Arizona Flight School Streamlines Charging Times and Certification Rates Using SunShine Innovation
Challenges amidst ideal conditions: The unforeseen struggles of a promising flight school
When it comes to flying drones, it’s hard to find a better place than the state of Arizona. The clear skies, low humidity, and minimal rain provide near- perfect weather conditions for much of the year. The vast open spaces and beautiful landscapes provide more than enough room for a safe and picturesque flight. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the city of Mesa, Arizona is home to Civilian Air Force, a flight school that prides itself in its drone lessons and preparing the next generation of drone pilots. What is surprising, though, is that despite the ideal environment and learning conditions, the flight school initially wasn’t as successful as it would’ve liked to be. So what was to blame?
Short battery life of drones: biggest problem in flight school success
If the location and weather weren’t to blame, then what was responsible for Civilian Air Force’s problems? The answer, or rather the issue, lay in the short battery life of the drones. During each of their 6-hour events, the flight school could only have 4 drones in the air at any time. While each drone could fly for 5-6 minutes, it also took 10-20 minutes to recharge before being able to send them back into the air. Using traditional outlet chargers resulted in pilots wasting two-thirds of their time waiting near a charging table, leaving only a third of their time for actual drone flying.
Under these initial conditions, each pilot spent more time waiting for their turn and less time actually piloting their drone and improving their flight skills. This wasted time ultimately translated to taking a significantly longer time to get certifications. Per the flight school’s requirements, pilots need 100 hours of flight time to be proficient. Due to inefficient charging times, however, each pilot was only able to get around three 5- minute turns per event, translating to roughly 50-60 days on average for students to get their pilot certification.
Key benefits of SunShine Innovation’s solar powered charger
Streamlined certification process
With the significant jump from 20 minutes to 2 minutes of charging time, the flight school’s students were able to spend much more time on the field flying and gaining experience. By replacing charging time with flying time, students were now taking as little as 30 days to get their pilot certification – half the time it took pre-SunShine Innovation!
Return on investment
⦁ Drone pilots are paid at a rate of roughly $25 per hour. Since SunShine Innovation’s chargers cut the graduation time from 60 to 30 days, newly certified pilots can earn $4K more income by graduating 1 month earlier!
⦁ The charging time saved by SunShine Innovation adds up to 150 minutes per week. At $25 per hour, drone pilots can earn $60 or more revenue per week – $120 in 2 weeks!
⦁ The flight school charges $100 per pilot certification. Before SunShine, 15 pilots would be certified in a month. By cutting certification times in half with Sunshine, the flight school could certify 30 pilots ,effectively doubling their certification revenue. This means the flight school earns $1,500 more per month, growing its monthly revenue by 100% using Sunshine!
Disruption-free flights with improved battery life and charging time
SunShine Innovation’s solar charger can charge devices while they are operational, so the drone batteries would stay fully charged for longer periods of time. Instead of waiting 20 minutes for each drone to charge, swapping the batteries took a mere 2-3 minutes. SunShine’s solar chargers also don’t require charging stations, eliminating the disruption of pilots having to stop mid-flight to charge their drones. This gave them the opportunity to be in the field and observe and experience more drone flights, effectively gaining more experience in less time.
Revolutionizing drone education: SunShine Innovation’s solar charger redefines training efficiency for drone schools
The curious case of Civilian Air Force serves as a reminder that even in conditions as perfect as Mesa, a seemingly simple issue like battery life can make all the difference for a business. The long wait times from traditional charging methods repeatedly interrupted students during their flight schedules and significantly slowed down the flight school’s certification rates. SunShine Innovation’s solar charging technology not only streamlined the charging process but also provided a virtually uninterrupted flight experience for pilots.
The disruption-free flights, improved battery life, and reduced charging times allowed students to spend more time in the field, effectively cutting the time it took to get certified in half. The remarkable shift from 60 to 30 days for pilot certification not only enhanced the students’ learning experience but also resulted in tangible economic benefits, with a notable increase in revenue and ROI for the flight school. SunShine Innovation’s revolutionary solar-charging solutions have taken Civilian Air Force’s day-to-day operations to new heights, setting them up to soar past their competition in the drone flight school industry
Transform drone charging & accelerate certifications for your drone school with SunShine Innovation’s solar charger!