Flight training services for military, commercial, and government aviation personnel. Find active federal and state flight training contracts — AI-scored against your profile across SAM.gov and 200+ portals.
Annual federal spend on flight training under NAICS 611512 is estimated at $1.5–2 billion, driven by USAF pilot training (e.g., T-6, T-38, T-1 programs), Navy and Army rotary-wing training, and FAA air traffic controller simulation training. Contracts are predominantly IDIQs and BPAs with fixed-price task orders, often structured as 5-year base plus 5-year options. Demand is fueled by pilot shortages, mandatory recurrent training, and new aircraft fielding (e.g., T-7A Red Hawk). Competition is moderate-high, with a mix of large primes (CAE, L3Harris) and specialized small businesses. Set-asides are common at the task order level.
These agencies are the largest buyers of flight training services and products in the federal government. Each awards contracts under NAICS 611512 regularly — build relationships with their small business offices first.
To win flight training contracts, focus on past performance in military pilot training or FAA Part 141/142 schools. The most common set-asides are 8(a) and SDVOSB for Air Force and Army contracts; HUBZone is less frequent. The single highest-leverage move is obtaining an Air Force Advanced Training Systems (ATS) IDIQ or GSA 874-6 (Flight Training) schedule contract, then aggressively pursuing task orders as a prime or subcontractor. Team with a large prime for base-level contracts and take small, specialized task orders (e.g., simulator training, instructor augmentation).
Flight training is bought via best-value tradeoff (LPTA rare due to quality needs). Common vehicles: GSA 874-6 (Flight Training), Air Force ATS IDIQ, Navy T-6/T-34 training IDIQs, and Army Flight Training IDIQs. Evaluation emphasizes instructor qualifications, safety record, and past performance over price.
Contractors must hold FAA Part 141 or 142 certification for civilian flight schools, or meet military-specific qualification standards (e.g., Air Force AETC 11-2). Additionally, instructors must have valid FAA certificates (CFI, CFII, MEI) and often military instructor pilot experience.
For large contracts over $150,000, Miller Act performance and payment bonds are typically required. However, many flight training task orders under IDIQs are below this threshold and do not require bonds, though bid bonds may be requested for competitive solicitations.
Award sizes vary widely: small task orders for recurrent training can be $100K–$1M, while full pilot training programs (e.g., Air Force UPT) range from $20M–$500M over the contract period. The median award for small businesses is around $2–5M.
Competition is moderate. While large primes dominate prime contracts, many task orders are set aside for small businesses. The 8(a) program sees frequent use, especially for Air Force and Army training. SDVOSB and WOSB set-asides are less common but available.
Yes, but you must partner with a certified prime or subcontractor. Many small businesses provide support services (e.g., logistics, scheduling, maintenance) without direct training delivery. However, prime contractors typically require FAA Part 142 certification for the training component.