple fact is they need more reliable compensation than their junior counterparts. On the surface, this new model may appear more expensive but I believe the efficiencies of working with a more experienced pilot will, in the end, cost you no more than working with a less experienced pilot.
Recipe for success: Getting your private pilot certificate is a great commitment and require a close working relationship between both the student and the mentor pilot. When both individuals are fully engaged a friendship will be the result. Indeed, most all pilots remember and speak fondly of their first mentor. The instructor will tailor and communicate both short and long term goals for each student, he or she will commit to helping the student achieve those goals. In return, the student will be responsive to following the instructor’s mentorship. Achieving various milestones along the way will result in a very rewarding experience for both the student and the instructor. This is the recipe for a successful flight training experience.
Training Program Outline:
Schedule: Lessons will be hosted Tues thru Saturday. The lesson start times will begin at either 8am, 1pm or 6 pm (evenings by appointment and as required for training). Each lesson will last about 4 hours and cost a flat rate of $150 plus any aircraft time. ~$37.50/hour
Itinerary: The lesson will run for approximately 3-4 hours as necessary and at a pace tailored to the student’s ability to absorb new information. Each lesson scheduled will include a lesson plan and preflight briefing, a practice flight, a post briefing (this is where the real learning occurs) and discussion/preparation for the next lesson.
Cost to obtain your Private Pilot Certificate: We anticipate that a typical student pilot can earn his or her Private Pilot Certificate for approximately $8000 but the exact amount is difficult to determine. The FAA requires that a candidate must have flown at least 40 hours in an airplane, and have a minimum of 20 hours of qualified instruction to be eligible to demonstrate your abilities to an examiner and acquire your private pilot certificate. Several students over the years have taken the ‘exam’ with these minimum number of hours. Many more students have relied solely on instructor interaction and invested minimum self-initiative towards the goal (aka: not done their homework) and thus incurred much more expense. In today’s hustle of everyday life, your instructor will be happy to accommodate either approach towards the goal, but reliance on just instruction time will result in slower progress and incur considerable more expense.
Note about Aircraft rental: Initial training will be conducted in the school owned aircraft only. This is necessary to maintain efficiency from flight school assets. Once a student is capable of solo flight they may be eligible to fly an aircraft they have ownership in. The flight school aircraft is competitively priced at $75 per TACH* hour plus the fuel used at Signature’s self-service pump prices.
Lesson Frequency and schedule: The most efficient training regimen includes enough frequency to retain knowledge from one lesson to the next. A weekly lesson has proven to be the most effective way to establishing behavior from which a student can build on, without the expensive activity associated with relearning previously covered material. Also, the instructor will have other career obligations that will require flexibility from the student. As a career pilot, their employer is paying for the privilege to make last minute schedule changes. It’s recommended that two lessons a week are set aside, with the assumption that one of them will be cancelled due to unforeseen obligations on either the pilot or student’s behalf. The cancellation of one of those lessons would not impede the student’s progress by creating a two week gap between lessons. All Students will be charged a minimum of one lesson per month unless they notify school administration they are taking a break from their studies by the 10th each month.
* TACH time is a derivative of the actual RPM of the motor. You pay nothing while the engine is stopped, a nominal price while the engine is at idle or while taxing to one of Rochester’s robustly long departure points and full price while in the air. Very few flight schools offer this advantage, they base their airplane prices on HOBBS time which is an electric timer that starts at full pace as soon as the power is switched on. Spectrum Pilot Services believes this high price for ground operations encourages unsafe practices. Students who pay full price while on the ground may be encouraged to get airborne quickly in order to ‘get their money’s worth’. It has been proven time and time again, that any haste on the ground and during flight prep exponentially decreases the safety of the flight. For that reason, Spectrum Pilot Services rental program will reward students for thorough pre-take off operations by not charging a punitive fee for doing so.
Summary: This is a more aggressive training regimen than a traditional Part 61 Private Pilot School. The goal will be to make steady progress towards the student’s private pilot license. Student and Instructor time is valuable and an effort will be made to provide a good value to the student, in exchange the price per hour will be higher, but if these training sessions are augmented with student initiative the investment will be offset by more rapid advancement. The hobby of aviation is a fun, fantastic lifelong adventure. The skills needed to be a pilot are quite easy to learn. Safe Aviators inject a certain level of seriousness in their flying activity: Self-discipline, good decision making, understanding personal limits and a recognition that not doing these things is dangerous are all essential ingredients to a long flying career.
If you are up for the challenge with unlimited rewards, us at Spectrum Pilot Services and start your training.
Sincerely,
Ronn DenOuden
Owner / Chief Pilot