Scottie Burge has seen flight training from every seat. He spent close to 25 years as an officer in the Royal Air Force, moved into US flight training, and went on to run flight operations as a chief pilot. In 2021 he joined the FAA, where he now works as an Operations Air Safety Inspector. Few people have trained pilots, run a flight line, and inspected schools for the agency — Scottie has done all three.
Professional Background
- Royal Air Force: Close to 25 years of service as an officer
- US Flight Training: Moved into flight training in the United States after his military career
- Chief Pilot: Ran flight operations, carrying the same pressures flight school owners carry
- FAA Operations Air Safety Inspector: Joined the agency in 2021 in his current role
Areas of Expertise
- FAA Inspections: What an inspector notices first and what an inspection is really looking for
- Flight School Compliance: The most common gaps that trip schools up, and how to close them
- Safety Culture: Building a culture that holds as a school adds aircraft, instructors, and students
- General Aviation and Helicopters: Deep GA and rotorcraft experience, with a strong background in emergency and autorotation training
Key Insights for Flight School Owners
- An inspection is not an ambush: Understanding what inspectors actually check removes most of the fear from the process
- Perspective from both sides: Having run a flight line himself, he knows the operational pressure behind the paperwork
- Safety culture has to scale: What works at three aircraft does not automatically hold at fifteen
- Small changes get noticed: There are changes an owner can make in a month that an inspector will see on the next visit
